Ulysses

Written by James Joyce

Narrated by Jim Norton and Marcella Riordan

Ulysses is one of the greatest literary works in the English language. In his remarkable tour de force, Joyce catalogues one day – June 16 1904 – in immense detail as Leopold Bloom wanders through Dublin, talking, observing, musing – and always remembering Molly, his passionate, wayward wife. Set in the shadow of Homer’s Odyssey, internal thoughts – Joyce’s famous stream of consciousness – give physical reality extra colour and perspective. Though Ulysses is widely regarded as a ‘difficult’ novel, this fresh and lively reading shows its comic genius as well as its great moments of poignancy, making it more accessible than ever before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Jan 1, 1994
• ISBN: 9789629545963

James Joyce

James Joyce (1882–1941) was an Irish poet, novelist, and short story writer, considered to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. His most famous works include Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), Ulysses (1922), and Finnegans Wake (1939).

Reviews for Ulysses

[buffalogr · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A jumble of words that make no sense at all. Did not communicate with me.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I signed up for a lecture on how to enjoy reading Ulysses, and eagerly bought the book. I decided to start reading a few pages before the lecture....got to page 60 (of 933) and was notified that the seminar was cancelled! Nonetheless, I decided to proceed without professional help.The novel takes place over a single day as we follow Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dadelus on their meanderings in Dublin. There isn't much plot; the book is a character study of Bloom, modeled after Odysseus, and also an exploration of writing techniques to show how different ways of telling a story change the perspective of the reader and the characters themselves. It was more enjoyable than I'd expected and, several days having passed since I finished it, I am still coming to appreciate aspects of Leopold Bloom's character that I may have missed. Hard to rate....it's a masterpiece of style for sure, but sometimes confusing and so long!

[leong-272719 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have come to my own conclusion that this book is like being presented with a puzzle. Perhaps more like a crossword puzzle. The fun, apparently, is in deciphering it. It has taken me a very long time to work through the book using a combination of Wikipedia and an ebook version with “Whispersync” in order to have someone smarter than me figuring out the lack of punctuation. I’m not going to give up. After a (long) break from it, I will attempt a further investigation via an annotated version. Maybe.

[vivalaerin · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I can definitely respect Joyce as an author, but I just LOATHE the stream-of-conscious technique! And Leopold Bloom makes a great character, but Stephen Dedalus is such a whiny mess. I always knew I wanted to read this to say that I have, but it was like a punishment. Modernism is easily my LEAST favorite movement. James Joyce is amazingly talented and I can appreciate his impact on literature, but this book just doesn't do it for me.(Sidenote: I much prefer Dubliners.)

[amzzz_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I know this is supposed to be one of the greatest books of all time, but goodness did I struggle to get through it! Even when I was done I must admit I barely had a clue what had happened.

[deanadav · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel (odyssey in fact) needs to be read with good notations and a focused mind, but is fulfilling and wonderful! I would recommend it a thousand times over! There are passages that I have laughed at and there are passages that I have skipped, but overall...there are no words to describe Ireland's 20th century epic!

[jbreedlove_6 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Holy Crap! What a not good book. This was the latest "on the can" book. I read this a page at a time. I am planning on googling its meaning and purpose. But what I did see in this book was the makings of a classic novel. If Joyce wouldn't have been so lazy and used these characters he developed in a plot of some kind. Still, there were flashes of brilliance.

[fledgist · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The magnificent, complex novel, detailing one day (16 June 1904) in Dublin. This is a magnificent, wonderful, detailed, human story. Nothing could be better, funnier, or sadder.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A brilliant book to read and reread, but not a book to love with the heart, more with the brains. Great variety in styles, themes, some experiments are a succes, others not. This is not about Dublin on 1 day, by 1 person, no, on the contrary, the multiple points of view are essential! It's kind of cubustic view on reality. A few of the topics Joyce touches: what is truth, what is reality? How can you know reality? And how, as a human, can you cope with this reality?

