The Genius of Claire Keegan
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- Опубликовано: 23 сен 2023
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I love that even though Claire Keegan's stories may seem a little bleak - like a February afternoon - there's always a strong aftertaste of hope in them. And I love how they bring me to the verge of tears, never pushing further. I notice that a lot in Irish literature, really.
I finished Foster last night and started randomly crying because even though nothing genuinely sad had happened everything was just so tenderly written. It has definitely been a brand-new reading experience! And thank you for mentioning there´s a movie adaptation :)
Also, I read half the book thinking the couple were her grandparents hahahaha
This reminds me of how I talk about Alice Munro, Canadian Nobel Prize winner for Literature. She mostly writes short stories, and she can develop more story in two sentences than many can with whole books. I just put Ms Keegan’s books on hold at the library where they all have significant hold times. Thank you for this recommendation!
I've just blown through all of Claire Keegan's backlist and was looking for this exact video - someone who shares my passion! She has quickly become one of my favorite writers. A master of sparse, impactful language, what is left unsaid. Thank you for this breakdown!
You always do such a wonderful job at explaining the genius of authors, and this was no different. I just borrowed Foster on the Libby app. :)
Really apriciate the way you talk about books so enthusastic about the books you love it really makes you want to read them . However even when you have not apprciated a book for yourself you still encorage people to make their own decisions as they read it for themselves . Not read Claire's work yet but will be after watching this , thanks.
Just so perfect, this. Thank you once again for another work of art. Who else makes book reviewing an art? You are so unique in this field.
This might be the kindest and most uplifting compliment I’ve ever received. You just made my day 💜
I also discovered the genius of Claire Keegan with Small Things Like These. That novella took my breath away and it's one I reread often. I have since read everything she's published, including So Late in the Day. Like you said, she's a wordsmith in the sense that she manages to say so much and make me feel so much with such simple language. My other favorite of hers is Foster. I broke me a bit... She's one of my most favorite authors, alongside Sarah Moss, who has the same power of conveying so much human emotion and experiences in very short novels (my favorite of hers is Ghost Wall).
Recently bought Antarctica and have since read almost everything else. I really admire her writing. I think she is a writer who has something to say. I think even many of the best writers don't have something to say.
Thank you, Willow! I've just got myself all three books and Scattered All Over The Earth. I hope that I have enough to time from my Master's Thesis to be able to read all these this weekend.
I read 'Foster' the short story last night in one of the Best American Short Stories collections and was blown away. It was so beautiful, sad, hopeful... it aroused so many different emotions. I didn't know there was a longer version and will definitely seek it out.
I'm making a concise effort to read more Irish authors, and Keegan is #1 on my list. (It's probably a crime that I haven't read her yet, considering I live here.) I can't tell you how excited I am that you've described her writing as exactly the kind of style I appreciate the most. I feel no rush to read these, but I'm looking forward to that day so much more now. I'm also looking forward to watching An Cailín Ciúin afterwards; knowing that it has done so well internationally is wonderful, both for Irish film and gaeilge in general. Thanks so much for this video!
...also, your hair looks really elegant!
I love these videos where you take a deep dive into the works of an author you've spend some time with. Especially the range of authors and genres you've explored ... I know I've seen you cover Agatha Christie, Terry Pratchett, Kazuo Ishiguro among others. I bet it takes a while to collect your thoughts for this type of video, but you always describe the authors' style and appeal so precisely. I'm going to read Foster at some point now, that will be my first from Claire Keegan. Her style sounds like what I've been in the mood for lately.
I read Foster as my New Year’s Day Novella First Book and I could not have chosen a more perfect book to start the year. I’ve been planning to read her second story collection next month and the new novella before the end of the year to be a completest.
I think it takes time while reading Claire's books to get to appreciate her style. I have picked ''Small Things Like This' this week, as I've seen it being hyped up and I got curious. When I started reading it, my initial thought was 'ok, this is slow, it's a short story, but it seems to be dragging on, where will be the hook, the amazingness everyone is so on about'. Then I let myself be a listener, rather than a participant in the plot, and I think that's where the coziness feeling comes in. It's not a cozy book by a mile, but if you allow yourself to listen to the story, as if you might be listetning to a friend of a friend telling this story some evening, it kinda seems cozy. And then it ends. And that's where you get the punchline, because you have to backtrack everything you've been hearing, or rather reading, and you have to confront the actions taken by everyone. Being raised in Catholic household, how much sit seem similar to your upbringing, even if it's a compleatly different country. I think it's beautiful, that it's been few days since I've finished the book, but I still think about the story. It made me to look into the history of Magdalene's laundries, and everything it entailed. I knew from the book it was awful, but reading on about how much more bad it could get was... sombering.
