Rating: 
Summary: A perfect ending to summer.
Review: I found this on my own ... and enjoyed it for all that it is ... a little reminder of what the countryside of Ireland tastes and feels like, what the poetry of love sounds like and how much we can struggle to make ourselves truly happy. Niall Williams was a good find. I'm looking forward to going back to FLOL (and I might just keep it a secret from everyone else).
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written
Review: I really loved both "Four Letters Of Love" and Niall Williams' newest "As It Is In Heaven." I think many of those who have read this book and reviewed it looked too deeply into the meaning of the book. And thus many of you were expecting too much from it, hoping that it would be similiar to Four Letters Of Love. But where would originality come from if Williams were to write his books exactly the same? One reviewer said that it was too painful for her to read that Stephen was simply in love, that Stephen as Williams wrote "..was in love". Why does love have to contain confusion, torment, and hurt to prove that in fact it is love? I felt what Stephen had and knew he could possess for Gabriella throughout the book and when he simply said to her over the phone that he loved her, it could not have been more moving and powerful to hear a man say those words to a woman without any other word needed to be spoken. I loved this book and it is simple as that. I could not put it down. Love can be the simplest emotion to feel and to present to another person. Niall Williams shows this through Stephen and his character's never ending love for the one woman he has ever loved, Gabriella. Why is that so hard to see?
Rating:
Summary: Lyrical and Lovely
Review: Niall Williams can really string up words and feelings together into a magical story. Yes, he is a hardcore romantic, however, his story comes out sweet and intoxicating, and not soppy and predictable. I read "Four Letters of Love" and got hooked up with his style of writing. This is a story of somebody who is gripped by love that he is willing to chase his dream ... the story of a sad violinist called Gabriella Castoldi and a lonely teacher called Stephen Griffin, and how Divine intervention plays a part in their relationship ...If you like imaginative, romantic story, and you want to smile or cry because you can remember yourself being in that position before, and having it narrated in such a beautiful way, do get a copy of "As it is in Heaven", or better still, give it to your loved one!
Rating:
Summary: Sweet and magical
Review: Niall Williams can really string up words and feelings together into a magical story. Yes, he is a hardcore romantic, however, his story comes out sweet and intoxicating, and not soppy and predictable. I read "Four Letters of Love" and got hooked up with his style of writing. This is a story of somebody who is gripped by love that he is willing to chase his dream ... the story of a sad violinist called Gabriella Castoldi and a lonely teacher called Stephen Griffin, and how Divine intervention plays a part in their relationship ... If you like imaginative, romantic story, and you want to smile or cry because you can remember yourself being in that position before, and having it narrated in such a beautiful way, do get a copy of "As it is in Heaven", or better still, give it to your loved one!
Rating:
Summary: The terrible beauty that is both love and Ireland...
Review: Niall Williams can write. His metaphors are pure magic- a cuilinary feast for the mind. For those who want to explore the beauty of Ireland- its people and its land, this is a wonderful way to visit. This story is about love lost and found, it is about hope gone and rediscovered, and it is about the connections we make with one another and how seemingly insignificant acts can send ripples far beyond where one might imagine. I suffered two huge personal losses this spring and hadn't been able to read for months... this book allowed me to open that door once again- it is that beautifully written. If you are a discerning consumer of the written word, don't miss out on this lovely book.
Rating: 
Summary: Review of "As It Is in Heaven"
Review: Niall Williams must be a poet in his soul. "As It Is in Heaven" is poetry written in the form of prose. This story of a father yearning to relate to his son -- "Philip loved his son as a wall loves a garden" -- and the son at last discovering love spares none of the harshness -- or beauty -- of County Clare weather and topography yet leaves the reader with a sense of having survived the cruelties of life and environment to experience loveliness and completion. Dublin, too, with its complexity and busyness, takes on life as another character. The story itself is compelling. I was eager to learn the outcome of the characters' struggles yet was sorry to reach the end and say "Goodbye" to Philip and Steven. In August I had the pleasure of meeting Niall Williams and Christine Breen, his wife and co-writer for their first four books. Their home seems an oasis of beauty and serenity in the countryside of Clare. Niall'a first novel, "Four Faces of Love," also is imbued with a poetic atmosphere. I look forward to his third novel, due to appear in 2002.
Rating:
Summary: Review of "As It Is in Heaven"
Review: Niall Williams must be a poet in his soul. "As It Is in Heaven" is poetry written in the form of prose. This story of a father yearning to relate to his son -- "Philip loved his son as a wall loves a garden" -- and the son at last discovering love spares none of the harshness -- or beauty -- of County Clare weather and topography yet leaves the reader with a sense of having survived the cruelties of life and environment to experience loveliness and completion. Dublin, too, with its complexity and busyness, takes on life as another character. The story itself is compelling. I was eager to learn the outcome of the characters' struggles yet was sorry to reach the end and say "Goodbye" to Philip and Steven. In August I had the pleasure of meeting Niall Williams and Christine Breen, his wife and co-writer for their first four books. Their home seems an oasis of beauty and serenity in the countryside of Clare. Niall'a first novel, "Four Faces of Love," also is imbued with a poetic atmosphere. I look forward to his third novel, due to appear in 2002.
Rating: 
Summary: A weak follow-up
Review: Niall Williams' follow-up to Four Letters of Love is disappointing. In FLOL, we got caught up in the characters and their swirling emotions. We willed them together and our hearts beat with theirs, in good times and in bad. Here, however, we're left floating in a sea of religious portents and omens, all the while suffering from rubber mallets with "FATE" labeled on them hitting us over the head. This story is more concerned with dealing with religious beliefs, overtones and overly-strained coincidences to even attempt to approach the characters properly. I got through the entire book thinking I didn't know the characters any better than when I'd picked them up. When the male lead falls in love, we read, literally, "he is in love." This was a might bit too painful to me. There is quite a sense of small town Ireland community here, but we don't get to know many or any of the peripheral characters well enough, and I found that using them sparingly distracted me from an already weak story progression. I wanted to love this book, and walked away barely liking it. Niall has done better, and I hope he rediscovers his way with attempt #3.
Rating:
Summary: To sentimental
Review: No doubt about it Niall Williams proved himself a wonderful writer with Four Letters of Love. However, as well written as, As It Is In Heaven is, the story is way to sentimental. Too many words saying the same thing over and over again. --Kathleen Butzen
Rating:
Summary: Lyrical and Lovely
Review: Such a beautiful story written beautifully. I loved Four Letters of Love so much I recommended this to my Book Club. Very romantic - but what's bad about that?
| 
