opimenta's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
strrygo's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
can't put a pin in how i felt abt this..n still keep going in circles abt it. recognize its objective importance n Thought i would love the vignettes (actually only picked this up bc of a prof who was obsessed w modernism n joyce, so i did know what i was getting into) more but some of them just felt beyond me. think my own lack of awareness in terms of the book's context or place in history played a big part, but there was also just a detachment i felt with some of the stories that i don't think i could recover or bridge with any amount of research. do Get It but i was craving some warmth in the in-betweens :,) bc when it's cold it's cold but when it's warm....then i get it.
✧ favorites: araby, eveline, a little cloud, a painful case, the dead
✧ favorites: araby, eveline, a little cloud, a painful case, the dead
gijshuitenga's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nickdrachman's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
cartercanfield's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
avery_skyler13's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
daucreates's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shesjamesevans's review
1.0
I’ve been reading this bloody book for almost three years. It’s tedious LIKE THAT, but I’m so fucking PETTY and I have such a cute edition of this book that I want it in my bookcase and I cannot stand having books there that I haven’t read or not going to read. So I had to be done with it eventually.
It is hard for me to find ANYTHING positive about this book. Even with authors I’m not crazy about (ie, the Bronte sisters) I still find redeeming stuff. “I might have not enjoyed this like crazy BUT...” not with this one. I even tried reading reviews because sometimes they help you to find stuff you didn’t initially and the book suddenly acquires a new dimension.
I read it because I thought James Joyce was someone I should read. I know I’ll sound like a super uncultured person but this book was incredibly dense, pointless, and boring. I tried reading it, I tried an audiobook, I went back to reading it, then to another audiobook to see if another narrator did the trick, just for you to know how hard was to be done with this. I have to admit that the longer I spent in the company of this book the more I hated it.
These stories were long tongue-twists, I had to constantly re-read sentences because I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about initially. Like my mind was shutting off constantly and by the time I was finished with a page it was as if I had read nothing at all. It was boring, and as soon as I finished a story I didn’t retain any of it. No stories or characters were memorable enough to make it through the next story.
Yes, Joyce is obviously super smart and has a spectacular vocabulary but I felt it was more about that than about what he was trying to tell, if there was something to tell at all. Maybe I should read the book notes or I lack of an English degree to appreciate this fully... at some other time I’d feel self conscious of hating what’s supposed to be such a classic but Lord, I couldn’t care.
I’ve never been so relived of finishing a book. I can proudly put this cute edition in my bookshelf with the promise of never read this author again. Ever.
It is hard for me to find ANYTHING positive about this book. Even with authors I’m not crazy about (ie, the Bronte sisters) I still find redeeming stuff. “I might have not enjoyed this like crazy BUT...” not with this one. I even tried reading reviews because sometimes they help you to find stuff you didn’t initially and the book suddenly acquires a new dimension.
I read it because I thought James Joyce was someone I should read. I know I’ll sound like a super uncultured person but this book was incredibly dense, pointless, and boring. I tried reading it, I tried an audiobook, I went back to reading it, then to another audiobook to see if another narrator did the trick, just for you to know how hard was to be done with this. I have to admit that the longer I spent in the company of this book the more I hated it.
These stories were long tongue-twists, I had to constantly re-read sentences because I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about initially. Like my mind was shutting off constantly and by the time I was finished with a page it was as if I had read nothing at all. It was boring, and as soon as I finished a story I didn’t retain any of it. No stories or characters were memorable enough to make it through the next story.
Yes, Joyce is obviously super smart and has a spectacular vocabulary but I felt it was more about that than about what he was trying to tell, if there was something to tell at all. Maybe I should read the book notes or I lack of an English degree to appreciate this fully... at some other time I’d feel self conscious of hating what’s supposed to be such a classic but Lord, I couldn’t care.
I’ve never been so relived of finishing a book. I can proudly put this cute edition in my bookshelf with the promise of never read this author again. Ever.
wandareadssapphicbooks's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75