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The Forester's Daughter
Faber Stories, a landmark series of individual volumes, presents masters of the short story form at work in a range of genres and styles.
The evening is fine. In the sky a few early stars are shining of their own accord. She watches the dog licking the bowl clean. This dog will break her daughter's heart, she's sure of it.
Claire Keegan's mesmeric story takes us into the heart of the Wicklow countryside, and of the farming family of Victor Deegan, with his 'three teenagers, the milking and the mortgage'.
When Deegan finds a gun dog and gives it as a present to his only daughter, his wife is filled with foreboding at this seeming act of kindness. As the seasons pass, long-buried family secrets threaten to emerge.
Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.
The evening is fine. In the sky a few early stars are shining of their own accord. She watches the dog licking the bowl clean. This dog will break her daughter's heart, she's sure of it.
Claire Keegan's mesmeric story takes us into the heart of the Wicklow countryside, and of the farming family of Victor Deegan, with his 'three teenagers, the milking and the mortgage'.
When Deegan finds a gun dog and gives it as a present to his only daughter, his wife is filled with foreboding at this seeming act of kindness. As the seasons pass, long-buried family secrets threaten to emerge.
Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.
68 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
238 people are currently reading
8947 people want to read
About the author
Claire Keegan
22 books10.7k followersClaire Keegan was raised on a farm in Wicklow. She completed her undergraduate studies at Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana and subsequently earned an MA at The University of Wales and an M.Phil at Trinity College, Dublin.
Her first collection of stories, Antarctica, was a Los Angeles Times Book of the Year. Her second, Walk the Blue Fields, was Richard Ford’s book of the year. Her works have won several awards including The Hugh Leonard Bursary, The Macaulay Fellowship, The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, The Martin Healy Prize, The Olive Cook Award, The Kilkenny Prize, The Tom Gallon Award and The William Trevor Prize, judged by William Trevor. Twice was Keegan the recipient of the Francis MacManus Award. She was also a Wingate Scholar. She lives in Wexford.
Her first collection of stories, Antarctica, was a Los Angeles Times Book of the Year. Her second, Walk the Blue Fields, was Richard Ford’s book of the year. Her works have won several awards including The Hugh Leonard Bursary, The Macaulay Fellowship, The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, The Martin Healy Prize, The Olive Cook Award, The Kilkenny Prize, The Tom Gallon Award and The William Trevor Prize, judged by William Trevor. Twice was Keegan the recipient of the Francis MacManus Award. She was also a Wingate Scholar. She lives in Wexford.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 606 reviews
July 16, 2022
Another gem by Claire Keegan!
The story revolves around the family of Victor Deegan, a hard working forester from County Wicklow, Ireland. Victor's life revolves around his work as a forester, his farm and his duties towards his family.
“In Aghowle there are three teenagers, the milking and the mortgage.”
One day he finds a gun dog in the woods and brings the retriever home. His twelve-year-old daughter Victoria, for whom any gesture of attention or affection from her father is rare, somehow assumes that her father remembered her birthday and the dog is his gift to her. She names the dog Judge. Victoria’s mother, Martha, fears that her daughter’s attachment to this dog will end in heartbreak. Martha is no stranger to disappointment. Her marriage to Victor has not been a happy one. After being courted for a year she agreed to marry him but was soon disillusioned on account of his emotionally distant demeanor and the isolation of living on a farm in the countryside.
“Martha realised she had made a mistake. All she had was a husband who hardly spoke now that he’d married her, an empty house and no income of her own. She had married a man she did not love. What had she expected? She had expected it would grow and deepen into love. And now she craved intimacy and the type of conversation that would surpass misunderstanding.”
In the twenty years she has been with Victor, Martha, now the mother of three children, has found her way to cope and has survived through her loneliness and regrets (she has her share of secrets!), and for the most part, does not confront her husband but when a careless act of his impacts her daughter, Martha knows exactly how to make Victor regret his actions and proceeds to do so in a manner that could fracture the already fragile relationships within her family.
This is a complex story with well-fleshed out characters – the adults are flawed individuals with simple emotions and expectations but with deep regret, disappointments and resentments that complicate their lives. The author touches upon sensitive themes of marriage, fidelity, honesty and parenthood. It should be noted, that though the eponymous ‘forester’s daughter’ is of significant importance to the crux of the story, Victoria is treated more like a secondary character. I do wish her character had been explored with a little more depth. For a story that spans a mere 67 pages (I read the Faber and Faber Paperback edition), the author masterfully weaves multiple PoVs throughout the narrative. While Martha’s thoughts and actions take up a major part of the narrative, the author gives us a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of her husband Victor, her second son who is described as a "simpleton” who “has a frightening aptitude for telling the truth”and Victoria as well as the profoundly insightful observations of Judge, the dog.