[neurodrew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I spent a good 3 months of evenings with this novel; I was motivated to read it because of its fame, and its alleged place in lieterature, not because of the story or plot. It is a riot of language, puns, latin phrases, quotations from the bible and mass, and various voices and accents in Dublin. It draws you into the world of Dublin in 1904, and it is surprising how current many of the concerns seemed. I grew weary of the endless wordplay, but persisted and generally admired the book

[jeoblivion · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Three stars. I can't help but chuckle while clicking on the respective star, as it seems such an utterly absurd rating for a book that is really anything but mediocre.

Truth is: From my small-brained point of view there are brilliant passages and chapters that I devoured (if one can devour in baby-spoon portions, as this is the only way this book can be read I suppose), sometimes poetic, sometimes hilarious, sometimes just mind-bending.
There are other chapters my brain appreciates for the intellectual stunt they are performing but they aren't necessarily a pleasure to read. In fact they are hard, painful labour. And then there are chapters that might have caused irreversible damage to my brain.

To me, this book is the crazy, courageous, very clever and sometimes - yes it has to be said - extremely tiring attempt to turn every piece of dust on the streets of Dublin into a cross reference for the entire cultural history of mankind in general, and that of Ireland in particular while changing literary style chapter by chapter. Chapeau.
I am not sure this book is for reading though. It might be for studying, and one could do so for the rest of a lifetime. One day, when I am old and wise and have gained an unearthly tolerance to 400 out of 1122 pages of complete incomprehensibility I might pick this up again. Maybe sooner. For now I will happily lift the 1785g of German Annotated Ulysses back into it's shelf and watch it from a respectful distance.

[pilgrimjess · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

"A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are portals of discovery."This novel has a remarkably simple story. It traces the paths of two characters on a single day in 1904 Dublin. Leopold Bloom, a middle-aged, Jewish man and Stephen Daedalus, a young intellectual.Bloom spends the day in the knowledge that his wife, Molly, is probably spending her day at home entertaining her lover. He spends the morning attending the funeral of a friend who had died suddenly whilst Stephen in contrast, spends his morning teaching before moving on to a newspaper office, a public library and finally a maternity ward where the two men's paths cross. Stephen invites Bloom to join him and some friends on a drunken spree, visiting a notorious brothel along the way and ends with Bloom inviting him back to his house, where they spend a number of hours talking and drinking coffee.In the final chapter, Bloom slips back into bed with his wife, Molly, and we get a final monologue from her point of view. This book is a notoriously difficult read and in fact resides in number 1 position on Goodreads '100 most difficult books to finish list'. It is not it's length, nearly 700 pages in my case, but Joyce's writing style that makes it so much hard work. In fact I was tempted on more than one occasion to abandon it. Firstly it is largely written in a stream-of-consciousness manner which whilst allowing the author to portray a unique perspective on the events, it also requires a fair bit of concentration and perseverance. But Joyce isn't content with finishing there. He also employs several other narrative and linguistic techniques. For example, he employs phonic representation in one chapter whilst another is laid out like a play. Joyce is trying to show is that there are more than one way to tell a story. The final chapter returns to the stream-of-consciousness process and is virtually devoid of any punctuation marks.Ulysses's experimental literary structure makes it a powerful but also incredibly taxing piece of work and whilst I am glad that I finally got around to reading I cannot in truth say that I particularly enjoyed it.

[yeremenko_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I get why this is such a famous book. But, much of the style, taboo topics, etc are no longer as striking. Joyce is a singular talent, but man this is way too long.This book makes Derrick Jeter seem under rated.

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have been listening to Ulysses off and on for 6 months and I must say that I did enjoy it very much. I may not have understood most of what I was reading but I did enjoy the poetry, the music, the monologues and the characters. It was funny, sad, lyrical, crude, sensitive and blunt. It is a novel that should be read many times and hopefully when I read it again, it will make a little more sense to me. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you give it a try.

[crashmyparty · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

own, can-you-believe-i-finished-this, just-what, reviews, summer-hols-2010-11[edit] I can't believe I finished this book. I made it! What a long haul. I wish I could say it was worth it.Reading all the other reviews, I felt like I must have missed something. But then I thought back over the book. No plot, no structure, no character development, no free-flowing story. I do not see how any of these things makes this book an 'astonishing masterpiece'. Because in my opinion it is not.There is one point of the book where Bloom "could not make head nor tail of the whole business". Reading this, I know how he felt.  

