Foster

by Claire Keegan

Hardcover, 2022

Call number

FIC KEE

Collections

Publication

Grove Press (2022), 128 pages

Description

It is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again. In the Kinsellas' house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom. But there is something unspoken in this new household - where everything is so well tended to - and this summer must soon come to an end. Winner of the prestigious Davy Byrnes Award and published in an abridged version in the New Yorker, this internationally bestselling contemporary classic is now available for the first time in the US in a full, standalone edition. A story of astonishing emotional depth, Foster showcases Claire Keegan's great talent and secures her reputation as one of our most important storytellers.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member martymojito
What an amazing book. This is quite a short novel, probably should be considered a novella. It concerns a young girl who is sent live with her Aunt and Uncle while her mother is having another child. Her parents are obviously poor and have problems while her Aunt and Uncle seem very loving. But
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they hold a dark secret that is reveaved later in the book. But there is an edge to this story. All of the time we feel that the girl is in some mysterious kind of danger, maybe that she will be the victim of child abuse perhaps? Is this a reflection of the society that we live in that we expect the young girl to be hurt in some way? Can the relatives really be trusted when seeming so kind? It is a terrific read, a book that I read in one sitting and would recdommend highly.
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LibraryThing member almin
Beautiful...I read the final page 3 times, I think it is left up to interpretation and it broke my heart. Highly recommend....
LibraryThing member froxgirl
This tiny novella of a young Irish girl's magical summer is a heart-bruiser. The unnamed narrator is taken in by her aunt and uncle when her mother is at the end of one of her endless pregnancies, and as the only child in the household, she discovers a strong and new sense of self. Her aunt Mary
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and uncle Dan Kinsella are the essence of kindness, especially in contrast to her own overwhelmed mother and her actively hostile, hard-drinking father. She comes to realize the tragedy that hangs over the Kinsella household, attends a home wake, is given a whole pound to spend on herself for the first time, and takes a memorable night walk by the ocean with Dan. Small events, but the reader knows how large they will loom in the entirety of her life. But all summers must end. At 92 pages, the novella has won prestigious awards and great acclaim in Britain and Ireland.
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LibraryThing member psalva
My first time reading Keegan. Gorgeous writing- equally delicate and evocative. I found the subtlety of Keegan’s writing really worked for me. I don’t have much to add that hasn’t been said, but I’ll definitely be seeking out her other books.
LibraryThing member CarrieWuj
This long, short story published as a stand-alone is a work of genius. I have read it several times and still derive new meaning from it. There are layers and layers here in such a compact frame. The narrator is a 9-year old girl, who doesn't officially have a name, though one endearment she
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answers to is "Petal." It is set in 1981 in rural Ireland, though it seems like the 1950s based on the lack of resources and modernity. Petal is taken by her ne'er-do-well father to some distant relatives ("my mother's people") the Kinsellas, to stay for a summer while her mother has another baby. The loving care she receives there and the new way she has of seeing the world as a result make this a beautiful story of transformation. The change works both ways, for the Kinsellas were shadowed by loss, but have re-awakened due to her presence. All this is beautifully understated and lyrically portrayed in the lilting Irish accent and gift for gab.
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LibraryThing member SquirrelHead
Kindness, hopefulness and love. Those are the themes which slowly unfold in this short but substantial book. I didn't realize it was under 100 pages until I started reading, suddenly realizing I was halfway through. In spite of the length, this narrative is loaded with emotion and exceptional
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character development.

The setting is Wexford in rural Ireland. A young girl is driven by her father to a stranger's home to left as a foster. Her mother will soon be giving birth and for financial and time reasons, the girl is be fostered for an indeterminate amount of time. As it turns out, the strangers are family and treat her very well.

Coming from a very poor family with many siblings, arriving dirty, underfed and lacking basic social graces the girl will slowly blossom in her foster home. For the first time she feels valued. The man and woman talk to her and engage her, teach her to read and show her love.

The ending was bittersweet and I wanted more. Sometimes it's best to linger on the "what ifs." I'd highly recommend immersing yourself in this poignant story. This is my first experience with this author and most certainly will not be my last.

Publication date is November 1, 2022 by Grove Atlantic Press. Genre: General Fiction Adult,

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.
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LibraryThing member villemezbrown
One of those nasty books that warms your heart while slowly breaking it. Beautiful pain.

And it only takes about an hour . . . not counting recovery.
LibraryThing member Petroglyph
Rural Ireland, indeterminate time. An eight-year-old girl is summarily dropped off at a farm for an indeterminate period of time; the farmer and his wife have agreed to look after her for a while. Her own parents have long since been overwhelmed by poverty and a large number of children and don’t
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have the money or the energy to bother with advanced parenting such as emotional support and bedtime reading. The childless couple she spends the summer with, though, do, and the girl experiences what it is like to be allowed to come out of her shell.