“Judge is glad he cannot speak. He has never understood the human compulsion for conversation: people, when they speak, say useless things that seldom if ever improve anything. Their words make them sad. Why can’t they stop talking and embrace each other?”
Claire Keegan once again proves that she is a masterful storyteller. With elegant prose and subtle metaphors, exquisite imagery, superb characterizations and a climax that will surprise you, “The Forester’s Daughter” is an engaging read that I would definitely recommend.
The story revolves around the family of Victor Deegan, a hard working forester from County Wicklow, Ireland. Victor's life revolves around his work as a forester, his farm and his duties towards his family.
“In Aghowle there are three teenagers, the milking and the mortgage.”
One day he finds a gun dog in the woods and brings the retriever home. His twelve-year-old daughter Victoria, for whom any gesture of attention or affection from her father is rare, somehow assumes that her father remembered her birthday and the dog is his gift to her. She names the dog Judge. Victoria’s mother, Martha, fears that her daughter’s attachment to this dog will end in heartbreak. Martha is no stranger to disappointment. Her marriage to Victor has not been a happy one. After being courted for a year she agreed to marry him but was soon disillusioned on account of his emotionally distant demeanor and the isolation of living on a farm in the countryside.
“Martha realised she had made a mistake. All she had was a husband who hardly spoke now that he’d married her, an empty house and no income of her own. She had married a man she did not love. What had she expected? She had expected it would grow and deepen into love. And now she craved intimacy and the type of conversation that would surpass misunderstanding.”
In the twenty years she has been with Victor, Martha, now the mother of three children, has found her way to cope and has survived through her loneliness and regrets (she has her share of secrets!), and for the most part, does not confront her husband but when a careless act of his impacts her daughter, Martha knows exactly how to make Victor regret his actions and proceeds to do so in a manner that could fracture the already fragile relationships within her family.
This is a complex story with well-fleshed out characters – the adults are flawed individuals with simple emotions and expectations but with deep regret, disappointments and resentments that complicate their lives. The author touches upon sensitive themes of marriage, fidelity, honesty and parenthood. It should be noted, that though the eponymous ‘forester’s daughter’ is of significant importance to the crux of the story, Victoria is treated more like a secondary character. I do wish her character had been explored with a little more depth. For a story that spans a mere 67 pages (I read the Faber and Faber Paperback edition), the author masterfully weaves multiple PoVs throughout the narrative. While Martha’s thoughts and actions take up a major part of the narrative, the author gives us a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of her husband Victor, her second son who is described as a "simpleton” who “has a frightening aptitude for telling the truth”and Victoria as well as the profoundly insightful observations of Judge, the dog.
“Judge is glad he cannot speak. He has never understood the human compulsion for conversation: people, when they speak, say useless things that seldom if ever improve anything. Their words make them sad. Why can’t they stop talking and embrace each other?”
Claire Keegan once again proves that she is a masterful storyteller. With elegant prose and subtle metaphors, exquisite imagery, superb characterizations and a climax that will surprise you, “The Forester’s Daughter” is an engaging read that I would definitely recommend.
September 6, 2021
An unhappy marriage full of regret and a secret that leads to more unhappiness makes for a sad story. Although this Irish family is different from the one in Claire Keegan’s novella, Small Things Like These, the writing is just as wonderful and has me ready to read those books of hers still on my list .
Here’s a link to the story:
http://in-sightforum.com/wp-content/u...
Here’s a link to the story:
http://in-sightforum.com/wp-content/u...
December 1, 2019
This story was really a pleasant surprise. Did not know this author yet, but have now read several Faber stories. It's the tale of a woman who marries a farmer for 'want of better'. They have three kids, but she is not happy and brooding on plans to leave. Things run differently.... Writing style clean and to the point, with a disturbing atmosphere simmering in the background of this story. Enjoyed this short story! Will check out this author for more reads.
October 29, 2024
3.75*
Claire Keegan… I love how you put words on a page.
“It was the girl who had the brains, the girl who travelled through youth same as youth was a warm stretch of water she could easily cross.”
“He has a capacity for wonder, sees great significance in common things others dismiss simply because they happen every day.”
“The desperation in her voice travels all the way down into Aghowle’s valley, and the valley sends back her words.”
“Judge (the girl’s dog) is glad he cannot speak. He has never understood the human compulsion for conversation: people, when they speak, say useless things that seldom if ever improve their lives. Their words make them sad. Why can’t they stop talking and embrace each other?”
Claire Keegan… I love how you put words on a page.
“It was the girl who had the brains, the girl who travelled through youth same as youth was a warm stretch of water she could easily cross.”