[emlyn_chand · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Preview…If ever there’s a book that refuses to fit cleanly inside the literary mode, it’s James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” Upon my first reading attempt several years back, I quickly gave up, assigning the title of “literary Everest” to the lengthy tome. Now that I’ve finally climbed my mountain, I couldn’t be more thrilled! This is, without a doubt, one of the most worthwhile books that I’ve ever read (and don’t forget: it was voted the best English language novel of the twentieth century).Having begun with a string of exorbitant praise, it’s time to get real. This is an extremely challenging read. Normally, I give a plot preview of my recommended novel, but today I’m going to share with you a few tips about wading through this novel’s stormy seas—tips that would have made my own journey simpler and perhaps more rewarding.Familiarize yourself with works referenced or emulated within the text and/or invest in a critical companion to the novel. Here are the references that I found most vital: Homer’s "Odyssey”, Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe”, Joyce’s own “Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man” and “Dubliners”, and, of course, the Bible.Understand that “Ulysses” is a rhythmic, breathing work. Think of it like a song or a poem, not a novel in the traditional sense. Let the rhythm flow over your mind, or speak it aloud for added effect.Know that the draw of the novel is not its plot. Yes, there is some form of a narrative arc, but if you focus on what’s going to happen next, you’re going to miss all the greatness that is happening right now.Realize that “Ulysses” is made great because of its style. Joyce sought to write a novel for English professors, and he’s absolutely done that. Each chapter is written in a distinct, experimental style. A few of my favorites were told: via newspaper bylines, with a series of questions and answers and by highlighting the moving evolution of the English language.Read online summaries as you go. While I was reading, I would visit sparknotes.com after each chapter to make sure that I didn’t miss anything important before continuing on—this is a strategy that I oft employ for more difficult reads (such as Dickens or Dostoevsky). It’s also helpful to secure a heads-up as to upcoming style techniques and relations to the Odyssean theme.Give yourself time. Don’t expect to finish this book over your vacation. It took me one month to complete “Ulysses” satisfactorily—normally, I complete at least five books per month. Luckily, this novel’s focus on style over plot means it’s easy to set down and revisit at will, giving you no excuse to give up!I didn’t fully appreciate the import of this novel until about halfway through, but I didn’t quit. Although it may take a while to get into, this novel is well worth a thorough read. It may be particularly enjoyable for those who consider themselves writers or historians.

[kdwade_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the best reading experience I've ever had. It was not half as difficult as many people would have you believe, and the payoff is enormous. The style of the novel is wonderful, Joyce's command of the language is masterful, and the way in which the novel sums up the human condition is powerful. And it's pretty damn funny too.

[erinkennedy-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic, amazing, poignant, funny, daring, excruciating, provocative. Read it once on your own, and then read it again in tandem with Burgess' guide. Read it one hundred times and you will always find something new. Best. Novel. Ever.

[smithsj01_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I've tried it and it wasn't for me. Reached the 200 page mark last night and felt weighed down by the 500 still to go. I haven't understood what I've read it isn't actually a pleasure. I'm very pleased I've tried, I'm disappointed in myself for not completing it but what would I achieve by reading something I'm not enjoying? I'm not sure what Joyce was aiming for with the audience for this book but it isn't your average reader and I'm sure it wouldn't be the average reader of the times. Extremely challenging to follow and I think listening to this read on audio may make a big difference.

[maxernst11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A brilliant book to read and reread, but not a book to love with the heart, more with the brains. Great variety in styles, themes, some experiments are a succes, others not. This is not about Dublin on 1 day, by 1 person, no, on the contrary, the multiple points of view are essential! It's kind of cubustic view on reality. A few of the topics Joyce touches: what is truth, what is reality? How can you know reality? And how, as a human, can you cope with this reality?

