Four Letters of Love

Author - Niall Williams ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Grand Central Publishing was reviewed on 4-Nov-2008.

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1) Paperback Book Four Letters of Love by Grand Central Publishing. Previous reviewers have described this book as "life changing", and I don´t know what I´m looking for in a book to change my life but it wasn´t here. Yes the writing is beautiful at times, but at others didn´t anyone find it sappy? There were white doves flying everywhere for crying out loud! I didn´t feel I actually got in touch with any of the characters in a way which made me fond of them, with the possible exception of Sean and the lady at the post office bizarrely enough, and although to be positive I found the ending unique (it never actually ended, which I think may have been the point), this technique didn´t do much to reward the reader for investing time and care into the pages. It is stereotyped to presume that novels set in Ireland are depressing, but if this is made a movie there´ll be a lot of slow moving landscape shots with people standing alone in blowy jackets. About three letters too many, for mine, and if I was rude I´d say I´ll give you four letters. 2.5 stars.¤

2) Paperback Book Four Letters of Love by Grand Central Publishing. I read a borrowed copy of this book some years ago but never forgot it as I so often do. Recalling it recently, I decided that I must purchase it and see if it still resonated. Not disappointed, I once again devoured the parallel stories of these lovers. (They don´t meet until near the end of the book!) The characters are so beautifully drawn and their stories so compellingly written, that the final chapters are deliciously satisfying. The descriptions of the Irish countryside and moody seascapes perfectly enrich this lovely tale.¤

3) Paperback Book Four Letters of Love by Grand Central Publishing. Ireland forever. Although this story of love and faith has universal appeal, the story could only have happened in Ireland. Niall Williams is a new Irish voice. I want to hear his voice over and over again. I prayed for a happy ending to this story. I think you will too.¤

4) Paperback Book Four Letters of Love by Grand Central Publishing. Four Letters of Love is not a perfect book - there are points where I, as reader, was a bit bored or thought the point was pushed a bit too far. However, parallel stories of a boy scarred by imperfect parents (first person) and a girl filled with guilt over her brother´s illness (third person) are each interesting in their own right. Eventually, how the plot will finally pull the two threads together becomes a sufficient puzzle to keep you reading.

The brilliance of the writing is in what the author does not disclose. The boy´s father leaves the family in order to paint - following God´s instructions. The author leaves it to the reader and the son to discern what that means - it is presented simply as another fact to place in context. Similarly, the brother´s illness (or accident) is never given a cause, diagnosis or prognosis. The sister is left to grapple with her guilt over an unknown without knowledge to justify or assuage the guilt. The boy and girl fall in love - but neither their meeting nor their choice of each other are in the text. Rather the effects of their meeting are shown. And a single paragraph informs the reader of their eventual choice of each other.

The result is a book that mirrors the ambiguities and unknowns of life. A book that allows for the miraculous, the spiritual, the concrete, the insane ... all the while depicting the best and worst life has to offer. The book follows several love stories with all the messiness of real love rather than a romantic, picture-perfect, happily-ever-after, sanitized and insured for life love.

This book is well worth your time.¤

5) Paperback Book Four Letters of Love by Grand Central Publishing. Rich with metaphor and hyperbole, "The Four Letters of Love" is a poetic novel which explores man´s relationship with God, with the creative force within himself, and with a beloved. Most compelling is Williams´ portrayal of the narrator´s father: does he "hear" God speak, and does this voice compel him to leave his family and create his beautiful artwork, or is he "mad", driven by some darker force? The connection between man´s spiritual self and his creative self is a large and meaningful part of this novel, as is William´s decision to tell two parallel stories: one as told by the first person narrator, whose father struggles with the voice of God and his own art, and the other a third person narrator who describes the life and struggles of an island family. Masterfully, Williams´ weaves together these two stories, in a way that is a tribute to synchronicity and to the power of art.

The love story itself is a metaphor of how people can become enraptured in another and in the power of love itself. To counterbalance the tribute to love, Williams gives us an unforgettable character, Margaret Gore, who sees that her daughter has become the beloved of the narrator, and who knows that love, in her experience, means trouble. She is both good-hearted and cynical at once: will her thwarting of this love prevent the two lovers from connecting? Williams prose is intensely poetic in addressing love, calling to mind jani johe webster´s collection of poetry "sound of a shadow" and the philosophical novel "Written on the Body" by Jeanette Winterson.

A most beautiful and powerful example of Williams´ prose is this description: "He was burned to the very rim of his soul, his fingers tingled, his hair stood on end, and he moved from teh studios that was already alight with the beckoning of God. At last ther He was again. God had come to him. The immensity of the rapture and vision beggared everything, and momentarily my father flew through the air. He cruised on the immaterial lightness of the spirit world like a moth and arched esaily across the hallway, the thinness of himself now see-through and clear .... The heavenly chariot was stalled outside in midair above the garden, the steeds breathing the August air, their flanks rising and falling in recovery from the speed of the long journey and their swett falling in the form of apple blossoms."

Williams´ prose and this novel are unusual: he combines poetry with straightforward prose: "There is no such thing as chance"; he weaves togther two stories and also poses philosophical questions as he writes on. To read this novel is truly to be on a literary and poetic journey.

¤

6) Paperback Book Four Letters of Love by Grand Central Publishing. The compelling stories of two Irish brothers intertwine in a heartfelt novel of destiny, acceptance, tragedy and miracles. A "New York Times" Notable Book of the Year.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 2-Dec-2008, 04466749319780446674935, 180-620-310-120-790-220-240-ZEB-3IB-8

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