“He has a capacity for wonder, sees great significance in common things others dismiss simply because they happen every day.”
“The desperation in her voice travels all the way down into Aghowle’s valley, and the valley sends back her words.”
“Judge (the girl’s dog) is glad he cannot speak. He has never understood the human compulsion for conversation: people, when they speak, say useless things that seldom if ever improve their lives. Their words make them sad. Why can’t they stop talking and embrace each other?”
Want to read
June 13, 2024i'll read anything written by claire keegan. including hard to find 67-page novellas
September 15, 2021
I really like this author and plan on reading most of her books.
This one is a short story (80 pages)
about a family in the Wicklow countryside in Ireland.
This is really the story of the consequences of an unhappy marriage and how it affects others around them.
I enjoyed it and there is a somewhat hopeful ending.
This one is a short story (80 pages)
about a family in the Wicklow countryside in Ireland.
This is really the story of the consequences of an unhappy marriage and how it affects others around them.
I enjoyed it and there is a somewhat hopeful ending.
September 2, 2021
This Irish tale - packaged in a hand-size-pint-size paper-booklet is ‘dog-god-atmosphere-heartbreaking-good!
After a year of persistent courting, Martha agrees to marry Victor Deegan…a farmer.
It’s an unhappy marriage —
One day Deegan stumbles across a gun dog. He brings the retriever home and gives it to his youngest daughter for her twelfth birthday.
Martha is fearful — apprehensive…
“The evening is fine. In the sky a few early stars are shining of their own accord. She watches the dog licking the bowl clean. This dog will break her daughters heart, she sure of it”.
Family secrets, loneliness, and regrets arise.
Beautiful- sad- enticing short story.
After a year of persistent courting, Martha agrees to marry Victor Deegan…a farmer.
It’s an unhappy marriage —
One day Deegan stumbles across a gun dog. He brings the retriever home and gives it to his youngest daughter for her twelfth birthday.
Martha is fearful — apprehensive…
“The evening is fine. In the sky a few early stars are shining of their own accord. She watches the dog licking the bowl clean. This dog will break her daughters heart, she sure of it”.
Family secrets, loneliness, and regrets arise.
Beautiful- sad- enticing short story.
September 8, 2021
4★
“While she ate, he steered the conversation from the fine weather through the headlines and wound up talking about Aghowle. As he described his home, he began to imagine her there buttering turnips, patching his trousers, hanging his shirts to dry out on a line.”
She, on the other hand enjoys dancing and walking on the beach, but at thirty, she figures her options for marriage are dwindling. This is the story of their time together and how she deals with her disappointments, beginning with his not-so-grand home.
“The wooden floors were bare of rugs, the ceilings full of woodworm but Martha, being no housekeeper, didn’t really care. She rose late, drank her tea on the doorstep and threw meals together same as she was packing a suitcase.”
She earns a bit of a reputation among the neighbours as a good storyteller, and she’s saved the best one for last – for us, too!
I enjoy the author’s writing and the way she shows us her people and their moods as they struggle with the reality of their lives.
A free PDF is here. (If you have trouble downloading it, let me know.)
http://in-sightforum.com/wp-content/u...
I recently read and loved her new novel, Small Things Like These, which is out in October-November. (It’s still on NetGalley.)
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“While she ate, he steered the conversation from the fine weather through the headlines and wound up talking about Aghowle. As he described his home, he began to imagine her there buttering turnips, patching his trousers, hanging his shirts to dry out on a line.”
She, on the other hand enjoys dancing and walking on the beach, but at thirty, she figures her options for marriage are dwindling. This is the story of their time together and how she deals with her disappointments, beginning with his not-so-grand home.
“The wooden floors were bare of rugs, the ceilings full of woodworm but Martha, being no housekeeper, didn’t really care. She rose late, drank her tea on the doorstep and threw meals together same as she was packing a suitcase.”
She earns a bit of a reputation among the neighbours as a good storyteller, and she’s saved the best one for last – for us, too!
I enjoy the author’s writing and the way she shows us her people and their moods as they struggle with the reality of their lives.
A free PDF is here. (If you have trouble downloading it, let me know.)
http://in-sightforum.com/wp-content/u...
I recently read and loved her new novel, Small Things Like These, which is out in October-November. (It’s still on NetGalley.)
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 7, 2022
A farmer marries a city girl and the two start a family in the country. But the marriage isn’t a happy one and the wife hides a secret concerning their daughter. When the farmer does something unforgivable, the wife will have her revenge.
The Forester’s Daughter is a really good short story. Having read her two novels now, I’m fairly convinced Claire Keegan doesn’t write anything less than smashing stories, beautifully told.
