SOURCE: Rogan, Helen. “Moments of Recognition.” Time (1 July 1974): 62.

In the following review of Christmas Eve, Rogan points out Brennan's skill at making much of the small details of people's lives.

Maeve Brennan is the kind of writer who can transform the arrival of a sofa in a lower-middle-class Dublin household or the cleaning of a carpet (one with big pink roses on it) into an extraordinary celebration of family love. She does this by a steady accumulation of detail and alternate flashes of passionate statement and raw insight. The accomplishment is formidable—something few writers attempt without sounding precious, dull, or both.

Her gift is flawlessly demonstrated in the title story from Christmas Eve, Maeve Brennan's first book in five years. 'Tis the night before Christmas, in a cramped suburban house in Dublin. The husband, Martin, stands downstairs in the hall, listening to his wife Delia putting their...