Dubliners by James JoyceA book filled with short stories about people. The Irish people in Dublin in the late 1800's. You get a glimpse into the lives of the young, the old, the poor and the well-to-do. No one is exempt from Joyce's words. Each story, whether it be about a boy's day spent skipping school, or a young girl trying to choose whether or not to sail away to Buenos Aires with her beau, is beautifully written and rich with atmosphere. Each character comes alive on the page and is given just enough words to make you want to know more about them when it is time to move on to the next story.
I am so happy I picked up this book to read, finally, having purchased it back in March. It amazes me how simply language can be used perfectly to tell a story. I kept wondering to myself if these were actual people he knew or saw in the streets around him, making up stories about the men walking down the street, or the kids on the ferry during school hours, or the lady at the quay staring at a ship setting sail.
I have not read Ulysses, but it will definitely be one of my next books to get a copy of. I have read A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man back in high school and remember enjoying it. I should probably get a copy of that as well. refresh my memory.
4/5
Classics Challenge
I loved Dubliners. I had the best professor teach a semester of Joyce as an undergrad and she made Dubliners, A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses come alive. Have you seen John Huston's "The Dead?" Angelica stars in it and it is absolutely wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Ulysses. I still take a lot of pride in my accomplishment of reading it. I would strongly suggest purchasing Ulysses Annotated (I believe this is the title) if you are reading it alone. Very informative.
This sounds really good. I am going to have to join a classics challenge and get motivated! Thanks
ReplyDeleteThis is a gem of a review. I'm reading more and more classics; will have to add this to my list. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteJoyce has always scared me, but maybe I ought to try him. It sounds good.
ReplyDelete