The tale is built up slowly but expertly, showing us the family beginnings with Victor and Martha’s courtship, over the years as the children grow up, and the family develops to include a dog called Judge.
There’s a heartbreaking twist near the end and a powerful finale, both in what Martha does and what happens at the very end too. I’ve noticed Keegan is especially skilled at endings which are one of the hardest aspects of storytelling to get right, which is impressive.
The only criticisms I have are down to my personal preferences. The story leaves a bitter aftertaste so, while engrossing, I can’t say I loved it. And I don’t like using dogs, or any animals really, in a narrative - I find it unsettling and a bit manipulative overall.
Otherwise, The Forester’s Daughter is wonderfully written and a compelling and original portrait of an unhappy marriage and a troubled family. I’m learning that anything with Claire Keegan’s name on it is worth reading and The Forester’s Daughter is no exception.
The Forester’s Daughter is a really good short story. Having read her two novels now, I’m fairly convinced Claire Keegan doesn’t write anything less than smashing stories, beautifully told.
The tale is built up slowly but expertly, showing us the family beginnings with Victor and Martha’s courtship, over the years as the children grow up, and the family develops to include a dog called Judge.
There’s a heartbreaking twist near the end and a powerful finale, both in what Martha does and what happens at the very end too. I’ve noticed Keegan is especially skilled at endings which are one of the hardest aspects of storytelling to get right, which is impressive.
The only criticisms I have are down to my personal preferences. The story leaves a bitter aftertaste so, while engrossing, I can’t say I loved it. And I don’t like using dogs, or any animals really, in a narrative - I find it unsettling and a bit manipulative overall.
Otherwise, The Forester’s Daughter is wonderfully written and a compelling and original portrait of an unhappy marriage and a troubled family. I’m learning that anything with Claire Keegan’s name on it is worth reading and The Forester’s Daughter is no exception.
February 5, 2021
This is a beautifully written story. Quite sad, however. Keegan reminds me of William Trevor. I have two of her short story collections (Antarctica and Walk the Blue Fields), and I actually read this story 13 years ago in her Walk the Blue Fields collection. I finished the book on May 7, 2008 and gave the book an A-. Therefore, I have to infer I liked the story the first time around. 🧐 I certainly liked it the second time around. 😊
This story is part of the Faber Stories, part of a set of 10 stories with 3 sets total that are in celebration of Faber and Faber Publishers’ 90th birthday.
A young woman is courted by a man who is persistent. She does not love him but after many months he pops the question, and because nobody has popped the question to her yet, and she is fearful that nobody will pop the question in the future she says ‘yes’, hoping that she will grow to love him. And that sets the wheels in motion for how her life turns out — not as she expected. Her third child, a daughter, is given a dog by the husband, and that seemingly nice gift on her birthday turns out to be…well…I shan’t say.
One element of this story that made it special was that the wife told a story …so it was one of those ‘story in a story’ stories. I think I stated that properly. 🙃
Notes:
• From Wikipedia: she was a visiting professor at Villanova University in 2008. Keegan was the Ireland Fund Artist-in-Residence in the Celtic Studies Department of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto in March 2009. In 2019, she was appointed as Writing Fellow at Trinity College Dublin.[8] Pembroke College Cambridge and Trinity College Dublin selected Keegan as the 2021 Briena Staunton Visiting Fellow.
• Her website on Wikipedia states this as coming out this year…I would hazard a guess it is a story or a short story collection as that is her forte. Small Things like These
Review:
• From a blogsite (is really nicely done!): https://www.facebook.com/133549059325...
This story is part of the Faber Stories, part of a set of 10 stories with 3 sets total that are in celebration of Faber and Faber Publishers’ 90th birthday.
A young woman is courted by a man who is persistent. She does not love him but after many months he pops the question, and because nobody has popped the question to her yet, and she is fearful that nobody will pop the question in the future she says ‘yes’, hoping that she will grow to love him. And that sets the wheels in motion for how her life turns out — not as she expected. Her third child, a daughter, is given a dog by the husband, and that seemingly nice gift on her birthday turns out to be…well…I shan’t say.
One element of this story that made it special was that the wife told a story …so it was one of those ‘story in a story’ stories. I think I stated that properly. 🙃
Notes:
• From Wikipedia: she was a visiting professor at Villanova University in 2008. Keegan was the Ireland Fund Artist-in-Residence in the Celtic Studies Department of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto in March 2009. In 2019, she was appointed as Writing Fellow at Trinity College Dublin.[8] Pembroke College Cambridge and Trinity College Dublin selected Keegan as the 2021 Briena Staunton Visiting Fellow.
• Her website on Wikipedia states this as coming out this year…I would hazard a guess it is a story or a short story collection as that is her forte. Small Things like These
Review:
• From a blogsite (is really nicely done!): https://www.facebook.com/133549059325...
