Four Letters of Love

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Summary: Magic!
Review: Four Letters of Love was one of the best books I have ever read. It is a magical evocation of the West of Ireland and helped to restore my faith in humanity generally. Since first reading the book, I have passed it on to several people whom have all loved it.

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Summary: Words can mean a thousand pictures when written masterfully.
Review: From the opening paragraph to the end I was impressed with Niall Williams' refreshingly original style. Beyond the book's rich plot, which offers both tragedy and hope born from the entanglements of love, the imagery is a visual feast for readers and inspiring prose for budding writers. An instant favorite and a must-read for anyone who values the creative marriage of words.

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Summary: An evocatively written account of the mysteries of life
Review: I am not generally comfortable with magical realism but I am capitivated by evocative language and inventiveness. Niall Williams manages--because of the beauty of his prose--to make the magical realism quite so integral to his story that I cannot imagine it otherwise; it is as lovely and acceptable as if we translated our experiences into images or metaphors; it it not so strange for birds to soar from our mouths, or for dead people suddenly to appear and guide us. Miraculous recoveries, strange scents communicated across space,odd family relationships sometimes with tragic consequences, the imaginative use of physicality to express a mood--all these make Four Letters of Love a triumph of sound and thought. One does not have to believe in the supernatural to understand that perhaps, just perhaps, the contingencies that occur in all our lives somehow fit together in an unexpected pattern and so transform us also in unexpected ways.

But I keep returning to the language and the images; rhythmic, recurrent,unexpected and the characters who are sometimes odd but also real and affecting. I can see them, touch them, and feel with them even when I cannot imagine my own life ever going quite that way.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys words well used and the magic of the unanticipated, of characters whose lives are anything but routine and those whose lives reflect the repetitive days on the west coast of Ireland.

In contrast to the LA Times reviewer, I did not find the language overblown but rather mood setting and mood inducing. Let yourself slip into that mood, feel it seep into you along with the mist and fog, the tea and the sea. It's worth it.

Rating:
Summary: boring, boring, boring
Review: I am sorry to say this after reading some of the glowing reviews from other readers, but I felt this book took itself way too seriously. The author felt the need to over analyze every situation and turn every sentence into a imagery- filled masterpiece. All the author ended up doing was writing a boring book that I forced myself to finish. When done, I asked myself, "Why did I waste my time?"

Rating:
Summary: A book of lyrical fiction
Review: I challenge anyone to read this novel and not feel a restless ache echo in their hearts!

Niall Williams invites us to visit an island of deep, rich emotional landscape. Buffeted by winds and driving rains, his characters are stripped to the essence of their souls; Williams reveals the anguish, pain and desire that wrench his characters into the unknown. The world in which these characters struggle is terrifically wild and raw (like Yeats) but sweet and stirring as the feckless sun.

A lifetime on these stony shores hardens the residents to the bittersweet blows of life, but never sweeps away the hope and belief that redemption is possible. To various degrees, Muiris and Margaret Gore, Bette and William Coughlin accept that their place in life is set by their master. Their hope is transferred to their children.

As they each leave home and set out to find their lives, Nicholas and Isabel represent the innocence, desire and possibility of youth. "Four Letters of Love" can be seen as a love of life, pursued through a contest of wills -- can the Gores guide Isabel and Nicholas to the "right" outcome, or do the two young lovers have a chance of defying the odds? Throw in some magical (or mystical) realism, and all bets are off ... these mortals stumble in the presence of an all-powerful God, who alone determines the outcome of each invdividual life.

Through evocative prose and fantastic imagery, Williams transports his reader to a place of intense truths and ethereal possibilities. This blend of life's grit and life's promise exactly mimics the twist in Irish nature; it's lovely to read a work of modern fiction that embodies that essence so well.

Against the backdrop of the alluring and unruly sea, I also enjoyed the intuitions Williams reveals in regards to love. To know love is to know its failures; to embrace love is a fool's choice, but one we have no power to resist. Hurling headlong into love means risking everything, but wanting more.

Unfortunately, the end of this novel does disappoint, and I want to ask Williams to go back and give us the ending that matches the dynamic turmoil of the novel. I was desperate to hear from Isabel again; an ending without her presence leaves a terrible void. Even if the idea is that, in the end, all choices are made for us by God, I think we at least need to hear Isabel's reaction. Knowing that she kissed Nicholas, and her mother is overcome with "sudden foreknowledge" that Isabel will return home is just not enough -- our strong-willed heroine should not end the story bound and mute.

Overall, I would suggest this book to anyone who would like to massage their imagination with the lush, sensory stimulation of Ireland ... a balm for the bruises that come from our awkward and clumsy dance with the sublime nature of love.

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Summary: This book inspired me to become a writer
Review: I had almost given up hope of ever writing my first novel. Every book I read seemed to drill home the message that everyone else had something better to say and a more imaginative and interesting way of saying it. This book changed my mind. Never have I seen in print such a facile, obvious and clumsy attempt at storytelling. The characters are one-dimensional, and we can have no empathy whatsoever with the edge of their personalities that we are shown. The faux-drama in the book is worthy of any lovesick schoolgirl, and the use of language has the curious ability to annoy while remaining insipid, odourless and tasteless. And the dialogue - somehow every word in this book is spoken with the gravitas normally reserved for pronouncements of death. All that aside, this is a truly inspiring book. I mean if this is the kind of dross that's getting published nowadays it's time for me to dig out all those essays I wrote when I was 15 and had my heart broken by Audrey Toner and find myself a literary agent. Avoid this book.

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Summary: Tender & touching
Review: I had tears in my eyes reading this book. I did not want it to end, and loved the descriptions of both the landscapes and the characters. Anyone who has been in love and knows the passion of new love will identify with this beautiful book. More please.

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Summary: An exceptional novel of beautiful writing about love.
Review: I have rarely experienced a novel that has kept me thinking about it for such a long time....a most exceptional story about the struggles and wonders of love so beautifully juxtoposed...are you a romantic? do you believe in the overwhelming mystery and power of love?....then read this book.

Rating:
Summary: haunting
Review: I loved this book. After reading two or three more novels, I still go back to remembering this one while the others have faded.

Rating:
Summary: A cozy, true hearted read....
Review: I loved this book. I have read it 2 times so far. If you like heart warming stories, Niall Williams really presents a touching story here. It is a curious read all the way to the end, and even then the author leaves you a bit to imagine.