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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
November 1, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781696604901
- File size: 41587 KB
- Duration: 01:26:38
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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AudioFile Magazine
Claire Keegan's short story is enhanced by Aoife McMahon's exquisite narration. Her soft, melodious accent is the voice of the young, unnamed narrator from an impoverished Irish-Catholic family. Her voice is hurt and unsure as her father drops her off at the home of distant relatives without a suitcase, an explanation, or a goodbye--just an admonishment: "Try not to fall into the fire, you." She wonders who these people are, why she was sent away, and whether she will ever be able to go home again. As the Kinsellas accept her, showing kindness and appreciation for her efforts to learn and help, she slowly begins to feel loved. Her voice becomes more confident as she grows and blossoms under their quiet love. N.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
Library Journal
March 1, 2023
First published in 2010 and now available in audio, Keegan's (Small Things Like These) breathtaking award-winning novella illuminates the story of a young unnamed Irish girl who is sent to stay with distant relatives while her mother prepares for the birth of a child. Narrator Aoife McMahon channels Keegan's spare, powerful prose, describing how the girl is dumped at the Kinsellas' farm by her rough father, whose parting words are, "She'll ate, but ye can work her." The girl, who is brave and curious and observant, gratefully relaxes into her new life, where she is bathed, dressed, and invited to participate in the rituals of daily life. The simplest activities--drawing water from the well, gathering herbs from the garden, selecting sweets at the candy shop in town--are imbued with meaning and fairly glow with love and humanity. McMahon provides simple but not overdone characterizations, distinguished by slight changes in tone, pacing, and pitch. She allows the spaces to come through, never rushing, and delivering the words with precision and care. VERDICT Though brief, this deeply affecting novella is not easily forgotten. An exquisitely narrated audio that should appeal to fans of Alice McDermott's Child of My Heart.--Sarah Hashimoto
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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