Reviews

The Dead by James Joyce

andredias's review against another edition

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4.0

"His soul swooned softly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead."

James Joyce's "The Dead", published in 1914, centres on Gabriel Conroy, a professor and part-time book reviewer. The story examines the relationship of the protagonist (Gabriel Conroy) with his family and friends. The plot is set in Dublin in an annual Christmas party hosted by Conroy's aunts. As the plot action goes on, a chain of events drives Gabriel's wife to reveal a significant secret that will change the life of the protagonist in a deeply existential way.

One of the finest short stories in the English language, "The Dead", is one of those lessons that makes us question love, loss and the sense of life. Personally, I was not deeply bounded with the characters of the story, but as the plot progresses, it successfully achieves a very thoughtful ending. Happiness, sadness, and national identity, the author manages to write it all in a long lost proper vocabulary.
Thought-provoking and profound, the end of the narrative leads any reader to understand life from an absurdity standpoint.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

efrancis's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

marie_99's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

belliz4's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars.

livlaas's review against another edition

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2.0

I feel so weird reviewing great, established, classical authors, yet I was intensely bored and I couldn't find the plot while reading this. The writing was beautiful, especially the last two pages, but that was about it for me.

toystory242's review against another edition

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3.0

I thought this short story was okay! I felt like it brought up some interesting things, but I certainly would have found them more interesting if it was a full book. We're watching the movie in class, and I hope it expands on the story a bit!

hamgamgee's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

I mean I see why it’s famous it makes me feel very sad. I probably should read all of Dubliners at some point

jo2000's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mar_nieves's review against another edition

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5.0

When I read this first I was like ??? Either this is dumb or I am dumb.

Turns out I was, indeed, dumb. But I’ve recovered alright.