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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I hate James Joyce. There, I said it. I love to read and I love good literature, and while I respect Joyce's genius, that does NOT mean I need to like his books. I've tried in vain to read Ulysses and I just can't get through it. Sure, I could go out and buy a guide, and simply because I am so stubborn I probably will one day just so I can say I've actually read the damn thing. But isn't it saying something if you need a book to read another book?
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Oh boy. I feel like I may have "understood" about 10% of what was going on in this book. Often, it felt like eating my vegetables. Often, it felt like doing homework. I've wanted to read this book for about 10 years, and I've put it off, thinking that I wasn't "ready" for it (as it has a reputation for being dense, filled with allusion, overly experimental, etc. etc.). I think I was feeling cocky having read some of the other "big" historical novels. I felt like I might be able to handle ULYSSES. Nope.
I took my time with ULYSSES. I read the SparkNotes after every chapter. I often pulled up Gifford's ULYSSES ANNOTATED. Even still, I feel like I only scratched the surface of WHAT HAPPENED, much less what it all means and what is in the text itself.
But I like this book. I like it quite a bit. Would I like it if it didn't have its reputation as the Greatest Novel of the 20th Century? Maybe there's a placebo effect going on here? There has to be. And yet, some of the prose is absolute dynamite. Every chapter, Joyce works in a different literary style, and while some of these "don't work", some absolutely do. It's undeniable that the man is a master after reading some of these chapters -- but not all of them. And maybe that's the point.
What I'm wrestling with here is, how can I say that I really liked a book that I feel like I barely understood? Was it the impression it left on me? The themes that I was able to pick up? Was it the marvel at the literary acrobatics? Maybe it's all of these things.
Sure, this book is frustrating as all hell at times (on purpose, it seems), but it's both over-rated and under-rated as a novel. It is better than its reputation and also not nearly as good. And with that said, I'll definitely be revisiting this in a few years time.
I took my time with ULYSSES. I read the SparkNotes after every chapter. I often pulled up Gifford's ULYSSES ANNOTATED. Even still, I feel like I only scratched the surface of WHAT HAPPENED, much less what it all means and what is in the text itself.
But I like this book. I like it quite a bit. Would I like it if it didn't have its reputation as the Greatest Novel of the 20th Century? Maybe there's a placebo effect going on here? There has to be. And yet, some of the prose is absolute dynamite. Every chapter, Joyce works in a different literary style, and while some of these "don't work", some absolutely do. It's undeniable that the man is a master after reading some of these chapters -- but not all of them. And maybe that's the point.
What I'm wrestling with here is, how can I say that I really liked a book that I feel like I barely understood? Was it the impression it left on me? The themes that I was able to pick up? Was it the marvel at the literary acrobatics? Maybe it's all of these things.
Sure, this book is frustrating as all hell at times (on purpose, it seems), but it's both over-rated and under-rated as a novel. It is better than its reputation and also not nearly as good. And with that said, I'll definitely be revisiting this in a few years time.
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can't believe I finally did it. This afternoon, I finished reading Ulysses.
After sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years, I started reading it some 5 months ago. And what a ride it has been! 828 pages of people changing gender or species in the middle of a conversation, 70-page sentenses with no interpunction whatsoever, chapters in the form of a play or a sappy romantic novel, a Q&A, stream-of-consciousness-type chapters with every coherent and incoherent thought written down and the chapter where Joyce must have taken out his Dublin city map and a stopwatch to make it all fall into place.
I never expected it to be this rewarding, but it was. I won't say I'd recommend it to anyone though, because I don't want to have such a thing on my conscience.
After sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years, I started reading it some 5 months ago. And what a ride it has been! 828 pages of people changing gender or species in the middle of a conversation, 70-page sentenses with no interpunction whatsoever, chapters in the form of a play or a sappy romantic novel, a Q&A, stream-of-consciousness-type chapters with every coherent and incoherent thought written down and the chapter where Joyce must have taken out his Dublin city map and a stopwatch to make it all fall into place.
I never expected it to be this rewarding, but it was. I won't say I'd recommend it to anyone though, because I don't want to have such a thing on my conscience.
Todo o nada que decir de este libro. Es una agotadora carrera leerlo, tratar de entenderlo y sacar conclusiones. Sin embargo, es una obra imprescindible para entender la literatura post Ulises, entendiendo que Joyce se aventuró a realizar lo que nadie había realizado hasta entonces: El discurrir de conciencia. Imprimir en en letras el caótico y humano pensamiento que nos atraviesa a cada momento.
