Time of the Child

By the author of Four Letters of Love, now a major film starring Helena Bonham Carter and Pierce Brosnan

Time of the Child

By the author of Four Letters of Love, now a major film starring Helena Bonham Carter and Pierce Brosnan

Niall Williams (Author)

Hardback ~~$42.99~~ $38.69 Paperback ~~$22.99~~ $20.69 Paperback ~~$32.99~~ $29.69 Ebook (Epub & Mobi) $26.38

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Pre-order. Available 30 Sep 2025

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Description

WINNER OF THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD
THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES TOP 5 BESTSELLER
By the author of Four Letters of Love, the international bestseller now a major film starring Helena Bonham Carter and Pierce Brosnan

'I am utterly obsessed with Niall Williams' Ann Patchett
'A rich and gorgeous book' The Times, The 10 best historical fiction books of 2024
'Deeply compassionate' Guardian
'Slow, rich, immaculate ... One of the most affecting books I've ever read' The Times
'Line by line, it may be the most beautifully written novel I've read this year' Washington Post

Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in the little town of Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from his community. A visit from the doctor is always a sign of bad things to come.

His youngest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father's shadow, and remains there, having missed her chance at real love – and passed up an offer of marriage from an unsuitable man.

But in the advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy's lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter's lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever.

'Irresistible … A powerful pleasure' Karen Joy Fowler
'A story brimming with kindness and courage' Mail on Sunday
'A beautifully written novel about second chances and familial love' Observer
'A warm and life-affirming story about ordinary people going to extraordinary lengths' Irish Times
'My own life feels richer having read it' Mary Beth Keane

Product details

Published	30 Sep 2025
Format	Paperback
Edition	1st
Extent	304
ISBN	9781526675156
Imprint	Bloomsbury Publishing
Dimensions	198 x 129 mm
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Niall Williams

Niall Williams was born in Dublin in 1958. His cri…

There is something of Trollope's Barsetshire here, in the sense of an entire place rendered in fine detail ... Williams's phrasing is immaculate and even the smallest characters are drawn with attention and detail. But Dr Troy is the heart of this slow, rich novel. The scene in which he dances with the baby in a quiet kitchen is one of the most affecting I've read

The Times
A compellingly emotional experience that catches the breath and doesn't let up until it reaches its final, dramatic conclusion

Guardian
Time of the Child dazzles as both Christmas tale and erudite novel ... A stylistic cousin to the vernacular achievements of Kevin Barry and Roddy Doyle, but also distinctive ... Williams packs his paragraphs with lush imagery and piercing psychological insight. Let's raise a glass of mulled wine to an Emerald Isle master at the peak of his powers

Washington Post
When I cried, it was because, with his careful and compassionate depictions of people, place and time, Williams reminds us of the humanity in all, of the vitality of a community that comes together, and of the power in revealing our vulnerabilities to others

New York Times Book Review
An exquisite portrayal of the characters, weather, geography and everyday life in rural west Ireland in 1962 ... Akin to Dickens in his brilliantly detailed observations ... Kind, wry, funny and poignant, this needs a great film director

Woman & Home, Books of the Year
My new favourite ... A study in human community that made me laugh out loud and remember how to love even the people who cause others so much suffering, and especially those who come together to ease it

Margaret Renkl, New York Times