Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
An all modern novel, with strong identity, religion, and Irish themes. Liked it for that, didn't like too much for its too-ornate stye.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'll confess--I did not get very far in this book. I was supposed to read it for an English class in college. But I just could not do it.
My first full-length Joyce. I had feared approaching him, but soon discovered that the rhythmic movement of his prose more than compensated for the density of his polyglot deconstruction and reconstruction of language. Joyce finds the best way to write one's autobiography, evolving not along a narrative but through style. The book opens with a children's story told in words a child can grasp, and ends with the protagonist ironing out his artistic manifesto (then recording his thoughts in even more literal terms via a sudden jump into journal entries). Given that the portrait it paints is of an iconoclastic-to-the-point-of-potential-annoyance youth coming to terms with his talent and worldview, I'm surprised more don't mention the novel alongside Catcher in the Rye. But Joyce probes areas Salinger never even glanced into, adding layers of meaning and self-expression I've not seen in any other bildungsroman. It's a masterpiece, to be sure, but also so engaging I'm kicking myself for allowing my fear of Joyce's reputation to keep me from him for so long.
I'm glad I finally read this. I feel like it sets up a good based for understanding Joyce before taking on more difficult books of his.
A bit tough to read at times; but powerfully descriptive narrative of an era and place where things were changing heavily. One can also feel how much the Artist himself was changing during his coming-of-age. Admittedly, this style of writing is never easy to follow; as I was told not long ago, perhaps one must read Joyce without thinking much of whether you're understanding at all, but just going with the flow of the pages.
“Have read little and understood less” is a brilliant quote here for many reasons.
Listening to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nyxvr was also helpful to grasp the context in which the story is set.
“Have read little and understood less” is a brilliant quote here for many reasons.
Listening to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nyxvr was also helpful to grasp the context in which the story is set.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not even going to remotely pretend I could read and appreciate this book on my own...thank you Ms. Croul & AP English circa 2003