[p_s_patrick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a difficult book to read in some ways, and not others. I found it difficult for the reason that I had to look up quite a few words, some of which were not in dictionaries. Apart from that it wasn't too bad. I read the book quite quickly relative to its thickness. I didn't struggle to make myself read it as the narrative is fluent for the most part, and strangely coherent if you can get your mind round it. It is written in a way unlike any other book I've read, the author thinks he can make up his own rules for the English language, which makes for interesting reading, yet really does add to the ease and depth of understanding of the precise specifics of what he is trying to describe, somehow. For all the skill that has gone into writing this, and for the good, (wouldn't say great), story, I can't give this book more than a 4. This is for the reason that while I found reading it an experience unmatched in many ways, I wouldn't say that it was a standout experience in terms of reading pleasure, compared to the books I've found to have more interesting plots, which are well written too. If all authors wrote like this then less people would read books, but we need the odd one who can write like this and pull it off. I don't think I could summon the motivation to delve into another of his books, though one of my friends does recommend Finnegan's Wake, (for which he has a reading companion book), which from what I can gather is similarly written, with it's layers of meaning jumbled around into a similar haphazard masterpiece. Yes, a masterpiece, for everyone, undoubtedly not. I think to get the most out of it one would almost definitely need either an annotated version like a study edition, or one of the accompanying books. Either that or a ridiculously abstract and scholarly mind like Joyce's, which I unfortunately don't have. I am not studying English though, and managed to get a lot out of the richness of the book, so if you think you're up to the challenge, and don't mind wading through the pages of poetic prose, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to give this book a go.

[aethercowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ulysses by James Joyce is one of those books that English majors have been arguing about since it was first published. “What’s it really about?” they ask as they conject.Many agree, though, that it’s more or less about a day (June 16) in the life of one Leopold Bloom, with obvious allegories to the Odyssey as well as to Hamlet.But is it good? Well, I suppose that depends on who you ask. And I suppose since you’ve made it this far, you’re asking me. So I’ll tell you: It’s good.While not necessarily as readable as, say, most novels out these days, Ulysses, like other works by Joyce, present the reader with a field of varying terrain, and within that field are hidden several Easter eggs (and within those eggs are hidden further Easter eggs). So, while you could read it on the surface and get a rather confusing story, you could drill deeper to find text hidden in the flesh and bone of this piece, and further to find text in the flesh and bone of that text.I don’t recommend Ulysses for everybody. In fact, most people can probably live full, enriched lives without even reading anything beyond the title and byline. I do recommend Ulysses, though, if you want to be challenged to the point of frustration while reading a book. Much like in running or lifting weights, Ulysses gives you that “good kinda pain” for your brain.

