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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
OK, after a week plus and another book, I'm ready to write a review.
It's alright.
If I found a coal mine in my backyard I could be rich and successful for the rest of my life, but only if I was willing to put in hard labor every day for the rest of my life. Otherwise I'm best off selling the coal mine and being a little bit better off. This is Ulysses by James Joyce. I will explain the metaphor, to get the most out of this book you need to read it over and over, you'll need multiple reference books, you'll need jokes explained. Sounds like lots of fun, right? But you'll be a successful reader, because you "get" Ulysses by James Joyce.
Otherwise, without those things, reading it once, it's OK. Interesting, the relationship with his wife.
It's alright.
If I found a coal mine in my backyard I could be rich and successful for the rest of my life, but only if I was willing to put in hard labor every day for the rest of my life. Otherwise I'm best off selling the coal mine and being a little bit better off. This is Ulysses by James Joyce. I will explain the metaphor, to get the most out of this book you need to read it over and over, you'll need multiple reference books, you'll need jokes explained. Sounds like lots of fun, right? But you'll be a successful reader, because you "get" Ulysses by James Joyce.
Otherwise, without those things, reading it once, it's OK. Interesting, the relationship with his wife.
What can you really say that hasn't already been said? There will always be naysayers, people who delight in alleging that Ulysses is overrated, or criticize its supposed unreadability. Those people just haven't tried hard enough, or lack the mental acuity to do so. This really is one of the greatest books ever written. If you don't think so, my hope is that one day you'll have the time and inclination to discover that truth for yourself.
Can't say if I got most of it but I can at least admit that there is a lot I didn't. Will need to look for some analysis of this novel and then listen again. What I did get I found interesting and different from anything else I have read.
This is a book that's been on my to read list for several years, and I'm glad that I finally took the time to read it. I probably only understood about 10% of it, but I still found Joyce's writing style to be interesting (even if I sometimes wondered if even he understood what he was writing). I thought the second half of the book (starting with chapter 14) was harder to grasp than the first half and recommend anyone interested in reading Ulysses to also get a copy of annotations and to use spark notes at the end of each chapter. That helped me remember a lot of what happened in the chapter and made me see how much I actually understood.
This book kicked my butt.
They tell me I'll like it more, the more times I read it and I do believe that. Reading this with a guide or as part of a group of scholars was super helpful to me. But it is NOT easy.
They tell me I'll like it more, the more times I read it and I do believe that. Reading this with a guide or as part of a group of scholars was super helpful to me. But it is NOT easy.
Demanding but worth the effort if you can find your way through it (taking a college class helps!). Deserves its reputation as path-breaking.
Reading along with the incomparable Frank Delaney's book 'James Joyce's Dublin' and his podcast 're:Joyce'. Each episode is only 5 minutes long, and at 13 episodes in we're only on page 3 of the book. I know Delaney's death last year means I'll only have his insight for the first 100 pages or so of the book, which makes me sad.
*Nov 2018 Update..... I'm one of those people....I gave up
*Nov 2018 Update..... I'm one of those people....I gave up
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I tried. I thought I could puzzle it out, but alas I made it a few dozen pages and my brain locked up. WTF? Is there actually supposed to be a plot?