Reviews

Dubliners by James Joyce

bookishl's review against another edition

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Not really feeling.

fionn's review against another edition

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4.0

“He lived at a little distance from his body, regarding his own acts with doubtful side-glances. He had an odd autobiographical habit which led him to compose in his mind from time to time a short sentence about himself containing a subject in the third person and a verb in the past tense.”

A wonderful collection of short stories that captures the lives of the working and middle class inhabitants of Dublin at the turn of the last century. Some of the stories were longer and better fleshed out than others, but Dubliners was generally greater than the sum of its parts, and I felt that several of the shorter stories largely served to complement and enrich the collection as a whole: traced outlines that individually did not elicit great satisfaction but rather added depth and colour to the landscape of Dublin. I can see why someone may not rate this book so highly, it is deeply wedged between boring and magnificent - which is a difficult space to occupy. Dubliners can be realistic to the point of being mundane, and many of the stories end with no resolution and create more questions than answers. We turn to the next chapter eager for satisfaction, only to find we have been whisked away to a different part of Dublin for another stolen moment with a character whose tale ends just as abruptly. Endings incomplete, bleak routines, a lack of happy endings and a paralysis of action leads one to question “What is the point?!” But such is life, and this is precisely why Joyce’s portrayal of Dublin’s inhabitants feels so authentic; putting aside cultural and historical differences, these stories could be glimpses into any of our lives. Unanswered questions, unfounded hints, and the general ambiguity of Dubliners added greatly to the realism, authenticity and my enjoyment of the book. I don’t think I have ever encountered a work of fiction that felt so plausible. Joyce writes beautifully and absolutely no word is wasted.

There were a few stories that fell a little flat for me - ‘After the Races’ and ‘Ivy Day in the Committee Room’ were perhaps my least favourite, though I did enjoy most of the stories, particularly ‘A Painful Case’ and ‘The Dead’ (no surprises there). I thoroughly enjoyed Dubliners and often felt my mind drifting back to the characters and pondering their story a little more, though some I haven’t thought of since my fingers turned the page. I have rated this 4.25 stars rounded down.

damianliber89's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

eaborum's review against another edition

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

4.0

vonbergundy's review against another edition

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reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

selhans's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

lucylove's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

zoexash_'s review against another edition

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

2.25

dmchesher's review against another edition

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

3.75

nathanielelder's review against another edition

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4.0

Read in Irish accent