When this book was given to me the giver said "It's a good story." Indeed it is and it's a good story well told. Set in a rural, out of the way, almost forgotten village on the coast of Ireland at the time of significant change. That change is the coming of electricity to the village. It's told in the form of reminiscences of an old man who was a young man when electricity came. This Is Happiness, by Niall Williams is a very Irish book.
Well it should be, Williams is an Irish author. Filled with sympathetic characters with whom it is easy to connect the readers is carried along by the lilt of the old man's, Noe for Noel, recollections. The genteel beginning is pleasant but the story picks up intensity as it progresses. As any good novel it brims with insights about the human condition. "A breathtaking tale...(Williams) is a master of Irish storytelling, crafting sentences that tempt the reader to double back and read again--and characters that get under your skin." (Associate Press on the book cover.) Yes, in fact I often re-read sentences.
Yes, read it!
Takk for alt,
Al
No comments:
Post a Comment