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Only Say the Word

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Only Say the Word

By: Niall Williams
Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
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About this listen

Both a novel and a letter from a husband to his wife, Only Say the Word is a haunting, intimate testament to the enduring nature of love. Jim Foley loves his parents, his brother, his sister, Dickens, and God, although not necessarily in that order. Later, he loves Kate, enough to make her his wife; later still, he loves his children, Jack and Hannah.

This is Jim's story, from early days spent in County Clare to early adulthood in America, and back to Clare again. Tracing his journey from child to husband to father, from happy-ever-after to death-do-us-part, from beginnings to endings - and from there to starting afresh once more - it tells of the people and places in Jim's life, his hopes, fears, and fantasies, his ever-evolving relationships and the books that remain always constant.

Deeply-felt, beautifully-told, and written in Niall William's lyrical, lilting prose, Only Say the Word offers both acceptance of the past and hope for the future.

©2005 Niall Williams (P)2014 Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Marriage
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Loved this book. A wonderful story that brings alive the Irish landscape. (Gee it must rain a lot!) Wonderful writing - the language is suberb.

Superb Language

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A gentle yet challenging story of family tragedy, unspoken words, loss and the search for a writer believing in himself.

Love, loss, hope.

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I’ve read a few of this author’s books and enjoyed them. I found the later ones, set in Faha, to be the best. This one is too drawn out and depressing.

Not his best

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.