BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness Hardback - 2019

by Niall Williams

Add to wish list
This seller has earned a 4.25 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.
4.25 / 5 (10 total reviews)

Reader reviews for This Is Happiness

Review summary

This seller has earned a 4.25 of 5 Stars rating from internet customers.
4.25 / 5 (10 total reviews)

Readers praised the book’s lyrical, finely crafted prose and sensitive portrayal of relationships, finding it poignant and heartwarming. Some criticized the slow pace, overlong sentences, and overall length. Audiobook listeners said the Irish brogue added charm and made it a pleasant listen.

Readers say this book is:
lyrical prosepoignantheartwarmingslow-pacedoverlonglengthycomfortingelegant writingfun listenevocative

Write a review for this book

There are no reviews for this book yet. Be the first to write a review!

Your review will be anonymous unless you login or create an account first.

Overall rating
Remember: You’re rating the book as a work, not the seller or the condition of the specific copy you purchased!

Important Terms and Guidelines

  • Please focus on the book’s content and context. Also, add any personal comments as to how you enjoyed the book. Substantiate your likes and dislikes. You may make comparisons to other books.
  • Reviews must be at least 140 characters in length.
  • Please do not reveal critical plot elements.
  • This is not a help line. Contact customer support if you need help.
Your review must not include:
  • Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other insulting language not suitable for public domain
  • Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers or websites.
  • Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other contact information.
  • Overly critical comments about other reviews or reviewers
  • Time-sensitive material (i.e. promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.)
  • Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information

From the publisher

* Pre-Order Niall Williams' next story set in Faha O NOW! *

The November 2025 Late Show Book Club Pick!

"I am such a fan of Niall Williams." -Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake

A profound and enchanting novel set in the rural Irish village of Faha, from bestselling Time of the Child author Niall Williams, about the loves of our lives and the joys of reminiscing.

The rain is stopping. Nobody in the small, forgotten village of Faha remembers when it started; rain on the western seaboard was a condition of living. Now--just as Father Coffey proclaims the coming of electricity--it is stopping. Seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe is standing outside his grandparents' house shortly after the rain has stopped when he encounters Christy for the first time. Though he can't explain it, Noel knows right then: something has changed.

This is the story of all that was to follow: Christy's long-lost love and why he had come to Faha, Noel's own experiences falling in and out of love, and the endlessly postponed arrival of electricity--a development that, once complete, would leave behind a world that had not changed for centuries.

Luminous and otherworldly, and yet anchored with deep-running roots into the earthy and the everyday, This Is Happiness is about stories as the very stuff of life: the ways they make the texture and matter of our world, and the ways they write and rewrite us.

Niall's other novels set in Faha include History of the Rain and Time of the Child, which are both available now!

Details

  • Title This Is Happiness
  • Author Niall Williams
  • Binding Hardback
  • Pages 400
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Publication date 2019-12-03
  • Features Dust Cover
  • ISBN 9781635574203 / 163557420X
  • Weight 1.55 lbs (0.70 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 in (23.62 x 15.75 x 3.30 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Cultural Region: Ireland
    • Demographic Orientation: Rural
    • Demographic Orientation: Small Town
    • Topical: Coming of Age
    • Topical: Family
  • Category Fiction - General
  • Library of Congress subjects Rites and ceremonies, Ireland
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2019458666
  • Dewey Decimal Code 823.914

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 10/01/2019, Page 26
  • Kirkus Reviews, 10/01/2019, Page 25
  • Library Journal Prepub Alert, 07/01/2019, Page 46
  • Publishers Weekly, 09/23/2019, Page 0
  • Shelf Awareness, 12/20/2019, Page 0

About the author

Niall Williams is the author of ten novels, including History of the Rain, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize, Four Letters of Love, which is now a major motion picture starring Helena Bonham-Carter, Pierce Brosnan and Gabriel Byrne, and the national bestseller This Is Happiness. His most recent novel Time of the Child was an instant national and international bestseller and was awarded the Kerry Group Novel of the Year Award. He lives in Kiltumper in County Clare, with his wife, Christine.
Back to top↑

More Copies for Sale

Show all copies
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Niall Williams

  • Used
  • Hardback
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Friends Book Stores
Item price
A$16.06
A$9.47 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing, December 2019. Hardcover. Used - Very Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$16.06
A$9.47 Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Niall Williams

  • Used
  • Hardback
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Friends Book Stores
Item price
A$18.24
A$9.47 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing, December 2019. Hardcover. Used - Very Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$18.24
A$9.47 Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Niall Williams

  • Used
  • Hardback
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Friends Book Stores
Item price
A$18.24
A$9.47 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing, December 2019. Hardcover. Used - Very Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$18.24
A$9.47 Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Williams, Niall

  • Used
  • Hardback
Condition
Used
Edition
Later Printing
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Ergodebooks
Item price
A$19.22
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bloomsbury, 2019-12-03. Later Printing. hardcover. Used: Good. 6.50x1.30x9.65. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$19.22
Free Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Williams, Niall

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Edition
Later Printing
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420X
Quantity available
1
Seller
Ausvora INC
Item price
A$21.18
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019-12-03. Later Printing. hardcover. Good. 6.9X5.8X1.3. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$21.18
Free Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Williams, Niall

  • Used
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420x
Quantity available
1
Seller
Sabu's Books
Item price
A$24.81
A$8.76 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019. Hardcover. Used Like New. Change is coming to Faha, a small Irish parish that hasn't changed in a thousand 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,… Read more
Add to wish list
Item price
A$24.81
A$8.76 Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Williams, Niall

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420x
Quantity available
13
Seller
Ambis Enterprises LLC
Item price
A$29.02
A$5.82 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing. New. BRAND NEW, GIFT QUALITY! NOT OVERSTOCKS OR MARKED UP REMAINDERS! DIRECT FROM THE PUBLISHER!
Add to wish list
Item price
A$29.02
A$5.82 Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness [Hardcover] Williams, Niall
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness [Hardcover] Williams, Niall

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420X
Quantity available
3
Seller
Mediaoutletdeal1
Item price
A$29.13
A$5.82 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
New.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$29.13
A$5.82 Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Williams, Niall,

  • Used
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420x
Quantity available
4
Seller
GreatBookPrices
Item price
A$29.15
A$5.82 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
like new.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$29.15
A$5.82 Delivery to USA
This Is Happiness
Stock photo: cover may vary

This Is Happiness

by Williams, Niall

  • New
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Edition
Later Printing
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781635574203 / 163557420X
Quantity available
6
Seller
Ergodebooks
Item price
A$31.10
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Bloomsbury, 2019-12-03. Later Printing. hardcover. New. 6.50x1.30x9.65. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$31.10
Free Delivery to USA
Show all copies
Back to top↑

Please wait a moment while we load the requested page.