Niall Williams' debut -- and bestselling -- novel about the tragedies and miracles of everyday life
Four Letters Of Love
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Book Description
'When I was twelve years old God spoke to my father for the first time. God didn't say much. He told my father to be a painter and left it at that . . . ' So begins Niall Williams' magical tale about love and destiny. Nicholas Coughlan and Isabel Gore were made for each other -- but fate doesn't always take the easiest or the most obvious route to true love. For a start, Nicholas and Isabel have never met and nor are they likely to, without some kind of divine intervention. But as God, ghosts, a series of coincidences and seemingly chance events and encounters conspire to bring the couple together, other -- often more human -- forces attempt to keep them apart. 'What will be, will be,' of course, but that doesn't guarantee a happy-ever-after ending, nor answer the question 'Will they, won't they?' Written in a lyrical, lilting tone, Four Letters of Love is a glorious, uplifting story about faith, about seizing the moment, believing in your instincts and acting on impulse -- and about following your heart, no matter where it may lead.
About the Author
Niall Williams was born in 1958 and lives in Kiltumper, Ireland, with his wife Christine and their two children. He is the author of three other novels, including, most recently, Only Say the Word.
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First Sentence
When I was twelve years old God spoke to my father for the first time. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
When I was twelve years old God spoke to my father for the first time. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Four Letters of Love came into my hands by chance - I had never heard ofNiall Williams until my son, on holiday, lent me this novel, which he saidhe had enjoyed. I found it impossible to put down, read it over two days,and can honestly say that I don't think I have ever been so moved by anovel. Williams captures more truthfully than any other writer I canthink of the intensity, the inevitability, of love. Written in a poetic,tender style, and using magical realism and metaphor in a heart-rendingway, it kept me totally engaged and quite desperate for the "happy ending"which seemed to be both inevitable and improbable. The character ofMargaret, Isabel's mother, is a masterpiece, with whom every mother canempathise in her efforts to save her child from heartbreak.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This magical, unusual book transports you to a misty Ireland - a world of complex love and loss. The unexpected narrative twists the reader through the lives of two children as they grow up and cope with their difficult, loving, unusual families. Nicholas - a strange, silent, deeply sensitive boy - whose father abandons his job, and often his family to create wild paintings because 'god wants me to.'The other main character is Isabel, the Master's daughter, - and a seemingly separate strand of the book follows her sometimes wonderful yet harsh island life; her school life in an unsympathetic convent on the main land; her rebellion, and subsequent relationships. The book is haunted by absent characters - Nicholas's dead mother whose influence whirls and comforts her child; his father, the charismatic magical artist; but perhaps the most intriguing character is Isabel's brother, Sean, who watches the story unfold in his enigmatic silence. This book dances off the page, entrancing the reader in its gentle mysteries, music, and magic. A beautiful, complex, entrancing read with a voice all of its own yet containing echoes of Yeats and Heaney and a dash of Peter Carey.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I cannot put into words how beautiful this book is - so I'll leave it to the author. Just read it - it's the most lyrical, stunning book I have read in my life (and that's saying quite a lot). It shows that everything happens for a reason - everything brings us that little bit closer to where we are supposed to be.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The grace of fertile silence
A truly wonderful book in its extraordinary content which touches the beauty and tragedy of life's realities and the search for meaning and meaningful relationships. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Volpeblu
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written but disappointing plot
This book is in some senses an Irish `Oscar and Lucinda', (Peter Carey)Oscar and Lucinda but without the humour or wit. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Sally Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Niall Williams...Great Author
Another excellent book by Niall Williams. I loved 'Fall of the Night' (think it was called that) and this is as good, if different. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Smileypete
5.0 out of 5 stars
Four letters of love
Nicholas Coughlan's father leaves public services, abandons his family, and goes to paint on God's calling. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2011 by Alpa
4.0 out of 5 stars
Poetic and magical, how a romantic book should be. No spoilers.
This book was perfect to curl up in front of the fire with and get lost in the lives of the characters. I really enjoyed the lyrical prose and the magical flights of imagination. Read more
Published on 7 April 2010 by Franny
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fellas, discover your inner romantic
A first novel but he had written four non-fiction books before with his wife about local life. A romantic story with fantastic twists that are quite believable. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2009 by Build another bookcase
3.0 out of 5 stars
Over-styled language diminishes what could have been a great book
Obviously I'm in the minority, but I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I think the seeds of a good, even great book are there - interesting, inventive plot and the author... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2008 by Sl Rundle
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful first half, disappointing end.
I started reading this book and was sucked into the beautiful writing. I felt touched by it, the observations of family interaction and peoples inability to express themselves,... Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2007 by Book Worm
5.0 out of 5 stars
For the romantic in us all
A rich, velvety prose. I felt indulged in decadent literary desciption. Really worth reading
Published on 21 Jan 2005 by Harriet
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting...!
Well you've all heard of Ab Fab, but this book is Ab Am...absolutely amazing.
It will carry you off on the wild western winds of Ireland and not release you until finally -... Read more
It will carry you off on the wild western winds of Ireland and not release you until finally -... Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2003 by "nelliecat"
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