[superwholock-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In fall 2012 I took a seminar class on James Joyce, and of course no class on Joyce would be complete without reading Ulysses. We spent the last half of the semester on Ulysses, and now that I've reviewed both Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist, I think it's finally time for me to talk about my experiences with Joyce's most famous/infamous novel.Ulysses picks up approximately one year after Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ends, and begins with our old friend Stephen Dedalus, who is navigating the world of Dublin, working as a teacher, and still trying to be an artist in a place that continuously leaves him feeling isolated, alone, and without a home. While the first three chapters focus on Stephen, the rest of the book focuses on a new character, the famous Leopold Bloom, a Dublin Jew who, after eating a breakfast of mutton kidney, leaves the house to go about his daily business, all-the-while knowing that his wife, Molly, is planning an affair later that afternoon. That knowledge, the isolation he feels from his fellow Dubliners, the death of his young son ten years ago, and many other things weigh on his mind as we follow him about the affairs of his day. His path crosses and recrosses that of Stephen, and eventually the two outcasts finally meet and have a real conversation. Taking place in slightly less than 24 hours, Ulysses is an epic of the ordinary, a single day that contains every conceivable high and low.Now, if you've ever heard anything about Ulysses, I'm sure you've heard that it's nearly impossible to read. It has gained a nearly mythic status in the bookish world as an impenetrable wall of stylistic experimentation and dense allusion. The only hope for the intrepid reader is to consult many guides and source-books that will lead them through the labyrinth. To be honest with you, this is partially true. There were plenty of times when I didn't know what was happening, and I assure you that I missed most of the allusions and references to historical events. And yes, I did use a guide when I read it, which was a big help. More importantly, I also had a class full of people to discuss each chapter with and to keep me on schedule. (I do recommend reading this book with a friend. It's more fun that way.) But I want to make one thing very clear:The myth is only partially true.Because while I did not catch many of the allusions and references, I mostly understood what was happening in terms of plot and location. While I may not have understood the meaning of every sentence, I did understand the meaning of most paragraphs. And while I didn't always see exactly how each stylistic invention connected thematically to Bloom's journey, I could certainly appreciate the beauty and craft of Joyce's writing. Reading Ulysses is like being at the ocean; you have to let the waves of text wash over you without trying to analyze every single piece of sand. Understanding every single allusion is not necessary to enjoy the novel as a whole. You might miss a few of the jokes, but I promise you will be ok. The guide I used and which I would highly recommend, James Joyce A to Z, had brief summaries of each chapter in terms of plot and any major thematic elements, and that is all I needed in order to thoroughly enjoy myself. I think that oftentimes we as readers get too caught-up in "getting" the book that we forget to really read it. Ulysses is, first and foremost, an experience. If you get too caught up in trying to "understand" it, you'll miss all the fun.Fun? Yes, fun, because Ulysses is a deeply funny, witty, engaging, and beautiful book. First of all, Joyce is a phenomenal writer, and it would be a challenge to find a novel with more beautiful or more varied writing than this one. Some passages are just heart-stopping in their elegance. I literally stopped and reread some passages just so I could hear them again; they were that beautiful. Others were incredibly technically impressive, showing Joyce's amazing command of the English language (and others). Joyce's amazing skills as a writer mean that he is capable of making the wittiest puns and the funniest satires I have ever read. No, really. From the pub to the graveyard, from political arguments to prostitution, from the romantic novel to the epic catalog, there is nothing that Joyce can't laugh at. I never thought I would say this, but Ulysses literally made me laugh out loud. But of course this novel isn't all fun and games. There are tender, honest moments here more touching than nearly anything else put into print. There is heartbreak here, not of the cheesy faux-tragic kind that you find in a Nicholas Sparks novel, but honest emotion felt by ordinary people in situations that are all too real. Though Ulysses very often made me laugh, on a number of occasions it also made me cry. It touched me, because it spoke to that part of me (and, I think, of many of us) that knows what it's like to feel alone, regretful, and lost. That realism, that honesty of emotion and situation, is what sets Ulysses apart. The strange style, the encyclopedic allusions, the weird diversions, all of these serve to represent reality in all of its complexity, beauty, and sadness. Ulysses is funny, crafty, beautiful, and heartbreaking, but it is all of those things because it is real.If you've ever read my reviews before, you'll notice that this one is rather different. This time I haven't talked very much about technique or writing style, though really this would be the perfect novel to do that. And part of me does want to pull out my analytical brain and tell you all about Joyce's tricks and techniques and themes. I would feel accomplished for breaking down such a complex novel, and you would maybe feel like you learned something. But I don't think I'm going to do that this time. This time I think I'm going to focus on other things.Because despite all the intellectual enjoyment I got from untangling and discussing the themes and techniques, and despite the aesthetic enjoyment I found in Joyce's language, what struck me the most about Ulysses was its emotional honesty, especially in the characterization. For the first three chapters I felt nothing but empathy and pity for Stephen. I wanted to be his big sister, to comfort him, to let him know that he wasn't alone and that he could make it. And then I met Leopold Bloom, and slowly, cautiously, not without reservation, I fell for him, completely and utterly. Not in a romantic way, but as a human being, an all-too-real human being who had emotions and quirks that I could see and understand like those of an old friend. I fell in love with the way that he always tries to figure things out, to calculate, explain, and reason, even if his explanations are often incorrect, more pseudoscience than real science. I fell in love with his desire to please everyone, to make everyone happy, to avoid conflict wherever possible. I love that he maintains his optimism despite everything that happens to him. I love the way he always walks on the sunny side of the street, is conscientious about his money, and loves to eat good food. I wanted nothing more in the world than for him to actually meet Stephen, because I needed to see what would happen when these two characters whom I cared so much about finally met. And yes, sometimes Bloom creeped me out a little with his thoughts about sex or bodily functions. Sometimes I got annoyed with him for being so passive, and I yelled at him to stop being such a pushover already. But when he had the chance to finally show some courage, I cheered him on with all of my heart, and when he stood up for Stephen my heart nearly burst I was so proud of him. Leopold Bloom was so lonely, so hopeful, and so real, and in the end it was the force of his character (and, to a lesser extent, Stephen's) that really made Ulysses shine.Ulysses is a novel that takes place in a single day, and yet somehow seems to encompass the whole world. It's strange and difficult and sometimes frustrating, and to be honest I wouldn't recommend it to those who don't like their books to be a puzzle or who get frustrated when they don't understand what is going on. But if you do like a challenge, then I think you'll find that every frustration in Ulysses is paid back a thousand times over in beauty and enjoyment. I promise that you won't catch everything on your first read-through; I know I didn't. But that did not take away from my enjoyment of the novel in the slightest. I know I'll come back to it some day, maybe a chapter at a time here or there, and that no matter when or how often I return it will always have something new to offer me.Rating: 5+Recommendations: Don't get too weighed down with guides. Just read it and enjoy it, and check chapter summaries or historical events if you get lost. Ulysses is an experience, so just dive in.

