This is Happiness
Written by Niall Williams
Narrated by Dermot Crowley
5/5
()
About this audiobook
For one thing, the rain is stopping. Nobody remembers when it started; rain on the western seaboard is a condition of living. But now - just as Father Coffey proclaims the coming of the electricity - the rain clouds are lifting. Seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe is idling in the unexpected sunshine when Christy makes his first entrance into Faha, bringing secrets he needs to atone for. Though he can't explain it, Noel knows right then: something has changed.
As the people of Faha anticipate the endlessly procrastinated advent of the electricity, and Noel navigates his own coming-of-age and his fallings in and out of love, Christy's past gradually comes to light, casting a new glow on a small world.
Harking back to a simpler time, This Is Happiness is a tender portrait of a community - its idiosyncrasies and traditions, its paradoxes and kindnesses, its failures and triumphs - and a coming-of-age tale like no other. Luminous and lyrical, yet anchored by roots running deep into the earthy and everyday, it is about the power of stories: their invisible currents that run through all we do, writing and rewriting us, and the transforming light that they throw onto our world.
Niall Williams
Niall Williams was born in Dublin. He is the author of nine novels, including History of the Rain, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize and Four Letters of Love, which will soon be a major motion picture starring Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Gabriel Byrne. His most recent novel, This Is Happiness was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Book of the Year and longlisted for The Walter Scott Prize. He lives in Kiltumper in County Clare, Ireland.
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Reviews for This is Happiness
53 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A very special book - don’t hesitate. A wonderful portrait of humanity set in an Irish village. Scattered with hysterical quotes “milking the udders of the pause”. Embrace it and it will embrace you!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read/listened to.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely the best! I am so pleased to have listened to this. Looking forward to returning again and again.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one of those books that should be listened to, because the narrator had the perfect voice for it. I laughed out loud so many times, and was moved so deeply at so many others.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a beautiful read full of love and joy and tears.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you grew up in an Irish family, this is a must read for you. I found my family in it, and I’m convinced you will find yours there too, very touching and charming The language in the turn of phrases are wonderful!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Audio truly adds to wonderful writing , I mean storytelling!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautifully narrated....the story inspires contemplation ... .. .. .highly recommend