Small Things Like These
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Small Things Like These
Buy Now for £13.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Aidan Kelly
-
By:
-
Claire Keegan
About this listen
THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FOSTER, ANTARCTICA AND WALK THE BLUE FIELDS
'This is a tale of courage and compassion, of good sons and vulnerable young mothers. Absolutely beautiful.' -Douglas Stuart (Winner of the Booker Prize 2020)
'Marvellous-exact and icy and loving all at once.' - Sarah Moss
'A haunting, hopeful masterpiece.' - Sinéad Gleeson
It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.
The long-awaited new work from the author of Foster, Small Things Like These is an unforgettable story of hope, quiet heroism and tenderness.
'[Claire Keegan] creates luminous effects with spare material, so every line seems to be a lesson in the perfect deployment of both style and emotion.' Hilary Mantel
©2022 Claire Keegan (P)2022 Faber & FaberListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
'Marvellous-exact and icy and loving all at once.' -Sarah Moss 'A haunting, hopeful masterpiece.' -Sinéad Gleeson
'This is a tale of courage and compassion, of good sons and vulnerable young mothers. Absolutely beautiful.' -Douglas Stuart (Winner of the Booker Prize 2020)
'[Claire Keegan] creates luminous effects with spare material, so every line seems to be a lesson in the perfect deployment of both style and emotion.' -Hilary Mantel
What listeners say about Small Things Like These
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-09-22
Brilliant
Had me hooked beginning to end, a great story authentically told leaving one reminded, there's always hope
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dee O'Sullivan
- 28-07-22
Beautiful story well read.
Claire Keegan has written a perfectly formed short story, narrated wonderfully by Aidan Kelly. leaves you wanting more.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- T.Allen
- 28-01-23
Thought provoking
Really enjoyed this short book but disturbed by how close to the truth it might be
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-02-23
Haunting
This is what’s both right and wrong with humanity. Two sides of a coin with a couple of great twists thrown in for measure. I want part 2 already. Such a sad and grim aspect on life and it leaves you with so much respect and faith in the main character at the end. This is not written in the usual “Magdalene” style. Thought provoking, leaves you wondering…
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. DUFFY
- 29-05-23
Small story of hugely importance
Sad and moving, all the more moving for its heartbreaking reflection of reality of recent horrors
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alla
- 27-07-23
Captivating
Really inspiring story of a protagonist with a big heart. Short story but it delves deep into the psyche of that time. Must read
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sometimes it's a Zebra 🦓
- 27-10-23
Small Things Like These
Beautifully written, empathetic short story.
I wonder if the choice for the protagonist to be male was purposeful to further highlight gender inequality? ie women can't even tell their own tale - it is only worth listening to through the eyes of a man (empathetic as he is, he is still a man).
This book covers a well worn topic in a well worn era in Ireland's recent past. I do get a bit tired of reading pretty much the same things over and over, such as all the endless novels that include the 1st or 2nd World Wars.
However, this author holds her own within this bracket.
Keegan really knows how to pack a lot into a small parcel.
She uses really evocative language and creates atmosphere with ease. You really get to feel as though you are there seeing and feeling everything first hand.
Strangely, I found that I really knew who all the characters were, even the minor ones. Perhaps this is helped along by the fact that I've met them all at some point in my life, and heard so many accounts. No easy feat though - to conjure a fully fleshed form out of so few words.
Which brings me to my main beef with this book - Why did it have to go and end?!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kate Lewis
- 24-01-24
A beautifully narrated gentle, meaningful story
So much to think about in this engaging short story. The plot development is pleasingly steady with wonderful imagery.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eileen McNeill
- 01-02-24
Provocative & beautifully written
Uncloaks the dehumanising horror and hypocrisy of the Magdalene Laundries but in an acutely sensitive and thought provoking way.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sheila O
- 27-10-24
Short but Thought Provoking
I really enjoyed this book. It is short but has some very profound messages within. The reader-listener gathers enough information to infer the rest as the author style of writing is one where words are not wasted on smaller details.
It’s a story centred around Furlong a man born out of wedlock who had a fortunate upbringing. His encounters victims of the Magdalene Laundries in the course of his work as a coal merchant. This has a profound impact on him and his life’s trajectory.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!