Niall Williams was born in Dublin in 1958.
Niall Williams came to prominence in 1997 with the publication of his first book, ... the Man-Booker-longlisted History of the Rain, is no exception.
To find him, enfolded in the mystery of ancestors, Ruthie must first trace the jutting jaw lines, narrow faces and gleamy skin of the Swains from the restless Reverend Swain, her great-grandfather, to grandfather Abraham, to her father, Virgil - via pole-vaulting, leaping salmon, poetry and the three thousand, nine hundred and fifty eight books piled high beneath the two skylights in her room, beneath the rain. It is a novel about books and being a bookish, serious reader, as well as about family, Irish village life, devotion and weather, invariably rain. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our It looks like you are located in Australia or New Zealand “Pure eccentric entertainment … The novel is suffused with this otherworldliness while being rooted in the everyday” –
A salmon fisherman's line “laying soft swished questions marks in the air” is an elegant motif and some observations about village life ring true … Williams describes beautifully “the secret life inside”” –
We are our stories. Available in shop from just two hours, subject to availability. The stories - of her golden twin brother Aeney, their closeness even as he slips away; of their dogged pursuit of the Swains' Impossible Standard and forever falling just short; of the wild, rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland - pour forth in Ruthie's still, small, strong, hopeful voice. It is a novel about books and being a bookish, serious reader, as well as about family, Irish village life, devotion and weather, invariably rain.
A celebration of books, love and the healing power of the imagination, this is an exquisite, funny, moving novel in which every sentence sings. - "Booklist", starred review ""History of the Rain…
This website uses cookies to improve user experience. “Williams's utterly glorious, funny, clever, literary tale … somehow didn't make the leap from the Booker longlist to its shortlist. Spend another
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This is an important new book and, without spoiling the riveting last chapter next Friday, the rewards increase tenfold the further into the story one gets * Your review has been submitted successfully. tags: history, ireland, irish.
History of the Rain: A Novel - Kindle edition by Williams, Niall.
“A rambling, soft-hearted Irish family saga stuffed with eccentricity, literature, anecdotes, mythology, humour and heartbreak from the author of
― Niall Williams, History of the Rain.
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History of the Rain is an ode to the imagination, and to storytelling, and to books, and to reading, and to Ireland, and to what it …
“A surge of language, beautiful and enchanting, a novel that weaves a love of literature into its own moving tale” – In Faha, County Clare, everyone is a long story... This is a brave and wildly imaginative novel, that certainly stands out in a genre of its own” –
“A celebration of books, love and the healing power of the imagination” – Bedbound in her attic room beneath the falling rain, in the margin between this world and the next, Plain Ruth Swain is in search of her father.
Like “Women carry on. “Intelligent and caustic … Williams' imagery glimmers through the veil of constant rain.
Inexplicably so, in the opinion of some, as rarely do novels come along that revel in language to the extent that this one does, and even more rarely do they combine that mastery with a deep humanity, too … A lovely book, that deserves to be read and re-read *****” – You can unsubscribe from newsletters at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any newsletter. Why Niall Williams's History of the Rain did not win every literary prize is baffling: it provided the most satisfying read of 2014.
Niall Williams writes like an angel - if angels were writers - and he has created a narrator, Ruth Swain, who narrates like an angel - if angels were narrators.
Your order is now being processed and we have sent a confirmation email to you at It is a love letter to Ireland in all its contradictions, to literature and poetry and family.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading History of the Rain: A Novel. 8 likes. “A beautiful poetic tale … One to read slowly and savour” – He studied English and French literature at University College Dublin before graduating with a Master's degree in Modern American Literature.
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“Williams' poetic prose meanders from page to page and becomes one with her voice in a poignant story about family, identity, love and loss, pain, faith and hope” – Why Niall Williams's History of the Rain did not win every literary prize is baffling: it provided the most satisfying read of 2014. We have recently updated our Privacy Policy.
“Dazzling … Paragraph after paragraph begs you to stop and reread it, to relish the lilt of it with your inner ear … This item can be requested from the shops shown below. “This is an important new book and, without spoiling the riveting last chapter next Friday, the rewards increase tenfold the further into the story one gets” – We tell them to stay alive or keep alive those who only live now in the telling.
“Extremely moving, poignantly capturing Ruth's doomed childhood relationship with her twin brother.