September 8, 2021
This is a wonderful Irish story about an unhappy marriage, unusual children, and family secrets. The dog will warm your heart! I would love to read more of Claire Keegan's work. Thanks to Angela for posting such an enticing review.
September 20, 2021
If you think about it, the concept of marrying for love is relatively new. Not that marrying for love guarantees better outcomes.
This is the story of a stale marriage. Two people who don't really know each other, and worse, don't care to know each other, get married. Eventually, kids appear.
The wife is burdened by the drudgery of daily life, not getting any fulfilment from the domestic chores and having each day indistinguishable from others. The husband does the fieldwork and the cow milking and expects a good, "manly" dinner. He seems to have very little self-awareness.
This was a good story, but the writing kept me at a distance, I never fully cared, even when I empathise with certain situations.
If you're interested, you can read it here: http://in-sightforum.com/wp-content/u...
This is the story of a stale marriage. Two people who don't really know each other, and worse, don't care to know each other, get married. Eventually, kids appear.
The wife is burdened by the drudgery of daily life, not getting any fulfilment from the domestic chores and having each day indistinguishable from others. The husband does the fieldwork and the cow milking and expects a good, "manly" dinner. He seems to have very little self-awareness.
This was a good story, but the writing kept me at a distance, I never fully cared, even when I empathise with certain situations.
If you're interested, you can read it here: http://in-sightforum.com/wp-content/u...
August 6, 2021
Beautifully written short story by one of my favourite Irish writers. This is an individual short story by Fabre Stories. I didn’t realize till I picked it up that I had already read it in her book Walk the Blue Fields. No matter- I loved reading it again.
We meet Victor Deegan, a farmer in the Wicklow countryside. He loves his farm and decides the only thing missing is a wife. So off he goes in search of one. He meets Martha and she agrees to marry him. This story revolves around their life , the children they have and one very big secret.
Claire Keegan is a master of the short story. Totally perfect-loved the way it all came together.
We meet Victor Deegan, a farmer in the Wicklow countryside. He loves his farm and decides the only thing missing is a wife. So off he goes in search of one. He meets Martha and she agrees to marry him. This story revolves around their life , the children they have and one very big secret.
Claire Keegan is a master of the short story. Totally perfect-loved the way it all came together.
January 6, 2024
As expected, Claire Keegan again does wonders with a short story.
April 21, 2023
A wonderful Irish short story. A hard-working forester whose days are arduous long-slogs. An unhappy marriage devoid of love or substance and weighted with secrets. Three unusual children, one whom gives funeral services to butterflies. And a very loving dog.
As ever, awash with Keegan's poetic, waltzing prose. Full of gritty Irish realism. And at the end, feelings simultaneously morose, hopeful and uneasy.
This is the third work of Keegan's I've read this week, and I cannot wait to begin the next one. Utterly sublime writer.
As ever, awash with Keegan's poetic, waltzing prose. Full of gritty Irish realism. And at the end, feelings simultaneously morose, hopeful and uneasy.
This is the third work of Keegan's I've read this week, and I cannot wait to begin the next one. Utterly sublime writer.
November 24, 2019
This tale of secrets and wilful ignorance simmers with a quietly menacing tension. Set in rural Ireland, it chronicles the unravelling of long-guarded lies within a family, and the unique brand of loneliness that comes with sacrificing desire in favour of keeping up appearances. The climax feels tragically inevitable, and though the whole thing is full of supressed pathos, the ending delivers an unexpected sliver of hope that comes with new beginnings. Couple this with the straight-forward yet assured prose, and the story takes on a fable-esque quality that I really enjoyed.
October 19, 2025
“Are you happy now? he says.”
“After twenty years of marriage, you’re finally asking.”
Well Claire Keegan knows how to put a fine point on things, this short story is is a really sad look into a loveless marriage, but for Judge the dog, this would have been a total downer, nevertheless, perfect.
Thank you Chris for the PDF tip, always looking for good stories.
“After twenty years of marriage, you’re finally asking.”
Well Claire Keegan knows how to put a fine point on things, this short story is is a really sad look into a loveless marriage, but for Judge the dog, this would have been a total downer, nevertheless, perfect.
Thank you Chris for the PDF tip, always looking for good stories.
July 6, 2019
Short story about a miserable Irish family and a cheerful dog. I liked the dog.
May 31, 2023
Another of the Faber 90 short stories and this one from Irish author Claire Keegan and I have to say for a short diversion this was a great read. Fully of atmospheric rural life it captures both mood and situation for me.
The story has a such an easy pace to me - yet the story for me hides a brutal side - for me the only redeeming characters were the daughter and the dog! Yet the story is so easily to believe and I am sure has played out in many ways many times.