I want to re-read the book again, slower this time to appreciate it more. And I really want to lay my hands on rest of her novellas, as I am curious what questions would thise invoke.
Thank you for this video! You just gained a sub :) I just finished Foster and I have so many thoughts and feelings, loved that you made a whole video on this author!
Hey Willow. I may not always agree with your recommendations (and I read a lot of them), but I really enjoy your videos. Your analysis is always thoughtful. I find it hard to believe your videos are off the cuff, unscripted. Chekov is the master of the story where nothing happens, but in an amazing way. Thanks for Books and Bao.
You’re very kind, thank you. And I love the way you just described Chekhov’s work. Beautifully phrased
Another short story of hers is "The Forester's Daughter."
Short but impactful.
I really love how you talk about Books 🥰
I just love Claire Keegan's writing. Have read So Late in the Day and find it a brilliant story. She uses words like diamonds. On my second read I looked up all the hotels and squares and paintings on my phone and the extraordinary histories which rhymed with Phillip Larkins poem Aubade and gave me a wonderful experience....while reading a story of misogeny and death I also had an amazing tour of Wiicklow. We see the world in small pictures on our phone and i enjoyed this in combination along with the almost miniature book.
Those sound like beautiful stories, I want to read them.
Excellent as always.
Thank you for this, Willow! I just finished Foster- the last that I read of the three - and the itch to watch this video, and hear your thoughts was such a large part of what kept me at it!
I am so struck by the way she writes men in all three books, and how both fathers, Furlong and Kinsella, are such genuine and considerate people, written with such empathy. The contrast between this and So Late in the Day was interesting....I think I have taught myself to be suspicious of father characters/men both in life and in literature and so this reading experience was challenging and new for me. (I was, for instance incredibly suspicious of Kinsella's devotedness to the young girl at first)
I'm wondering now about how she manages go write these two characters with such tenderness and still hold her fierce feminism elsewhere - not that the two must be in conflict, but there's something in my own conditioning that makes it feel hard to understand.
So Late in the Day reminded me of Ishiguro’s The Remain of The Days in both theme and title
I learned from your video; thanks. ❤
Foster and So late in the day (the 3 stories collection including Antarctica - btw I’ll never understand why they did different editions with the same name of one of the short stories but with different contents) are five stars!!! ⭐️
On the other hand I could not finish small things like these.
Hello. Do watch the adaptation of Foster in Irish "The Quiet Girl."
Small Things Like These is being adapted also.
I studied Claire Keegan's "Foster", back in Secondary school and was blown away.
I also studied a feminist play "Big Maggie " that I also thought was fantastic.
You’ve convinced me
Foster felt a lot like anne with an E. Same vibes.
I just read So Late in the Day yesterday. I’ve actually read all of her work via audio and I think she might be one of the few writers where it doesn’t translate well to audio. I don’t get from the story what I’m probably meant to.
Oh I just found out that an indie cinema has The Quiet Girl this week. So, should I read the Foster book or see a movie ?
I'm 21 and relatively new to the world of novels. Until now, I've primarily explored philosophy, psychology, and astrophysics due to my passion for those genres, being a physics student myself. One exception was reading "The Alchemist" when I was 14, which remains a favorite. Recently, I've decided to delve into short stories and came across Claire Keegan's "Foster," which I plan to read. I would greatly appreciate any recommendations for good short stories suitable for someone new to novel reading. Thank you in advance for your suggestions :)
Here are some fantastic short novels from various different genres for you to check out :)
booksandbao.com/must-read-novellas-short-books/
"I tell you ... this young man Nietzsche is the best student I ever had".
You’re the nuts one from that other video, aye?
Could not find any information about Claire Keegan's current life. Does she teach? Is she married or partnered? Where does she live?
Dunno hon
A non-fiction I got a how to make indIgo clothing and just a small helpings of selfmade art crafts. " A indIgo summer" by Ellie Evelyn Orrell. Just a 150 pages. calon published.
Ok?
@@WillowTalksBooks I was just putting out a little bit about a book I enjoyed. Have taken out a lot of books on your mentions of. It's a lot of books that aren't in my local library. LIBRARIES ARE now globally connected somewhere else comes to my library by my card number. The furthest is Australian and New Zealand! Takes just about a week to ten days on their own dime! It's fun!