A review by jennyjanuary
Ulysses by James Joyce

4.0

I am incredibly conflicted about this book. Actually, I am incredibly conflicted about James Joyce in general. On the one hand, I find this novel particularly pretentious, catering only to the literati and not to anyone who would stoop so far as to just want a good story to read. And then on the other hand... Joyce dosen't shy away from shit and piss and come and blood, or any of that. To him, it was the snot-green sea, the… scrotum-tightening sea. He wrote these dirty, racy letters to Nora all about how he wanted to fuck her and smell how she smelled after he did. Or about the stains in her underwear – which is something I have never seen anyone else talk about – or the noises her body made, how she felt, how he felt when he thought about her. In fact, Nora herself said of him, and I quote: “I guess the man’s a genius, but what a dirty mind he has, hasn’t he?”

So I guess I admire him, really.

But that doesn't give you a good idea of what the novel is like. So, to sum it up: Reading Ulysses is like watching someone figure out how to be his most brilliant self. It's very interesting and very trying and a lot of it doesn't work. But I guess I'd say it's worth it.