Another great read from an author I would not have thought of, from a genre I would not have expected.
The story has a such an easy pace to me - yet the story for me hides a brutal side - for me the only redeeming characters were the daughter and the dog! Yet the story is so easily to believe and I am sure has played out in many ways many times.
Another great read from an author I would not have thought of, from a genre I would not have expected.
January 31, 2026
What do you do when you can’t sleep but it’s too early to get up? Read! I was reminded by GR friend Ken of this story and read it all in one go early this morning.
Claire Keegan is a masterful storyteller. She has these moments of profundity about the human condition. Her characters often have such vulnerable thoughts yet cannot share them with one another, or when they try, it simply fails to produce the result they hope for. She shows you all their flaws then makes it so you can’t help but root for them.
Although this story is also on the darker side, I don’t feel sad after reading. Perhaps the honesty is so refreshing, I mostly am left feeling satisfied and grateful.
Claire Keegan is a masterful storyteller. She has these moments of profundity about the human condition. Her characters often have such vulnerable thoughts yet cannot share them with one another, or when they try, it simply fails to produce the result they hope for. She shows you all their flaws then makes it so you can’t help but root for them.
Although this story is also on the darker side, I don’t feel sad after reading. Perhaps the honesty is so refreshing, I mostly am left feeling satisfied and grateful.
February 29, 2024
Another moving, lyrical, deep and touching work from Claire Keegan. I have no idea how she manages to weave so much power into such short stories. I don’t think I’ll ever read anything of hers that I don’t love. This story is edgier than the others I’ve read and while it doesn’t have quite the same punch as Small Things Like These or even Foster it still delivers so much depth of feeling and sadness. This woman is just an amazing writer.
October 28, 2024
"Months passed and through nothing stronger than habit, they kept meeting. Sometimes they walked down to the sea. On the strand, gulls footprints went on for a while then disappeared. Deegan hated the feel of sand under hjs feet But Marta's stride was loose, her brown gaze even. She strolled along stooping every now and then to pick up shells. Marta was the type of woman who is content in her body but slow to speak."
[...]
"Before a year had passed the futility of married life struck her sore: the futility of making a bed, of drawing and pulling curtains. She felt lonelier now than she'd ever felt when she was single."
[...]
"Before a year had passed the futility of married life struck her sore: the futility of making a bed, of drawing and pulling curtains. She felt lonelier now than she'd ever felt when she was single."
October 31, 2022
Great writing as always from this author, with complicated characters who give readers a lot of food for thought.
Deegan is a hard working farmer, who care about his animals and his land, but who longs for the day when he can pay off his mortgage, and be free of the debt that so weighs him down.
He finds a woman who he feels will fulfill his need for a wife, but once married, he seems to see her as perhaps just another of his possessions….a necessity of life, but she turns out to be somewhat unwilling to be just another cog in the machinery of his soulless, joyless life.
In due course, his children arrive, but there is as little happiness for him in them, as in the other things in his life.
One day he finds a dog, and gives it to his Daughter……..what follows is sad and depressing, but somehow inevitable.
Deegan is a hard working farmer, who care about his animals and his land, but who longs for the day when he can pay off his mortgage, and be free of the debt that so weighs him down.
He finds a woman who he feels will fulfill his need for a wife, but once married, he seems to see her as perhaps just another of his possessions….a necessity of life, but she turns out to be somewhat unwilling to be just another cog in the machinery of his soulless, joyless life.
In due course, his children arrive, but there is as little happiness for him in them, as in the other things in his life.
One day he finds a dog, and gives it to his Daughter……..what follows is sad and depressing, but somehow inevitable.
August 12, 2021
A woman dislikes being unmarried more than she dislikes marrying a proposing peasant she doesn’t love, so she decides to marry him. In consequence, she is a bad wife and hates her peasant life. She goes on to do despicable things. That’s the whole story. It’s a boring story about a boring character making boring mistakes.
Sure, the prose has its moments, and because of its short length the book keeps being interesting or rage-inducing enough, but all in all, I could have done without reading another story about a banal villainess.
Nothing special. Good enough for an hour at the bus stop.
Sure, the prose has its moments, and because of its short length the book keeps being interesting or rage-inducing enough, but all in all, I could have done without reading another story about a banal villainess.
Nothing special. Good enough for an hour at the bus stop.