Es difícil, agobiante y a ratos aburrido. Sin embargo, también es emocionante, atrapante y lúdico. La mayor lección, que en la vida no todo es agradable, sobre todo en la comprensión de lo extraño y lo nuevo.
Hay que leerlo con guía, con ayuda, con revisión de otros textos (Odisea), para acercarse a los diversos significados que se pueden extraer de él. Es decir, es una obra que es interminable en sí misma.
Es difícil, agobiante y a ratos aburrido. Sin embargo, también es emocionante, atrapante y lúdico. La mayor lección, que en la vida no todo es agradable, sobre todo en la comprensión de lo extraño y lo nuevo.
Hay que leerlo con guía, con ayuda, con revisión de otros textos (Odisea), para acercarse a los diversos significados que se pueden extraer de él. Es decir, es una obra que es interminable en sí misma.
challenging
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Madness, Word vomit, and ramblings of the mind
“Do fish ever get seasick?”
Perhaps Joyce wanted to challenge himself: How much nonsense can I get away with in my book?
New title for the book: Rambling and Random Thoughts of the Day
This is not difficult to read because of the vocabulary or sentence structure. It is difficult to read because the story is almost nonexistent.
One of the things this book is known for is the interior monologue. Which includes the inner thoughts of the narrators, such as contemplations, random thoughts and rabbit trails. (Some of this is amusing, but it doesn’t redeem the book imo.)
So thank you James Joyce for contributing the use of the interior monologue to literature. I just wish you did it with a better story.
The last 2 chapters are worth reading. No doubt these chapters contributed greatly to Ulysses being a banned book.
Favorite insults from the book: sausage-eating bastards, cute as a shithouse rat
Favorite character: the cat, I wish there was more about the cat lol.
Also unique about this book: quite a bit of onomatopoeia (makes the audiobook a little more entertaining)
What also makes this book interesting (or boring) is that it takes place in a single day.
Some people say they find this book quite humorous, I much prefer Catch-22, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, or Much Ado About Nothing for adult humor.
There is humor in it, but again, not enough to redeem this book.
This is supposed to be loosely based on the Odyssey by Homer. You should probably just read the Odyssey.
If it doesn’t sound like I hated this book, let me be clear. I hated this book/was disinterested 95% of the time I listened to it.
I did not DNF because I hate DNFing and this particular book is such a renowned book and considered the GOAT (or at least top 10) by SOOO many. So I had to finish it and know what it was to read it in its entirety. (But I really wanted to DNF)
I recommend this to those who consider themselves scholars or if you hate yourself.
If you liked Mrs. Dalloway, you might like this book.
“Do fish ever get seasick?”
Perhaps Joyce wanted to challenge himself: How much nonsense can I get away with in my book?
New title for the book: Rambling and Random Thoughts of the Day
This is not difficult to read because of the vocabulary or sentence structure. It is difficult to read because the story is almost nonexistent.
One of the things this book is known for is the interior monologue. Which includes the inner thoughts of the narrators, such as contemplations, random thoughts and rabbit trails. (Some of this is amusing, but it doesn’t redeem the book imo.)
So thank you James Joyce for contributing the use of the interior monologue to literature. I just wish you did it with a better story.
The last 2 chapters are worth reading. No doubt these chapters contributed greatly to Ulysses being a banned book.
Favorite insults from the book: sausage-eating bastards, cute as a shithouse rat
Favorite character: the cat, I wish there was more about the cat lol.
Also unique about this book: quite a bit of onomatopoeia (makes the audiobook a little more entertaining)
What also makes this book interesting (or boring) is that it takes place in a single day.
Some people say they find this book quite humorous, I much prefer Catch-22, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, or Much Ado About Nothing for adult humor.
There is humor in it, but again, not enough to redeem this book.
This is supposed to be loosely based on the Odyssey by Homer. You should probably just read the Odyssey.
If it doesn’t sound like I hated this book, let me be clear. I hated this book/was disinterested 95% of the time I listened to it.
I did not DNF because I hate DNFing and this particular book is such a renowned book and considered the GOAT (or at least top 10) by SOOO many. So I had to finish it and know what it was to read it in its entirety. (But I really wanted to DNF)
I recommend this to those who consider themselves scholars or if you hate yourself.
If you liked Mrs. Dalloway, you might like this book.
Read the first chapter. Hated and had a hrs time following the syntax? Writing style? There were no quotations to denote who was saying what. It didn’t feel like there was a plot. Just a couple of guys shootin the shit. Barely even knew what the setting was. I wanted to read it because it was a popular banned book, but I don’t think it is worth my time. Other reviews suggest as much. Read it if you want a challenge or practice in annotating, but not an enjoyable read at all