Dubliners by James Joyce (EPUB)

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User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐James Joyce’s “DUBLINERS” is an exceptional collection of stories/portraits about some of the residents of Dublin, Ireland early in the 20th century. Joyce’s writing is lyrical, intimate and insightful. His characters run the gamut from very poor to very wealthy, and all have their personal battles, triumphs, and jarring revelations. I had heard of this book for years, but never read it because I was intimidated by the fear that his writing would be difficult to understand. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth! Joyce writes in a modern tone that is easy to read and understand. His characters could easily be people from our present day, as their situations transcend time and cultures. This is a book to be read one or two stories at a time (the better to reflect upon). As a whole, DUBLINERS is both astounding and fulfilling. I highly – highly – recommend this classic to all readers!

⭐Much has been said about his work, which is one of the problems with Joyce. We all know of him, but how many of us have read him? I read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man many years ago, and remember almost nothing of it. And like many others before me I tried to tackle Ulysses and got about ten pages in and said, “Bugger this!” (Imagine me saying it in my poor approximation of an Irish accent, and you’ll get the idea.) But it occurred to me that hearing the words spoken might be exactly the way I should approach Joyce this time, and if it worked, if I found myself enjoying one of the more accessible books, then perhaps the audio book of Ulysses or Finnegan’s Wake would go on my list.In the end I discovered that I liked Joyce. I’m not a huge fan, but I like the sound of his words, particularly when read by Irish actors. And in the Caedmon version, the quality of the narration is up and down, with possibly the best reading being done by Stephen Rea, who gives us a version of The Dead that sounds as if it comes from the depths of a weary soul. Props also to Ciaran Hinds, Colm Meany, and Dan O’Herlihy. Alas the one Irish actor I’d have loved to hear narrate one of these stories was not included. Donal McCann, who left us far too soon, would have done an outstanding job, but it was not to be.As for the stories themselves, I began to see that they were all about who people think they are and why. They’re brief glances into events, even moments of the characters’ lives that are so telling, that make their identities so clear that you come away from each one understanding what they hope for, and why they are suffering.One story in particular — I don’t recall the title at the moment, so apologies for being vague here — is the best sketch of an alcoholic I have ever read. I listened, becoming increasingly impatient with him until I wanted to shove him down the stairs. And then I recognized the knowledge that he was fleeing from, and felt terribly sad. It didn’t excuse him, but it did explain him.I’m not sure if I will go any further with Joyce, even in audio form, but I did enjoy Dubliners tremendously, and that’s all you can ask from a book.

⭐Just finished The Dubliners by James Joyce. I hadn’t read any of his works. This is a good start for anyone thinking of reading real literature. It’s astonishing to think he was 22 years old when he’d completed these stories. But I guess true genius shows up early. I see why he is so revered. I would like to learn the art of short story writing and Joyce is the master.This book is a series of vignettes, snapshots or sketches. Just the ticket for those who want a brief read before turning out the light, perhaps. But all the stories have a streak of sadness and harsh reality of those years before World War I, so your dreams may not be so sweet. There are fifteen stories but I will refer to just three.I loved THE BOARDING HOUSE. This covers the life of the boarding house owner, Mrs. Mooney and her daughter Polly. Polly starts a dalliance with one of the boarders—thirty-five-year-old, Mr. Doran—a man with a fairly good job—a decent catch. Madam will deal with matters of emotion ‘like a cleaver to meat’, as Joyce delicately puts it, especially where her daughter’s honor is at stake. No man would be allowed to abuse her hospitality and get away with it under her own roof. Like Polly, now sullied, Mr. Doran stands to lose everything.ARABY is one of my favorites and tells the story of a boy who falls for the girl across the street, the sister of a friend. He is obsessed with her and she fills his thoughts for every moment, at school, at home. He sits by the parlor window staring at her door across the street. Love is painful. This story is relevant to all of us at that age as boys and girls who become smitten. Puppy love. Eventually the girl speaks to him under the lamp light. He notices every detail about her. Joyce describes the light on her body and her petticoat. She tells him she would love to go the Araby market on Saturday, but she has to go to a church meeting. Thrilled, the boy tells her he is going and will bring her something back. He now has a mission and a reason to get closer to her. He counts the hours until he can go after getting permission from his aunt and promise of money from his uncle. Frustratingly, his uncle comes home late that Saturday evening and has forgotten about his promise. His aunt persuades him to give him the money and let him go. Joyce describes the lonely train journey to the bazaar. He’s been given a florin (two shillings—about twenty-five cents in today’s money) and spends most of it on the train fare and a shilling to get in. Once inside, most of the stalls are now closed. Deflated, he stares at a stall with jars and things and the girl who he’d heard talking with two men asks him if he wants to buy something. He tells her ‘no’. Most of his money is gone now. He notices the accents of the girl and two men are English. Why? It just is. And it makes it all the more real. He storms out feeling angry with himself for what he realizes is a fool’s errand, for his stupidity and pride—one of those coming-of-age moments in a young man’s life.Joyce makes the complex look simple. He does not explain anything and leaves somethings as a mystery. Why does he mention that they live in a house where a priest had died? Why does the boy live with his uncle and aunt? Where are his mother and father? We must presume they are dead. That is how things are in the boy’s life. And that’s how the best writing is. Things left unexplained.These are stories like beautifully prepared simple meals. Every bite, every word, delicious. Of course, simple meals aren’t always so simple. Often preparation is complex, resulting in exquisite, memorable taste.THE DEAD is reckoned to be one of Joyce’s masterpieces and John Huston filmed it beautifully and showed his own genius. The main character, Gabriel, takes his wife to a Christmas celebration at the house of his two aunts with many in attendance. Later that night, he takes his wife home by carriage in the snow and all the while he is feels his love for her, as he’d done all evening, and looks forward to making love to her at their hotel room. Once there, and after chatting with her, he realizes she is distraught. He learns of a previous love she had had for a boy she’d known when she was young and who had died, or willed himself to die when she left to live in another town. Gabriel’s own sadness and crushed spirit are evident as, with tears in his eyes, he looks out into the gently falling snow that must be falling on his wife’s sweetheart’s grave and across all of Ireland. The last paragraphs are said to be some of the greatest writing in English literature. John Huston’s excellent film maybe viewed on Youtube.On looking back over The Dubliners, I have to ask myself: are these stories and Joyce’s writing so impactful that they could change how you think? Yes, I think so. I’ll read them again and again. The more one delves, the more one sees. It’s not really so much about the dreary lives of people Joyce writes about, but about the writing itself that conjures up emotional experience.

⭐What took me so long to read James Joyce? It is never too late. In a way I’m glad I waited. My life experience has enhanced my appreciation of this great writer. Don’t listen to those who protest Joyce as “experimental.” They don’t know what they are talking about. Just open your mind and heart and let him in.

⭐If you haven’t read Joyce’s short stories then you’re missing some of the best ever written.

⭐James Joyce was an absolute powerhouse when it comes to literature, innovative writing and playing with the English language and its constructs. Some of his work isn’t really that accessible to a lot of people, but although I have read the likes of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, along with other works by him, I must admit that this book of short tales is not only my favourite of all he wrote, but also a personal favourite when it comes to books.As we read this collection of tales centred around Dublin so we see characters here who some will reappear in Ulysses with minor roles. What I like about this book is that it can seem deceptively easy to read, and indeed if you don’t want to analyse too deeply then this is an easy read. If you really take your time though and ponder upon each story here you get not only a feeling for Joyce and the intention of this work, but a feeling for Ireland at the time, with the rise of Nationalist feelings, and a country wanting to forge a new independent identity.Taking in the aspirations of the people in the city we see what they wish for, and what they envisage for their children. In all then on the surface a deceptively easy book to read, but look a bit further and this becomes something that not only can give plenty of pleasurable reading, but also a fascinating time if you really wish to dig deep and analyse every tale. They appear here very much in the correct order as we progress through the stages of life, and this is very fulfilling.This would probably be a good choice for a book group as it gives great scope to discussions and is such a joy to read.

⭐Obviously Joyce is wonderful.However, this edition is not. Having a glaring error in the thirteenth word of the very first story signals that it is not a trustworthy edition.”There was no hope for him this time: it was the first third store.””Store” ?!?!? What does that even mean ?!?No, it should be “stroke”, not “store”. This suggests that no care at all has been taken over this so you are on your guard immediately.Not recommended.

⭐Joyce’s collection of 15 stories takes the reader through the various strata of Dublin society of the early years of the twentieth century. The prose is of a uniformly high standard, though some of the pieces are too fragmentary and unresolved to be fully satisfying. When Joyce does tell a story, though, he tells it excellently, making me rather regret that he didn’t use standard prose and story-telling techniques more often.The sum of the collection is greater than its individual parts, however, so that even the shorter character sketches add something to the reader’s understanding of Dublin and its citizens. Despite the wide range of class and circumstance Joyce addresses, each one has a sense of total authenticity, of a deep understanding of how this society intermixes. There is a common theme running throughout, of people trapped, either by circumstance or because of decisions they have made, and many of the stories focus on a moment in the central characters’ lives when they become aware of their trap. Drunkenness, violence and the stifling stranglehold of the Catholic church all play their part in showing a society where aspiration is a rare commodity, usually thwarted. I understand some of the stories were considered shocking at the time for their language and sexual content. Given the relative mildness of them to modern eyes, this fact in itself casts another light on how socially restricted the society was at the time of writing.The prose is somewhat understated, with Joyce relying more on the penetrating examination of character rather than any flamboyancy of language or stylistic quirks, and that works well for me. He achieves a depth of characterisation with few words, acknowledging his reader’s ability to interpret and understand without the need to have everything spelled out. Just occasionally, this left me floundering a little in the couple of stories where he is addressing contemporary Irish politics or mores, but I accept that’s my weakness rather than his. In the stories where he is addressing more fundamental aspects of human nature, I appreciated his rather sparing style greatly.Overall, I found the fully developed stories excellent, while the ones that are primarily character sketches are interesting if not wholly satisfying. However, as a collection, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, the weaker parts being more than compensated for by the stronger.

⭐I read this because my grandfather grew up in Dublin at the turn of the century. (His experience may have been quite different from Joyce’s, though, as this is all about Catholicism and Granddad was raised Church of Ireland.)A typical story: “Grace” involves a chap passing out drunk in a pub loo, lying sick in bed for a while, and finally being taken off to church. It baffled me until I read in the introduction that it was intended as a literary joke, a spoof on the Divine Comedy. You can keep your smarty-pants literary jokes, Joyce, they’re a lot of old cod. Not for me.

⭐James Joyce was an absolute powerhouse when it comes to literature, innovative writing and playing with the English language and its constructs. Some of his work isn’t really that accessible to a lot of people, but although I have read the likes of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, along with other works by him, I must admit that this book of short tales is not only my favourite of all he wrote, but also a personal favourite when it comes to books.As we read this collection of tales centred around Dublin so we see characters here who some will reappear in Ulysses with minor roles. What I like about this book is that it can seem deceptively easy to read, and indeed if you don’t want to analyse too deeply then this is an easy read. If you really take your time though and ponder upon each story here you get not only a feeling for Joyce and the intention of this work, but a feeling for Ireland at the time, with the rise of Nationalist feelings, and a country wanting to forge a new independent identity.Taking in the aspirations of the people in the city we see what they wish for, and what they envisage for their children. In all then on the surface a deceptively easy book to read, but look a bit further and this becomes something that not only can give plenty of pleasurable reading, but also a fascinating time if you really wish to dig deep and analyse every tale. They appear here very much in the correct order as we progress through the stages of life, and this is very fulfilling.This would probably be a good choice for a book group as it gives great scope to discussions and is such a joy to read.

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