November 25, 2024
Claire Keegan marry me please I will make sure our marriage is the opposite from the one in this book x
October 5, 2024
Guess what? Just swallowed another book by Claire Keegan. Out of the three so far, this one was my least favourite - but I didn't dislike it, by any means. This story seemed to have a strong dash of fairytale in it, which I think is the main reason it felt different to the other two (which were staggeringly vivid and emotive). The story seemed to function a bit like Russian dolls. The larger story, of an unhappy woman wanting to leave her married life behind, enveloped miniature stories: a runaway dog; an older son constantly visiting the city; hens stolen away by a fox. I enjoyed this structuring, and think it would be worth a reread to properly unbox all the elements. What sticks with me most is the farmhouse setting at the centre of the story's action, and the dog who comes and goes from it. To evoke such a sense of familiarity in under 70 pages is absolutely the defining trait of Keegan's magic. Maybe I'll move on to another writer now? But probably not.
October 1, 2025
The Forester’s Daughter is a story that focuses on a farming family in rural Ireland, set at an indeterminate time in the mid-20th century. The couple in this story are feeling the financial pressures associated with farming and parenting, and along with internal pressures within their marriage, there is a volatility within this household that has its own presence. As to be expected when it comes to Claire Keegan, so much is conveyed with the minimum of words. The narrative has the feel of a fairytale about it, from the omniscient narration to the manner in which the characters are referred: the father is known by his surname, Deegan, the mother is Martha, the sons are the Eldest and the Simpleton, and the daughter is the Girl. All of this keeps you somewhat removed from the story, keeping the characters as characters, I felt, instead of allowing them to become people to care about.
I have enjoyed both of the other works by Claire Keegan that I’ve read, Small Things Like These in particular, and So Late in the Day. But I found less to appreciate in this one. Like all fairytales, there was cautionary message contained within its folds, and in this case, it seemed to be a warning about the many ways in which marriage will ruin your life. Not only did this couple not love each other, they didn’t even like each other. Deegan infers some sort of other worldliness about his wife, particularly when she is telling stories to the neighbourhood, and this appears to be the only time they ever sleep together, after her storytelling sessions, so that he can reassure himself she is real, and not some sort of other being. There was no relationship between them and their children, indeed, Martha seemed to love her chickens more than her children. The mere fact that one of them was referred to as a simpleton speaks volumes. When Deegan comes home with a dog he has found, his daughter mistakenly thinks it is for her because it happens to be her birthday, of which he was completely unaware. It was like a household made up of strangers connected by blood merely existing within the same place and only occasionally noticing each other.
What has appeared as recurrent themes within the other stories by Keegan that I’ve read felt like a preoccupation within this story. All men will fail you; they don’t love their children, they don’t love you, marriage is a trap that will ruin your life, children will wear you down. And if all of that isn’t enough to make you want to stick your head in the oven, one of your children might burn your house down while you’re sleeping and all of the money you’ve been hoarding for your long planned escape by skimming off the groceries and underfeeding your family will go up in flames and all you’ll be left with are those wretched ungrateful children and that loser husband who you never should have married. Are you depressed yet? I haven’t even mentioned the fate of the poor dog.
I still have more Claire Keegan on my shelf to read, the short story collection, Antarctica. I think I will approach this with a mixed mindset now after having read The Forester’s Daughter. I understand from reading interviews with Keegan that she draws heavily on the Ireland of her childhood, a time and place she indicates as misogynistic, weighted down by religion and family violence, a mirror of her own fractured family dynamics. While I appreciate her skill as a writer, the beautiful way she encapsulates a whole world within the confines of a short story or a novella, I don’t feel she is an author whose work I can devour as a whole. I choose to believe, coming from a similar set of childhood circumstances, that there is more to men, marriage, and motherhood, than what she has so far portrayed.
I have enjoyed both of the other works by Claire Keegan that I’ve read, Small Things Like These in particular, and So Late in the Day. But I found less to appreciate in this one. Like all fairytales, there was cautionary message contained within its folds, and in this case, it seemed to be a warning about the many ways in which marriage will ruin your life. Not only did this couple not love each other, they didn’t even like each other. Deegan infers some sort of other worldliness about his wife, particularly when she is telling stories to the neighbourhood, and this appears to be the only time they ever sleep together, after her storytelling sessions, so that he can reassure himself she is real, and not some sort of other being. There was no relationship between them and their children, indeed, Martha seemed to love her chickens more than her children. The mere fact that one of them was referred to as a simpleton speaks volumes. When Deegan comes home with a dog he has found, his daughter mistakenly thinks it is for her because it happens to be her birthday, of which he was completely unaware. It was like a household made up of strangers connected by blood merely existing within the same place and only occasionally noticing each other.
