Foster

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire, Fiction / Keegan, Claire
On Shelf At: Malletts Creek Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Reshelving
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Reshelving
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Due 03-23-2026
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Due 02-05-2026
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Due 02-28-2026
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Due 03-27-2026
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Due 03-31-2026
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Due 03-28-2026
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	4-week checkout	Due 03-20-2026
Traverwood Adult Books 2-week checkout	Express Shelf Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	2-week checkout	Due 03-20-2026
Westgate Adult Books 2-week checkout	Express Shelf Adult Book / Fiction / General / Keegan, Claire	2-week checkout	Due 02-27-2026

"First published in the United Kingdom in 2010"--Title page verso.
"An international bestseller and one of The Times's "Top 50 Novels Published in the 21st Century," Claire Keegan's piercing contemporary classic Foster is a heartbreaking story of childhood, loss, and love, now released as a standalone book for the first time ever in the US. 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"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Secrets Revealed submitted by cdunlop on March 11, 2023, 5:14pm "'Where there's a secret,' she says, 'there's shame -- and shame is something we can do without.'"

"Kinsella takes my hand in his. As soon as he takes it, I realize my father has never once held my hand, and some part of me wants Kinsella to let me go so I won't have to feel this."

Narrated by a young unnamed Irish girl (occasionally called "petal" as an endearment), this spare but evocative novella describes her being taken abruptly by her father to live with foster parents, as her ever-pregnant mother confronts too many mouths to feed. "Petal" is warmly received by John and Edna Kinsella, and she is promptly told that "there are no secrets in this house", but it turns out there there is indeed one secret that helps explain the attentive love that she receives from her foster parents.

Eventually, "petal" is returned to her birth family, whereupon she seems to discover that "you can't go home again".

Author Claire Keegan is an accomplished prose stylist, who deftly describes the Irish countryside and its inhabitants. Foster is a quick read, but well worth one's time for experiencing an expert storyteller.

Beautiful, spare book submitted by berkleya on June 9, 2023, 10:43am I love Foster's writing! She manages to say so much with her descriptions of tiny gestures,behaviors, and the natural world. Like Hemingway but better! Reminds me of reading a short story.

amazing submitted by apknapp on July 16, 2023, 11:28am Breaks your heart even while lovingly stitching it back together. The author manages to convey a world of emotion in such simple prose, the writing is incredibly skilled.

Excellent writing, powerful story submitted by 21621031390949 on June 17, 2024, 8:06am A gorgeous, powerful, heartbreaking novella. I devoured it in one sitting. There is so much artistry and skill in creating such depth of feeling within so few words. Excellent writing!

Two days later…I took this book back to the library, but just couldn’t let it go. Brought it home and re-read it tonight. Lovely book, so full of emotion, so well written.

Impressively Good submitted by anushagupta on June 24, 2024, 6:35pm It's not easy to make the reader care so much with so few words, but Claire Keegan does it effortlessly. An incredible read.

Impressively Good submitted by anushagupta on June 24, 2024, 6:35pm It's not easy to make the reader care so much with so few words, but Claire Keegan does it effortlessly. An incredible read.

Simple and wonderful submitted by lizgiessner on July 14, 2024, 12:56pm I loved this short, sweet story narrated by a young girl in rural Ireland whose poor and overwhelmed parents give her away for the summer to a childless couple who live several villages away. The descriptions of rural life and the small, loving acts by this couple are profound. It took only a few hours to read but was so engrossing I was moved to tears.

Excellent book submitted by asangtani on June 12, 2025, 5:51pm A beautiful short story about a child fostered and what it means to be dad.

Super short! submitted by holmberm on June 29, 2025, 7:37am This book is so short yet so powerful. Found this one after reading Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These.

Beautiful and heartbreaking submitted by aminarce on July 3, 2025, 12:13pm It’s such a wonderful treat to sit down and read something this well crafted on all its entirety. Block a few hours, find a nice, cozy spot, and gift yourself the experience of reading this novella.