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bookstolivewith's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs is a story we’ve all heard before — a woman, Lucia, is trying to find herself and figure out exactly who she is, despite doubters, liars and gaslighters. Only this time, she’s also James Joyce’s daughter. And now, she’s Carl Jung’s latest celebrity patient. (TW: sexual assault, incest, misogyny/sexism, slut-shaming & gaslighting)
This book explores so many themes: madness, suppression, societal norms and artistic expression, just to name a few. There’s tons to parse apart and I think it’d be really interesting to read this for a book club or even in a school setting — I haven’t managed to stop thinking about some of these scenes, especially of Lucia’s bone-chilling interactions with her mother, even as I have a hard time articulating why.
You do not need to have a working knowledge of Joyce or his work to get through this book, but it can make some moments more meaningful or clue you into jokes and circumstances. Oddly enough, despite the focus being on Lucia, who is trying to make a name for herself, you still feel (mirroring Lucia) trapped by Joyce’s presence while you’re trying to get to know her — in fact, all the Joyces are keeping Lucia trapped, hemming into her story in equally annoying and horrifying ways.
The writing is luscious and this is the kind of book you can definitely get lost in. However, I do want to warn you that there is a lot of mystery/hidden memory/PTSD revolving around sexual assault that you need to be prepared for — it isn’t revealed until the literal end of the book but it’s hinted at throughout and can be disturbing at times. It’s also good to mention that there’s a lot of Oedipal complex stuff in here based on the psychology that was popular at the time of Lucia’s treatment, so take all that with a grain of salt.
I think one of the best things that this book does is include a lengthy note at the back explaining about the realities of Lucia Joyce’s life and how the author interwove moments of fiction and non-fiction, as this book is most definitely non-fiction. Additionally, Abbs discusses how little respect and history was given to Lucia, even by her own family, despite her integral role in Joyce’s work — something that, while not surprising, is infuriating.
I’d definitely recommend this one if you have read Joyce or are a fan of his work, since you need to know the other side of and the cost of genius. But also if you love stories that champion women even when they fail or society fails them, this one is for you.
This book explores so many themes: madness, suppression, societal norms and artistic expression, just to name a few. There’s tons to parse apart and I think it’d be really interesting to read this for a book club or even in a school setting — I haven’t managed to stop thinking about some of these scenes, especially of Lucia’s bone-chilling interactions with her mother, even as I have a hard time articulating why.
You do not need to have a working knowledge of Joyce or his work to get through this book, but it can make some moments more meaningful or clue you into jokes and circumstances. Oddly enough, despite the focus being on Lucia, who is trying to make a name for herself, you still feel (mirroring Lucia) trapped by Joyce’s presence while you’re trying to get to know her — in fact, all the Joyces are keeping Lucia trapped, hemming into her story in equally annoying and horrifying ways.
The writing is luscious and this is the kind of book you can definitely get lost in. However, I do want to warn you that there is a lot of mystery/hidden memory/PTSD revolving around sexual assault that you need to be prepared for — it isn’t revealed until the literal end of the book but it’s hinted at throughout and can be disturbing at times. It’s also good to mention that there’s a lot of Oedipal complex stuff in here based on the psychology that was popular at the time of Lucia’s treatment, so take all that with a grain of salt.
I think one of the best things that this book does is include a lengthy note at the back explaining about the realities of Lucia Joyce’s life and how the author interwove moments of fiction and non-fiction, as this book is most definitely non-fiction. Additionally, Abbs discusses how little respect and history was given to Lucia, even by her own family, despite her integral role in Joyce’s work — something that, while not surprising, is infuriating.
I’d definitely recommend this one if you have read Joyce or are a fan of his work, since you need to know the other side of and the cost of genius. But also if you love stories that champion women even when they fail or society fails them, this one is for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism