Nora: A Love Story of Nora and James Joyce

By Nuala O'Connor

Named one of the best books of historical fiction by the New York Times

Acclaimed Irish novelist Nuala O’Connor’s bold reimagining of the life of James Joyce’s wife, muse, and the model for Molly Bloom in Ulysses is a “lively and loving paean to the indomitable Nora Barnacle” (Edna O’Brien).

Dublin, 1904. Nora Joseph Barnacle is a twenty-year-old from Galway working as a maid at Finn’s Hotel. She enjoys the liveliness of her adopted city and on June 16—Bloomsday—her life is changed when she meets Dubliner James Joyce, a fateful encounter that turns into a lifelong love. Despite his hesitation to marry, Nora follows Joyce in pursuit of a life beyond Ireland, and they surround themselves with a buoyant group of friends that grows to include Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and Sylvia Beach.

But as their life unfolds, Nora finds herself in conflict between their intense desire for each other and the constant anxiety of living in poverty throughout Europe. She desperately wants literary success for Jim, believing in his singular gift and knowing that he thrives on being the toast of the town, and it eventually provides her with a security long lacking in her life and his work. So even when Jim writes, drinks, and gambles his way to literary acclaim, Nora provides unflinching support and inspiration, but at a cost to her own happiness and that of their children.

With gorgeous and emotionally resonant prose, Nora is a heartfelt portrayal of love, ambition, and the quiet power of an ordinary woman who was, in fact, extraordinary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9780062991737

Nuala O'Connor

Nuala O’Connor was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1970. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, she is a novelist and short story writer, and lives in County Galway with her husband and three children. Nuala has won many prizes for her short fiction including the Short Story Prize in the UK and Ireland’s Francis MacManus Award. She is editor at flash e-zine Splonk.

Reviews for Nora

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Occasionally, a book comes a long that in much better as an audiobook. This is one of them. Nora is the common law wife of James Joyce. Told in her voice, the narrator, Jenn McGuirk, can change voices for different characters and portrays Nora Joseph Barnacle’s love for Joyce even as he drinks, writes and gambles his way to literary stardom. Nora’s life was hard. She was the one picking up the pieces. Both the writing and the narration give testament to the full range of Nora’s emotions. She deserves a lot more credit for keeping Joyce moving forward as she struggled to take care of their family.

[rosienotrose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Nora Barnacle, a twenty-year-old maid from Galway, meets young James Joyce on a summer’s day in Dublin, she is instantly attracted to him. But she cannot yet imagine the extraordinary life they will share together. All Nora knows is she likes her Jim enough to leave behind family and home, in search of a bigger, more exciting life.

The story starts over one hundred years ago but O'Connor writes in such a way that I feel like I am reading my contemporaries. We follow Nora as they move from Ireland to Europe, struggle through years of poverty and war, and eventually achieve a sense of stability. One part I wasn't expecting was the story of their daughter Lucia (who I knew little about).

I will freely admit that I've read very little of Joyce. I have completed two chapters of Ulysses which is an achievement considering the work but the two most striking things I came away with after reading this amazing work of bio-fiction was James Joyce was some eejit, and he and Nora loved each other passionately.

Joyce may be considered a genius, but I feel he would never have achieved this without Nora by his side. He was an alcoholic and would often stay out all night drinking and doing whatever he wanted with little consideration to the money that may have been better put to use elsewhere. At one point he commissioned a painting of Nora when they barely had money to feed and house themselves. In return, she gave him love, stability and a clip around the ear when he needed it.

Nora is the archetype of the suffering wife to the creative genius, but she loved him beyond all measure. Some parts I found her naive and wanted her to leave him if only to teach him a lesson but of course she would never do that. She defended him to everyone while at the same time challenging him to do better,

This is a heavily researched work of bio-fiction but O'Connor has also taken some fictional license - as you would expect. I listened on audiobook and the narrator did a brilliant job of bringing the words to life particularly Nora's voice.

A definite recommendation on this one no matter what you think about Joyce.