[aulsmith · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To those who advocate listening to this book rather than reading it, let me add that seeing the movie, with Sioban McKenna as Molly Bloom, is also better than reading the book.

[jlsimon7 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

After having tried multiple times to read this book I decided to look at the reviews. I knew the book to be a masterpiece by repute and added it to my collection expecting to enjoy it. I've tried but I cannot see for a moment why this book has such a reputation. Having now read several reviews I see that I am hardly alone in the determination that this book is as useful as a paper-weight. Going to move on to something else. For those who chose to attempt it, good luck.

[lriley_43 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Considered by many to be the most important novel of the 20th century--it certainly ushered in a new era of writing. Joyce is the Edouard Manet of modern fiction--after Ulysses nothing would ever be the same. For this reason alone the importance of this writer and this his seminal work should not be underestimated. Here we have for the first time a stream of consciousness approach taking the place of a traditional scripted method of telling a story by narrative means. One follows the internal and external dialogues of the two main characters the young Stephen Dedalus--a sometime student, sometime tutor would be philosopher and the middle-aged Leopold Bloom--a Jew in Catholic Ireland and something of a opportunistic businessman; a know-it-all and a bit of a philanderer besides--married to Molly--an actress and singer and a bit of a slut herself--as they ramble around Dublin one June day in the year 1904 eventually meeting up quite by accident in a brothel. Stephen for his part is intelligent, irreligious with ideas that tend to go against the grain. C'est la vie. Bloom takes the seemingly luckless young Dedalus home as he has nowhere else to go but after a hot cocoa and a conversation Stephen leaves anyway with something of a promise to come back and tutor Molly in Italian. Molly has the last word and the last chapter--an unpunctauted rant mainly about life with Leopold and somewhat about the various other men who have played a role in her life. After Ulysses--no longer are things to be scripted the same as they had been up until his time. This work opened up new doors and possibilities for generations of writers. He is really a kind of an Einstein (who's theory of relativity itself paved the way for countless other scientific discoveries) of the novel--breaking much new ground--he is the grandfather of the modern novel.