What has appeared as recurrent themes within the other stories by Keegan that I’ve read felt like a preoccupation within this story. All men will fail you; they don’t love their children, they don’t love you, marriage is a trap that will ruin your life, children will wear you down. And if all of that isn’t enough to make you want to stick your head in the oven, one of your children might burn your house down while you’re sleeping and all of the money you’ve been hoarding for your long planned escape by skimming off the groceries and underfeeding your family will go up in flames and all you’ll be left with are those wretched ungrateful children and that loser husband who you never should have married. Are you depressed yet? I haven’t even mentioned the fate of the poor dog.
I still have more Claire Keegan on my shelf to read, the short story collection, Antarctica. I think I will approach this with a mixed mindset now after having read The Forester’s Daughter. I understand from reading interviews with Keegan that she draws heavily on the Ireland of her childhood, a time and place she indicates as misogynistic, weighted down by religion and family violence, a mirror of her own fractured family dynamics. While I appreciate her skill as a writer, the beautiful way she encapsulates a whole world within the confines of a short story or a novella, I don’t feel she is an author whose work I can devour as a whole. I choose to believe, coming from a similar set of childhood circumstances, that there is more to men, marriage, and motherhood, than what she has so far portrayed.
June 15, 2024
Is 50-something pages really enough time to spin a good, touching story with believable characters that one would feel emotionally attached to enough to truly feel and root for? Character development, in my opinion, is the most crucial part of any tale. How am I supposed to care for the story when I feel no attachment whatsoever to its characters? How am I supposed to care for characters that I can’t even humanise? It is just so essential for me to feel a real, deep connection to the figures in the story. This is why I didn’t think that short stories would ever work for me. And if anyone told me a few days ago that a story that has only 50 pages to unfold from beginning to end would crawl into the deepest part of my soul and shatter something in it, I would have never believed you.
The experiences of the figures in this story—their misery, regrets, and loneliness—felt so raw and so painfully human. The characters of this story had risen from the pages and became something more than mere words printed on paper. Something deeper.
I felt so much. I felt for the woman stuck in an unhappy marriage with no way out. I felt for a little ambitious girl, desiring her father’s love. I felt for the dog, who desired to not be left alone. I felt for the boy, whom everyone thought was simple. I felt with such ferocity and power that it had really surprised me. From this point on, “Foresters Daughter” has a special place in my somewhat already cracked heart. This is the story, quotes from which I will be revisiting constantly. This is the story that I don’t think I will ever forget.
The experiences of the figures in this story—their misery, regrets, and loneliness—felt so raw and so painfully human. The characters of this story had risen from the pages and became something more than mere words printed on paper. Something deeper.
I felt so much. I felt for the woman stuck in an unhappy marriage with no way out. I felt for a little ambitious girl, desiring her father’s love. I felt for the dog, who desired to not be left alone. I felt for the boy, whom everyone thought was simple. I felt with such ferocity and power that it had really surprised me. From this point on, “Foresters Daughter” has a special place in my somewhat already cracked heart. This is the story, quotes from which I will be revisiting constantly. This is the story that I don’t think I will ever forget.
November 11, 2025
This was a little harder to find than Keegan's newer stuff, but it wasn't that hard to find, so it was well worth the minor extra effort.
I've become increasingly enamored with Keegan's work, with my favorite being Small Things Like These (although I still haven't seen the movie), but ... once again, she did not disappoint.
I defer to others as to whether this was a novella, a short story, a bagatelle, or a standalone of unspecified length, but ... for a short, self-contained work, there's a lot going on, I found it incredibly easy to get sucked in, and ... not surprisingly, I consumed (and very much enjoyed) it in one sitting. Overall, I found it elegantly crafted and executed.
I was previously unfamiliar with the Faber Stories print run/publication of apparently small but high quality offerings, which reminded me of the Penguin 60s, the 1990's Penguin run of tiny, independently bound minis - extremely small (small enough to, at the time, fit in a men's dress shirt pocket), but really interesting works printed/published to celebrate Penguin's 60th anniversary, which, I concede, I quite enjoyed at the time.
I've become increasingly enamored with Keegan's work, with my favorite being Small Things Like These (although I still haven't seen the movie), but ... once again, she did not disappoint.
I defer to others as to whether this was a novella, a short story, a bagatelle, or a standalone of unspecified length, but ... for a short, self-contained work, there's a lot going on, I found it incredibly easy to get sucked in, and ... not surprisingly, I consumed (and very much enjoyed) it in one sitting. Overall, I found it elegantly crafted and executed.
I was previously unfamiliar with the Faber Stories print run/publication of apparently small but high quality offerings, which reminded me of the Penguin 60s, the 1990's Penguin run of tiny, independently bound minis - extremely small (small enough to, at the time, fit in a men's dress shirt pocket), but really interesting works printed/published to celebrate Penguin's 60th anniversary, which, I concede, I quite enjoyed at the time.
November 12, 2024
Claire Keegan turns every word into gold ✨
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