Oprah’s Book Club: Claire Keegan & Small Things Like These - Video

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Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, published by Grove Atlantic and available now wherever books and audio books are sold: https://linktr.ee/theoprahpodcast

Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks premieres with a New York Times bestseller which the newspaper named one of their 100 best books of the 21st century: Small Things Like These. Oprah sits down with award-winning author Claire Keegan at a Starbucks café to discuss this 109th book club pick. Joined by a live audience of readers - over coffee - Claire shares her writing process, takes questions, and explains some of the main themes in this modern masterpiece.

The heroic tale takes us on a journey of discovering what matters most in life and why it’s important to make brave decisions. Oprah will zoom with a woman in Ireland who experienced firsthand what the characters in the story encounter. We’ll also meet two Irish High School students who encouraged their entire class to read the book.

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00:00:00 Claire Keegan Welcome at Starbucks in New York City!
00:01:57 109th Book Club Pick: “Small Things Like These”
00:02:16 “Small Things Like These” Plot Synopsis
00:04:14 Claire Keegan's Welcome To The Show
00:04:36 About Bill Furlong, The Book's Main Character
00:06:41 Stories Go Looking For Their Authors
00:07:40 When Claire Knew She Was a Writer
00:08:17 How Claire Comes Up With Titles For Her Books
00:09:30 What The Title Means To Claire
00:10:42 How Claire Developed Her Characters
00:12:27 Why A Longer Novel Would Not Have Worked For A Character Like Bill Furlong
00:14:14 The Magdalene Laundries
00:14:48 Personal Connections to the Laundries
00:16:00 Intro Maureen Sullivan, Survivor of The Magdalene Laundries and author of “Girl In The Tunnel”
00:18:17 Maureen's Reaction To “Small Things Like These”
00:19:20 Maureen's Response To The Trauma Of The Laundries
00:20:00 “Girl In The Tunnel” Is An Excellent Read
00:24:15 “Small Things Like These” - The Movie
00:24:38 Maureen's Reaction To The Movie
00:25:57 Claire's Reaction To Writing a Book That Helps People Heal
00:26:57 How Claire's Experience In Ireland Influenced The Book
00:28:18 Starbucks Coffee Break
00:28:48 If You Could Have Coffee With Anyone In The Book, Who Would You Choose?
00:30:48 What The 1980s Were Like In Ireland
00:30:35 High School Students Join From Ireland
00:31:36 Shame And Guilt Passed Down Through Generations
00:33:15 They Think The Book Is So Accurate About Ireland in the 80s
00:33:52 What Inspired Claire To Write This Book?
00:34:43 How It Feels To Read And Discuss This Book In Schools
00:36:00 How This Book Resonated With a Father In The Audience
00:37:03 Is This Book A Love Story?
00:39:13 The Message For The Reader To Takeaway
00:40:58 What Makes Someone Able to Make A Courageous Choice?
00:42:02 Oprah’s A-Ha Moment
00:43:27 Closing Moments Of The Book
00:46:01 How The Book And Movie Will Open Up The Conversation
00:46:52 Was Claire Ever Afraid About The Response To The Book?
00:47:14 Thank You


SUPPORT THE SHOW
Visit your local Starbucks café and enjoy a curated beverage pairing - Starbucks Christmas Blend - a dark roast with notes of spiced chocolate and spruce tips, perfect for the holidays: https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/2123796/hot

Also referenced in this episode: "Girl in the Tunnel: My Story of Love and Loss as a Survivor of the Magdalene Laundries" by Maureen Sullivan: https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Tunnel-Survivor-Magdalene-Laundries/dp/1785374524

and New Decade Film's documentary, "Ireland's Dirty Laundry:" https://irelandsdirtylaundry.com/

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