[railarson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You can’t accuse James Joyce of myopia. His vision of the city of Dublin on June 16, 1904, encompasses the entire universe. At times abstruse, Joyce’s masterwork is never obtuse—I am sure that he felt every single word was necessary and had been placed exactly where it was required. Of course he may have been utterly freaking insane.Ulysses has often been called the greatest modern novel ever written. It is a fascinating book, a towering bulwark of extreme literature, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it is not a great novel, not at least as we traditionally think of them. Given that all 783 pages take place in the span of a single day, there is not much linear space for major character development. Things happen, but they are the minute daily things that make up a life. Any life. And that’s the point. Ulysses is definitely a whole other cup of meat as compared to most of the other works that populate such discretionary lists.The myriad in-jokes, puns, and allusions to other texts both ancient and modern, make the experience of navigating Joyce’s mind a tough one without a couple of other books at arm’s length. I found Don Gifford’s Ulysses Annotated very helpful as I went along. I later added Harry Blamires’ The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide Through Ulysses when I got bogged down in the hallucinatory trip through the Nighttown brothels.Ulysses doesn’t reveal its charms without some give and take. You have to put in the work. But once in a while, usually when you aren’t expecting it, the veil is lifted and the diamond-faceted lattice of reality is glimpsed for a moment. The superstructure that holds up the thrill ride is divulged for a split second right before the next plunge, and in that moment it all becomes worth it.Or maybe I have gone utterly freaking insane.

[cecrow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thoughts made narrative; Odyssey-reflecting themes, coupled with a different narrative style for every episode and a boatload of rhetorical devices (did Joyce leave out any?); reversions to historical literary styles; obscure references to Catholic and Irish and Jewish tradition, Irish politics and history, and a wide scattering of other things ... 700 pages of this, and still we cover no more than eighteen hours of a rather ordinary day in Dublin: June 16th, 1904. An absolutely brilliant novel, but I needed help to understand it. I relied on the Wikipedia outline and Sparknotes chapter summaries, two among many references available. Much of this novel is written in the language of the daydreamer, not restricted to interior thoughts that move a plot forward but open to capturing every thought that might pass through the consciousness of these characters as they go about their day. The sheer volume and range of this delivery turns a nothing-special morning and afternoon into an epic. Joyce is lambasted for writing over most people's heads, but he isn't doing it in a bullying or non-inclusive way - else why are there enough body function references to entertain a toddler? Some of his characters' thoughts, particularly Stephen's, can be learned in the extreme but are interspersed with the most casual, mundane passing fancies. Everything and nothing is important. All people are capable of every kind of thought up and down the scale of decorum, and all of us are riding that scale on a daily basis. These are the most realistic characters ever put to paper, and I'm ready to believe nobody will ever do it better.What I don't believe is that Ulysses is worthwhile reading for anyone who doesn't come to it of their own volition. Forget the critics, the professors who are paid to help you appreciate it. It's only good reading if you think it is. Approach Joyce via Dubliners and Portrait first to see if you can enjoy him at all, and catch up on Homer's epics. If those are a hassle or boring (and whether you understand them is beside the point), don't trouble yourself any further because all you're going to miss here is an exercise in frustration with his madness (exactly why I'm not going to read the Wake). But if you liked all of that and what Joyce can do, his prior work pales next to the technical feats he pulled off with Ulysses.

[steadfastreader · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Yes. 'Unreadable' comes to mind. But I was listening to it on audio and I -still- couldn't stand it. I like to think I'm cosmopolitan in my reading and that I don't dismiss books because they're 'hard'.

But this book seems to be nothing but free association. Definitely there are some beautiful 'word matches' but there is little to nothing else to give it any substance or ... anything.

25% into the book and I know it's a no-go. At least for the near future. Gah!!

[lindenstein · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though this book has received some relatively low ratings, I feel the need to defend the book after having spent 6 weeks reading it.Ulysses isn't a book to recommend to someone who isn't a "reader;" it's a difficult book, and it would be extremely difficult to follow what is happening if you didn't have some background (we used the Ulysses Annotated to guide us, a book that is just as big as Ulysses itself).What Ulysses IS, however, is a book which recasts one of the most famous heroes of all mythology as the prototypical everyman. The story of the Odyssey, of Ulysses, Odysseus and Penelope, is recast, and Joyce attempts to Hellenize Ireland. That is only half of his project, however. The other half of the project is his attempt to "write a book that professors will be discussing for 200 years." It's nearing the 100 year mark (it will be in 2022) and I think it's safe to say that Joyce accomplished what he set out to do: when the time is taken to really understand what the book is saying, not to just read through it in an attempt to cross it off of some list, it becomes clear why this book is on the top of lists, and why it's so important, even if it is extremely frustrating at times.