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Book Reviewed by:From the author of This Is Happiness, a compassionate, life-affirming novel about the Christmas season that transforms the small Irish town of Faha.
Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from the town. His eldest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father's shadow, and remains there, having missed one chance at love – and passed up another 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.
Set over the course of one December in the same village as Williams' beloved This Is Happiness, Time of the Child is a tender return to Faha for readers who know its charms, and a heartwarming welcome to new readers entering for the very first time.
2026 first quarter besties
TIME OF THE CHILD by Niall Williams BECOMING MADAM SECRETARY by Stephanie Dray MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Boylan MORE OR LESS MADDY by Lisa Genova THE FAITH CLUB by Ranya Idli...
-Marie_Webb
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (4/09/2026)
I finished "Angel Down" by Daniel Kraus this week and it was a visceral experience. So much was going on at once and it was a lot to take in for me. I started "Time of the Child" by Niall Williams. It is off to a slow start but a couple of people here told me to stick with it so I am giving it a ...
-Anthony_Conty
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (4/02/2026)
Oh, definitely pick up a copy of Niall Williams' This Is Happiness , @Gabi_J . It was such a marvelous, poignant yet feel-good novel. I listened to it in audiobook format and the narrator was perfect . I haven't read Time of the Child yet. It seems to get mentioned every Christmas so I'm saving f...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/8/2026)
I finished https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/5077/white-lies White Lies by Ann Bausum. It was very interesting and I'm looking forward to chatting with her next week. I'm about to finish Faulkner's https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/2...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/1/2026)
I finished This Is Happiness by Niall Williams in audiobook format yesterday and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Williams' gentle humor and keen depiction of this small, rural, Irish town was sooo wonderful. It was a little bittersweet at times, but still very satisfying. Listening to it fel...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (12/25/2025)
This past week I read the 3 fantastic feel-good reads suggested by members. I started with All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle. It was a warm and funny novel about an elderly man finding happiness after living an isolated life. The book was delightful. My second book suggested by Robin-G-Henry, H...
-Lynne_G
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (12/18/2025)
I am an audio reader for a number of reasons and am thankful for the availability of the books. An eclectic week of reading. The Time of the Child by Niall Williams - wonderful Christmas time book complete with the narrator's brogue. I finished Stephen Puleo's book Voyage of Mercy about the Irish potato famine an...
-Carole_B
What are you reading this week? (7/2/2025)
Vicki - it was not my favorite of his. The first one of his I read - the Queen of Dirt Island - is wonderful. Another great Irish author is Niall Williams - his Time of the Child broke my heart and put it back together!
-Evonne_Benedict
What was your last 5-star read, and what made you choose it?
...sola by Allegra Goodman, who presents amazing descriptions of faith and contrasts between the social classes during the 1530s - 1540s. Other 5 stars: Time of the Child by Niall Williams, Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, Daughters of Shandong by Eve J....
-Luisa_H
Which authors should we interview?
We are on the same reading path. I just finished Niall Williams' Time of the Child and it was so good.
-Holly_Batsell
What are you reading this week? (02/27/2025)
I have just finished reading Time of the Child by Niall Williams. This book is a beautiful piece of prose and it is truly one of the best novels that I have read in several years. I highly recommend this book and a...
-Laurie_L
What book or books are you reading this week? (01/16/2025)
@Anne_Glasgow - have you read any of Niall Williams novels? I just started them in 2024, read three of them, and his newest 'Time of the Child' was my book of the year out of about 60. Highly recommended.
-Evonne_Benedict
What are you reading this week (1/2/2025)?
Time of the Child, by Niall Williams
-Julie_P
What are you reading this week? (12-26-2024)
I just finished This is Happiness by Niall Williams and loved it so I immediately started Time of the Child. It is not actually a sequel, more of a companion novel. Same setting but focuses on different characters.
-Judi_Ross
What are your reading this week? (12-19-2024)
I finished Time of the Child by Niall Williams and Shadowplay by Joseph O'Connor. Two Irish titles back to back. I'm now reading an older book from by unread tbr: The Incarnations by Susan Barker....
-Anne_Glasgow
What are your reading this week? (12-12-2024)
I've read Trepasses, but not Night Swimmers (will look for it.) I discovered Niall Williams in the last few months, and cannot recommend Time of the Child highly enough!
-Evonne_Benedict
What are you reading this week? (12-05-2024)
I loved 'Time of the Child' so much, I'm now reading Niall Williams first, 'Four Letters of Love.' It's so good! A film version is due out early 2025.
-Evonne_Benedict
Which book or series would you like to see made into TV show or movie?
Time of the Child by Niall Williams would make a wonderful movie, although it would be hard to top the written words.
-Gabi_J
Christmas/Holiday books
I am currently reading "Time of the Child" by Niall Williams. @Anne_Glasgow if you liked Keegan, you might like this one. I am also looking forward to reading Benjamin Stevenson's "Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret." It is the third in his entertaining Ernest Cunningham series.
-Gabi_J
What are you reading this week? (11-21-2024)
I have started reading as well as listening to "Time of the Child" by Niall Williams. It hearkens of Patrick Taylor's Country Doctor series. I am not much of a holiday book reader but I can tell this one is a winner for me.
-Gabi_J
It may feel at first glance as though nothing much is happening in the small village of Faha, but that is the magic of the novel—the plot turns on the daily routines of rural life and the characters' interactions and emotions. The backstories of rich characters like Father Tom and Jude Quinlan help create a larger picture of the communal bonds in the town, enhancing the power of the story; and Williams' breathtaking prose paints vivid, deep portraits of his characters...continued
Full Review
(848 words)
(Reviewed by Megan Shaffer).
Anne Griffin, internationally bestselling author of When All Is Said
With writing so stunning, Time of The Child forces the reader to turn down page after page to always remember what genius is. Another glorious and touching novel from Niall Williams, one of the world's greatest storytellers. Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and Booth
A powerful pleasure to find myself back in Faha where the prose is luminous, the people irresistible, the stories mesmerizing, and it never stops raining.
Time of the Child by Niall Williams is rich with Irish lore and tradition. The story is set in the fictional Irish village of Faha, where holly branches adorn the homes, shops, and churches during the season of Christmas. The holly tree that sits at the top of the drive of main character Jack Troy's home is the best-looking in Faha. As the Christmas season approaches, those in town boldly bring tools to cut its fine berry branches—although unfortunately, the remaining branches provide little privacy for the Troy family home, leaving them open to the exposure of a hidden secret.
"It was a known part of the natural clockwork of the parish that, come the first weeks of December, the old tree would be showing the ruby fruit that had...
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