Small-scale drama at family level, told through the eyes of a child, but very well written. Almost melodramatic at the end, but the novella has earned its ending.
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LibraryThing member bumblybee
Foster is a novella about a child's summer spent with distant relatives. The child, one of her parents' many children living in poverty, is enamored by the comfortable life the Kinsellas lead - and the amount of love they have for a child who is not their own.

In terms of sheer writing ability,
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this might be the best novella I've ever read. Keegan can write; that much is incredibly clear in the prose. The character development is strong, and though it makes up less than 100 pages, you can see a marked difference by the end. I sometimes find the pacing of novellas to be either dragged-out short stories or compressed novels, but Foster straddles this line perfectly. It is the correct length for the story Keegan is telling, no more, no less - exactly as it should be.

This is the first of Keegan's work that I have read, and it certainly will not be the last. I can't say I've read anything this poignant in a long time. I'd recommend this for just about any reader who enjoys literary fiction.

Thank you to Grove Press and Edelweiss for providing a copy for review.
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LibraryThing member nicx27
Foster is a short read which could just about be called a novella. It follows a young girl, sent to stay with relatives of her mother that she doesn't know whilst her mother gives birth to yet another baby. I felt for the girl who quietly accepts her situation and gets quite used to living with the
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Kinsellas. As the summer wears on she begins to realise that it is possible to be doted on and a change starts to come over her.

I thought this was a lovely little read, very evocative of rural Ireland and the communities there. There's a sadness to the story but there's also a warmth created by the coming together of the Kinsellas and the girl. I found the whole thing touching and gentle.

I must confess I didn't at first understand the ending and read it several times to no avail but a quick search on the internet helped me to make sense of what it might have meant. Maybe a tad too vague a finish for me. On the whole though I thought Foster was a sensitive portrayal of childhood and illustrated the effects of different kinds of upbringings.
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LibraryThing member Cariola
I loved Keegan's [Small Things Like These,] which I read over Christmas last year, and also enjoyed two of her short story collection, so I had been waiting for the release of 'The Foster.' This is a very short novella (62 pages) about a young Irish girl sent to live with an aunt and uncle when her
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family falls on hard times. She is one of many children, her mother is expecting again, and her father is having difficulty keeping his farm afloat. Her aunt and uncle are virtually strangers to her, having met her only once when she was too young to remember. Told from the girl's point of view, we see her wonder at the way she is treated from the first night: a hot bath, plenty to eat, and no scolding in the morning after she wet the bed. The only time her aunt becomes cross is when she innocently asks about a secret.

This is a gentle story that slowly reveals the growing love between the girl and the adults, and along the way Keegan gives us a view of the local community as well. Like [Small Things Like These,] this story focuses on understanding the problems others face without hammering in the point. Both give us hope that the best in us will prevail.
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LibraryThing member maryreinert
Short realistic and bitterly sad story of an unnamed young girl who is taken to another family while her mother gives birth to yet another child. Unused to kindness and family life, she learns in small ways to love this foster father and mother. After the baby is born, she is taken home.
LibraryThing member thornton37814
An unnamed girl spends much of the summer with the Kinsellas, her mother's relatives. The girl's mother expects another child. Her family is impoverished. Her father does not express love. Her mother is tired and worn out. Life with the Kinsellas is much different. The girl thrives in the new
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situation. She sees the Kinsellas' slow and steady pace at getting things done. She also sees them having fun and making her own life fun. She learns the value of silence and many other life lessons from this couple who lost their own son at some time prior to her arrival. It's a beautiful novella. It's one I'll ponder for a bit just thinking of the various "What if" scenarios.
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LibraryThing member Perednia
A beautiful story about what family love can be. My first Claire Keegan but definitely will not be my last.
LibraryThing member msf59
"Part of me wants my father to leave me here while another part of me wants him to take me back, to what I know. I am in a spot where I can neither be what I always am nor turn into what I could be.”

