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A review by wrdport
Ulysses by James Joyce
4.0
I need the option to give half stars. For me, this deserves more than a "meh" but somewhat less than enthusiastic praise.
In short, I feel that Joyce would have benefited greatly from a ruthless editor. This book is overlong and full of detail and, at times, it feels like little more than word salad. I enjoyed the Oxen of the Sun and its journey through the English language, but even that chapter fell apart for me under the weight of several pages too many. The precise Q&A of the Ithaca chapter was amusing but again, it went on too long.
I thought I was up to the challenge presented by Ulysses and now having finished it I'm fairly certain I don't need to try Finnegan's Wake anytime soon, if ever.
In short, I feel that Joyce would have benefited greatly from a ruthless editor. This book is overlong and full of detail and, at times, it feels like little more than word salad. I enjoyed the Oxen of the Sun and its journey through the English language, but even that chapter fell apart for me under the weight of several pages too many. The precise Q&A of the Ithaca chapter was amusing but again, it went on too long.
I thought I was up to the challenge presented by Ulysses and now having finished it I'm fairly certain I don't need to try Finnegan's Wake anytime soon, if ever.