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The
2003 Award
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The Fall of Light by Niall Williams
Nominated by:
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Publisher of Nominated Edition: Picador ISBN 0330487019 |
| the complete A-Z listing of nominated authors. |
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ABOUT
THE BOOK
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men of the Foley family have always been proud and fearless, fashioned by
the harsh, cold elements of their country, and by years of fighting tooth
and nail for survival. Their story begins in Ireland, in the difficult years
of the mid-nineteenth century. The family has lost its home and suffered another loss which proves even more vital - beautiful Emer Foley, wife of Francis, mother to Tomás, Finbar, Finan and the youngest boy, Teige. With nothing to hold them they move on, setting out across Ireland to its western shore, searching for the untenanted land that is to be their new Eden. But Francis Foley is a bitter man, and his flinty soul can only bring destruction. Inevitably the five Foleys are scattered, each to his own road and his own future. |
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |
| Niall Williams was born in 1958 and lives in Kiltumper, Ireland, with his wife and their two children. He is the author of two previous novels, Four Letters of Love (1997) and As it is in Heaven (1999). |
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Reader
Review
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Francis Foley is sick of living under a tyrannical landlord. He decides to take his family to the West of Ireland where he can live in freedom. His wife refuses to go and walks out. He sets out with his four sons, the eldest nineteen and the youngest twelve. He has always been fascinated by the landlord's telescope and decides to steal it. He also sets fire to the house. When they reach the Shannon they try to cross with the aid of ropes. The sons succeed but the father apparantly drowns. Teige, the youngest, believes he has become a swan. The story tells of the trials and tribulations of the family during the famine years. The peace some of them find in their island home and the joy when they are re-united. At times the story takes flights of fantasy. Niall Williams contains it and brings it back to reality. The prose is beautfiul and almost poetical. It is a book I feel I could read and enjoy again and again. Raheny Library Readers' Group Member |
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