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Summary: Inspired prose, quite lovely to read!
Review: This is a beautiful story. It's so incredibly spiritual and uplifting. I was afraid that it would have a very predictable ending. However, the ending was not told the way I expected. It kept me wondering what could possibly happen. For that I was grateful and rewarded.
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Summary: a tale of love, of destiny, and of magic
Review: This is quite simply one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. Having been to Ireland, I was intrigued at the thought of reading a book set there. Never did I imagine that I would also get to enter the lyrical world of Niall Williams. If you appreciate prose that can conjur up an image with simplicity and grace, this book is for you. A must read for lovers of language.
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Summary: What a wonderful life!
Review: This is the best book of my life. Maybe in your life you'll wrong love or friends, but when you'll give up hope, you'll find the essence of your life. Reading this wonderful book, you'll also learn to love this beautiful Country that's Ireland. It's a book plenty of real/magical life and peace.
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Summary: Everyday Magic and Beauty
Review: This is the story of two Irish families who, over time and distance, find their destinies intertwined. This novel is a love story in an old-fashioned sense and is also imbued with magical realism and religious mysticism that seems not at all out of place. The characters hear voices, see spirits, and the scents of roses and eucapyptus suddenly spread across an entire island! There are visions, especially of droves of butteflies and flocks of doves. One of the main characters sees laughter flying out of someone's mouth in white ribbons. The natural and the supernatural exist side by side. But this all works, and I swear, I could hear the lilting Irish voices as I read the book.All of the characters are exquisitely described, even the most minor ones. We first encounter William and Isabel when they are about 12 years old, living on opposite ends of Ireland, when both have a life-shattering event occur in their lives. We follow them for the next 10 years, waiting for their lives to intersect, knowing that it will happen. Destiny, not choice, drives the lives of the characters in this book and "signs" are given great consideration, even though the "mere mortals" may not understand the decisions of a higher power. I would like to relate some of Williams' wonderful phrases: "After my mother died, thick grey drapes of silence were drawn inside our house." "She had crossed the chasms of her hesitations." "Without kicking or screaming, love sank into madness and died." " ..she cried...letting the salt of years run free from her." " She fired the question and left the room before he had even begun picking the shards of it from his face." His father was ..."touched by something, an impression furthered by the blueness of his eyes and the fewness of his words."
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Summary: Judge This Book By Its Cover
Review: What an incredible book! I first picked up Four Letters because of its stunning cover and from the first line found myself lost in it. Williams is a talented novelist, and while I didn't want Four Letters of Love to end, I couldn't put it down. The characters and plot are rich, the story well-developed. Though the stories are all different, this book would be idea for anyone who enjoyed The English Patient or Remains of the Day. (This rarely happens for me with a book, but as I read I could see the story on a movie screen. Let's hope Hollywood treats this one well!)
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Summary: Lover of Language
Review: What makes "Four Letters of Love" so outstanding is Niall Williams' love affair with the English language and the art of communication. His descriptions are not long or labored but carefully crafted and succinct and pierce directly to the heart of the matter like those of a very skillful songwriter. They are not used merely to impress or create a flowery prose; instead, they transcend the ordinary to the level of extraordinary and enhance character and the themes of fate, love's destructive and healing powers, and man's futile struggle to comprehend and control both fate and love. Williams' storytelling engulfs the reader and pulls him in to the tumultuous sea of love, much like the strong undertow of the North Atlantic does to the inhabitants of this little Irish island. You care about these characters, what they do, and how they are affected by the hand of God. If you love language, read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Lover of Language
Review: What makes "Four Letters of Love" so outstanding is Niall Williams' love affair with the English language and the art of communication. His descriptions are not long or labored but carefully crafted and succinct and pierce directly to the heart of the matter like those of a very skillful songwriter. They are not used merely to impress or create a flowery prose; instead, they transcend the ordinary to the level of extraordinary and enhance character and the themes of fate, love's destructive and healing powers, and man's futile struggle to comprehend and control both fate and love. Williams' storytelling engulfs the reader and pulls him in to the tumultuous sea of love, much like the strong undertow of the North Atlantic does to the inhabitants of this little Irish island. You care about these characters, what they do, and how they are affected by the hand of God. If you love language, read this book!
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Summary: Is happiness a mere intermission between disasters?
Review: With easy, almost casual, lyricism, Niall Williams spins the separate stories of two Irish families, then weaves them together to create his story of love. And like many other Irish writers, he conveys a love that is simultaneously both romantic and religious, though decidedly not ecclesiastical. When Nicholas was twelve, "God spoke to [Nicholas's] father for the first time. God didn't say much. He told [Nicholas's] father to be a painter, and left it at that...." Answering the heavenly call, the father leaves his family for long periods of time and spends the rest of his life trying to create masterpieces, finally succeeding, only to have virtually all his work destroyed by the most earthly of causes: cows. Similarly, in another family, a brilliantly musical boy, while engaging in an energetic, enthusiastic paeon of happiness is suddenly and mysteriously struck down, unable to move or speak. Both families must simply accept the seeming arbitrariness of what has happened. As Williams develops these stories, his focus is clearly on the earthly, mundane aspects of life with its hope, its humor, and its crushing disappointments, but he conveys a strong sense that a Higher Power is "in charge," however unfathomable His actions might be to the mere mortals involved. In an ending which is part religious mysticism, part magic realism, and part pure romance, the ultimate resolution takes place, leaving the reader delighted by the happiness of some characters but uncertain at the costs to others. And we cannot help but wonder if that happiness may be only an intermission between disasters and hope that it is not.
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Summary: Magical
Review: Wonderful characters, stories within stories. This book offers beautiful writing, a deep spirituality and a happy ending!
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