Four Letters of Love

Niall Williams has a gift. He can describe eternity from the Irish point of view. Four Letters of Love is an eminently Irish story. It assumes a Catholic or Christian perspective of man as destined for eternity and guided by Providence even though it succumbs to fatalism. Mr. Williams aptly takes one through the journey of two similar souls that begin very much apart but converge towards each other in subtle, Providential ways. What distinguishes this book from many a story of two souls is the author's rare ability to describe life through "kairos" -- that Greek word for time signifying the convergece of time and place that resembles eternity -- rather than by "chronos" (or chronological events). And that, by itself, makes Four Letters of Love a truly poetic and human story. A story of love, true Irish love. By the end on the book one feels as Irish as the characters themselves, tossed by the tides of the sea much like the Irish coasts that play such an important role in the book. Mr. Williams' grammar is a joy to read and this book should be a must in the collection of ambitious writers and those seeking to understand the Irish a bit more. I recommend it for its rare purity and for its magnificent use of the English language.

Oh, how did I not find this book until now?I'll give the very FEW downfalls, first.It felt rushed towards the end, and I feel some of the most key events should undoubtedly been elaborated.Next, WHY?? (is this not a movie YET??)Incredibly moving, life changing.The characters are so very well fleshed out, the smells, sounds, sights... were all so very REAL, I not only could see, smell, hear it all happening, most often it felt even deeper than that!I felt like I knew the characters more than myself.A perfect blend of tragedy, transendence, wonder, mystical beauty, a bit of wit, and life changing philosophical prose.DO NOT~ pass this book up.

The cliche is that no one uses the English language as beautifully or effectively as the Irish. This book does nothing to rebut that claim. I found myself reading and rereading paragraphs, trying to figure out how Mr. Williams could express emotions so wonderfully. This book is a must read- I distributed to family members, all of whom loved it. It's a strange little tale about love and love lost. Read it.

I was in the Connemara when I borrowed this book for a read. The descriptions of the beauty there matched my incredibly unmatchable impressions. Niall Williams seemed to capture all that I had grown to know and love about Ireland and to relate it to universal truths in the twists and turnings life offers us all. The tragic poetry of loss in the over-reaching patttern of nature and life, culminating in the idea that things work out when least expected are exactly what I experienced there and what changed me forever. The prose captured me, and I savored lines, reading them over and over. There are so many different kinds of love explored and facets of each kind explored in depth: married love, love for a son, love for a daughter, for a parent, for a partner, a brother, a sister, for the land and the sea, for yourself and for the dead. I, too, could not put this book down and was luckily sick in bed and didn't have to. Thank you, Mr. Williams, for this treasure. I purchased it after reading my borrowed copy and have loaned it out twice already. I can't wait for the next one. The celebration of the power of art and music in our loves and lives cannot be expounded upon enough. Feed my soul!

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.