This Is Happiness
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This Is Happiness
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Narrated by:
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Dermot Crowley
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By:
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Niall Williams
About this listen
Change is coming to Faha, a small Irish parish unaltered in a 1,000 years.
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.
©2019 Niall Williams (P)2019 W. F. Howes LtdListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about This Is Happiness
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Judith
- 22-04-22
Brilliant
Relaxing . Beautifully read . Soft amusing story of very real life . I very much enjoyed it .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JoeyD
- 17-08-24
Wonderful
The narration in a wonderful Kerry accent made this lovely story even more wonderful. A gentle story of love, friendship, family and the electricity coming to Ireland.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Patti O'Kane
- 13-02-25
Heartwarming tale narrated in a beautiful Irish accent.
Loved the narrator’s accent. The author got to the heart of the characters and showed their flaws and attributes in a way that was heartwarming. I’m from an Irish family and this reminded me of tales from elderly relatives and felt like a love letter to a more simpler time. The book made me smile and laugh and although sad parts it was a joy to listen to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 15-04-24
My favourite book of all time!
This book is so beautifully written it will make your heart sing. Each expression, phrase and sentence is enriched with the most poetic English - it is breathtaking. Take your time and savour it line by line - no need to rush, after all you are in the West of Ireland.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elena
- 28-11-21
Such a beautiful book
This book is pure heaven. I could not stop listening. The narrator is absolutely perfect for the book. The writing is lyrical and poignant profound and funny at times. The whole story went straight into my heart.
I’m so glad to have discovered this wonderful writer.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carolina H.
- 12-03-24
a treat to listen to
Niall Williams captures in words the most vivid images, making you feel as if you are with the characters in every scene, living their stories. Like the title, This is Happiness in so many ways.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nic
- 26-02-25
The most perfect piece of writing……
It’s the story but it’s the road we take with Niall Williams and his sentences that has one glowing and near tears in equal measure. A story that is of a time before but very relatable to the now and what it is to be human. Just fab.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- K Nevil
- 13-02-21
Outstanding
Absolutely adored this book. Evocative, thoughtful, emotional and just beautiful. All 6 people in my bookclub rated this as one of their favourite all time books. Thank you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vicki
- 22-11-23
Stunning
I had forgotten how much I loved Niall Williams Four Letters that I read many years ago. This is Happiness is enchanting, heart-rending and funny and so beautifully written and narrated. Thankyou!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Margaret
- 23-02-25
Dermot Crowley's reading is faultless
Perhaps being Irish, of a certain generation, helps in assessing whether Dermot Crowley goes "over the top" in this reading. [It would be so easy to come across as "cod-Irish.] I think he's "spot on" in capturing the intonation, timing and poetry of a way of telling stories in rural Ireland before the arrival of television. He creates a sense of intimacy (and of course, all these qualities come from the author in the first place) which draws us in to believing we are there, closely observing. The fine detail of this close observation is remarkably sensitive. At times exquisite. Thank you Niall Williams and Dermot Crowley.
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