I was completely enchanted, (and I was not alone) by Keegan's 2021 novel Small Things Like These
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and was very happy to see she had a new novel out. It turns out Foster was first published in 2010. However, that does not diminish how lovely this little novel is. It is a story about a pre-teenage girl who is sent to stay with relatives, in the rural Irish countryside, while her mother gives birth to a baby. She is leaving a home that is not particularly warm and loving but finally gets to experience what love and attention feels like.
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LibraryThing member Iudita
Perfect for a quiet afternoon with a cup of tea. A quiet, gentle story that can be read in one sitting.
LibraryThing member rmarcin
Claire Keegan packs a lot into a short novella. In this book, a young girl is sent to live with a family member because her mom is having another child. At the Kinsella's home, she is lovingly cared for, fed, and nurtured in many ways. The Kinsellas treat her as if she is their own.
She finds out
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one day that they lost their son in a tragic accident. Now, they are pouring their love on this child, more love than she received at her own home, especially from her Da.
Beautiful and heart-wrenching, I love to read Keegan's work.
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LibraryThing member Castlelass
Set in Ireland in 1981, an unnamed girl is dropped off to live with relatives, where she finds the love and affection she has been missing. There is some uncertainty about how long she will be able to stay. This is a beautifully written, short, poignant story. Keegan has a knack for saying a lot in
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a few words. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member quondame
A young girl experiences a different sort of family life when she is sent to stay with connections of her parents while her mother waits for yet another child in an already large family.
LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Foster opens with a young girl being taken by her father to stay with another family, the Kinsellas. Seen entirely through the child’s eyes, readers are given very few details. Why is this happening? Is this a visit, or something more permanent? Are these people relatives, friends, or complete
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strangers? The child has no answers, but seems to accept the arrangement. Details are dropped like a trail of breadcrumbs, and as the picture comes into focus, so does the emotional impact on both the child and the Kinsellas.

I could give examples to illustrate my point, but to say any more would spoil the reading experience. Keegan has a gift for telling a complete and nuanced story in very few words. While this novella could be read in an afternoon, it is worth taking at a slower pace to allow the sublime narrative to flow like a meandering stream.
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LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
Five stars for the writing.
However ~ the overlying, dark tone of family dysfunction and implied mistreatment of the young girl made this short story an emotional roller coaster. Keegan is a hugely powerful writer, able to evoke an atmospheric narrative in succinct descriptions. My rating reflects
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amongst other considerations: did I enjoy the theme and would I read it again?
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LibraryThing member streamsong
A young Irish girl (never given a name in this novella) leaves her home in the city. Her mother is pregnant and although the number of siblings isn’t mentioned, she seems to have more children than she can manage.

The girl arrives at the Kinsella farm, unwashed, uncared for and unloved. But the
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Kinsellas care deeply for everything in their sphere. The girl fills a hole in their heart as they love her into being.

How can anything so perfect last?

Heartbreaking and warming at the same time. Beautifully written. In my eyes, this novella is darn near perfect.
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LibraryThing member vancouverdeb
Sadly , Claire Keegan's novella's don't seem to work well for me. The novella is so short , I felt like a barely turned the first page only to find I was at the end of the story. I'm left feeling that there was not enough depth or information for me to properly connect with the characters. I have
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loved , and felt very moved by short story collections, like Mennonites Don't Dance and The Beggar's Garden. I may re- read Foster in the future and see if I get more out of the story with a second read.
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LibraryThing member kewing
Foster is a very short novel, not even really a novella--more like an extended short story published in the New Yorker in 2010--but there is an emotional and compassionate depth that captures the reader and lingers long after the reading. The foster parents (aunt and uncle) hold a secret, a hidden
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trauma, that is slowly revealed through their emotional attachment with the child narrator. This secret doesn't seem to carry the shame mentioned early in the story, although it is probably felt by the foster parents. Similarly, there seems to be a secret withheld by the narrator and at least in part known by the foster parents that's never fully revealed. This is an emotionally powerful story well worth reading.
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LibraryThing member DubaiReader
A pastiche of life in rural Ireland.

I read the New York Times version of this book, rather than the "revised and expanded version" mentioned in GoodReads. At £4.29 for less than 100 pages this must be one of the most expensive Kindle books I've come across, so I declined to purchase the Amazon
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version.

It was chosen as a book group read by one of our Irish members and she certainly related to it as a taste of her youth and upbringing. I was raised in England and not in a Catholic community, so it was less familiar, but quite engaging all the same. The nameless eight-year-old girl who is shipped off to stay with relatives for the summer while her mother gives birth to her fifth (?) sibling, is quite charming and asks very little from her hosts. She expects to be put to work and is endearingly pleased to find herself cherished in a way that she had never experienced in her own family.

There are various day-to-day events that build up to a way of life that is beautifully illustrated, Behind the scenes lurks a past event that colours the lives of the foster parents, but not in such a way as to make our heroine uncomfortable. The most distressing part is the farewell, when she returns to her family for the new school year.
I suspect that this scene would have been reworked in the expanded novella because it was quite strange in my version and none of us were quite clear what actually happened.

I'd like to read the full version at some point, maybe my library can order it. It would be interesting to see what has been added and how it affects my understanding and interpretation of the story.
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Pages

128

ISBN

080216014X / 9780802160140
Page: 0.4599 seconds