Foster

Foster cover
Good Books rating 4.33
Technical
  • ID: 3420
  • Added: 2025-10-18
  • Updated: 2025-10-19
  • ISBN: 9780571255665
  • Publisher: Faber & Faber
  • Published: 2010-09-02
  • Formats: 2
  • Reviews: 3

In the sweltering summer of rural Ireland, a young girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm, her return date uncertain. In this unfamiliar setting, she experiences a warmth and affection she has never known before, slowly blossoming under their care. However, the house, meant to be a place of no secrets, holds hidden fragilities that threaten to shatter her idyll. Claire Keegan's 'Foster' is a haunting story of childhood, loss, and love, praised for its evocative prose and poignant imagery. The novella has been celebrated as a literary gem, with comparisons to Chekhov, and has won the Davy Byrnes Irish Writing Award, making it a must-read for fans of deeply moving, beautifully crafted fiction.

Reviews
Mother Booker Blog · 2024-11-13
moving 4.50

The book is emotionally powerful despite its simplicity, offering deep themes that linger with the reader. It’s a story that doesn’t rely on plot complexity but on its profound emotional impact.

This reviewer was struck by how a seemingly simple book can deliver such a powerful emotional punch. They appreciated that not much happens in terms of plot, but the depth of the themes and the emotional resonance make it a memorable read. The story’s focus on family and connections, even without blood ties, is something they found particularly moving and thought-provoking. They believe it’s a book that will stay with them for a long time. The reviewer also noted that the emotional impact is so strong that it overshadows any need for a complex plot, making it a unique and impactful reading experience.


Quick quotes

    This is a seemingly simple book but it packs a huge emotional punch.

    Not an awful lot happens but there is so much to unpack that I'll be thinking about this...

    I'll be thinking about this story for a long time.

Literary Potpourri · 2024-03-05
heartwarming 4.00

The story is heart-warming and poignant, exploring the true bonds of family beyond blood relations. It’s a beautiful narrative that highlights the importance of love and connection.

This reviewer found the story to be both heart-warming and poignant, focusing on the themes of family and the bonds that connect people. They appreciated how the story emphasizes that these connections do not necessarily have to be based on blood relations. The reviewer described it as a beautiful narrative that celebrates the power of love and attention in allowing individuals to grow and find their place in the world. They highlighted the emotional depth and the poignant moments that make the story so impactful.


Quick quotes

    This beautiful, heart-warming yet also poignant story of family, home and the bonds that truly connect people, which need not necessarily be those of blood.

    The story emphasizes the importance of love and attention in allowing individuals to grow.

    A poignant exploration of the true bonds of family.

Bossy Bookworm · 2023-03-21
heartbreaking 4.50

The story is gorgeously wrought, capturing themes of childhood, hope, love, and loss with spare yet powerful prose. It’s a heartbreaking and lovely narrative that evokes deep emotions.

This reviewer was deeply moved by the story, describing it as gorgeously wrought and heartbreaking. They appreciated the spare yet powerful prose that captures the essence of childhood, hope, love, and loss. The reviewer mentioned that the story brought them to tears, highlighting its emotional depth and the way it explores complex themes with simplicity and elegance. They found the narrative to be both lovely and heartbreaking, making it a memorable and impactful read.


Quick quotes

    Keegan offers a gorgeously wrought Irish story of childhood, hope, love, and loss that is spare, lovely, heartbreaking, and that brought me to tears.

    The story is heartbreaking and lovely, capturing the essence of childhood, hope, love, and loss.

    A spare yet powerful prose that captures the essence of childhood, hope, love, and loss.

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