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eoporto's review against another edition
1.0
I'm never going to finish this book, which makes me feel like a failure, but I found it too depressing and the writing didn't hold my interest enough to compensate. I'm pretty sure I'll get kicked out of the reading club now, but this is one of only two books in my life I've been unable to finish. (The other was Faulkner's Light in August.)
bedcarp's review against another edition
3.0
slightly pretentiously, perhaps it's fitting that i've put down the final page of joyce's dubliners as the year draws to a grateful close. the 6 or so days following the revelry of christmas and preceding the wide-eyed ambitions of a new year feel more desolate and empty with each iteration i experience, a time devoted to the rumination of unfulfilled resolutions to once again be rewritten, once again be compromised and shuffled along in the flat decay of time. it's a time where one celebrates (or perhaps commemorates) the purely arbitrary demarkation of a tiny ball in space hurtling around a much larger one, over and over and over. amidst a number vainly ticking up once every year one inevitably feels paralysis rather than progress, in the cooling of young romantic ambitions, in the dulling repetition of working life, in the frigid intimacy of domesticity long past its prime.
dubliners, for the most part, does not invite its characters to transcend this cycle of repetition. yet its vignettes of middle-class stagnation amidst a furore of nationalism and protestantism remain engrossing in joyce's masterfully naturalistic narration, the subtle lyricism in which he paints scenes of everyday, mundane life, how his narratives seem to accelerate in their natural course before subtly diverting to an ironic, hollow ending or build to a possible epiphany only to be underscored with a caustic hint of superficiality or hopelessness thereof.
if i have any minor criticisms of the collection, it's that some of the stories (namely "ivy day" and "grace") seem to preoccupy themselves with somewhat heavy-handed metaphors regarding irish politics or the history of christian orthodoxy respectively -- neither of which particularly appeal to any personal niche of mine as a reader and make for a somewhat laborious read. but discounting these nitpicks, dubliners works as a remarkably consistent and coherent set of stories, held together by their themes of deflated ambition and paralysing stasis. i also love the structuring of the collection -- how it charts the progress of various lives from childhood to public life while retaining a certain feeling of entrapment among all the characters, from the disillusionment at the araby fair to mr duffy's self-inflicted loneliness and grief to gabriel conroy's final epiphany about his wasted and passionless years of life.
and while dubliners' entries simply mostly end in disillusionment or quiescence, its final paragraphs also offer a chance of escape, the idealisation of a vainly romantic sacrifice as a way of transcending the numbing repetition of existence. perhaps to stare death in the face and greet it without any regrets or misgivings about one's pursuits is joyce's answer to this overriding sense of stagnation. perhaps, too, it is an indulgence, a brief instance of self-awareness that ultimately is made meaningless in the face of achievement nullified through the universality of death, an empty epiphany on the snow falling all around the universe as one remains hanging in limbo in a hotel bed.
dubliners, for the most part, does not invite its characters to transcend this cycle of repetition. yet its vignettes of middle-class stagnation amidst a furore of nationalism and protestantism remain engrossing in joyce's masterfully naturalistic narration, the subtle lyricism in which he paints scenes of everyday, mundane life, how his narratives seem to accelerate in their natural course before subtly diverting to an ironic, hollow ending or build to a possible epiphany only to be underscored with a caustic hint of superficiality or hopelessness thereof.
if i have any minor criticisms of the collection, it's that some of the stories (namely "ivy day" and "grace") seem to preoccupy themselves with somewhat heavy-handed metaphors regarding irish politics or the history of christian orthodoxy respectively -- neither of which particularly appeal to any personal niche of mine as a reader and make for a somewhat laborious read. but discounting these nitpicks, dubliners works as a remarkably consistent and coherent set of stories, held together by their themes of deflated ambition and paralysing stasis. i also love the structuring of the collection -- how it charts the progress of various lives from childhood to public life while retaining a certain feeling of entrapment among all the characters, from the disillusionment at the araby fair to mr duffy's self-inflicted loneliness and grief to gabriel conroy's final epiphany about his wasted and passionless years of life.
and while dubliners' entries simply mostly end in disillusionment or quiescence, its final paragraphs also offer a chance of escape, the idealisation of a vainly romantic sacrifice as a way of transcending the numbing repetition of existence. perhaps to stare death in the face and greet it without any regrets or misgivings about one's pursuits is joyce's answer to this overriding sense of stagnation. perhaps, too, it is an indulgence, a brief instance of self-awareness that ultimately is made meaningless in the face of achievement nullified through the universality of death, an empty epiphany on the snow falling all around the universe as one remains hanging in limbo in a hotel bed.
logickat's review against another edition
2.0
Fifteen stories centered on mostly depressed or depressing characters, including young men dealing with love and death, mean drunks, and men contemplating and questioning their life choices.
nerissassippi's review against another edition
4.0
This collection would make a great introduction to Joyce. It's more readable that some of his others but with the same nuance of character and detail. The people came alive and stayed in my memory as if they really existed.
kpgttrt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
iamsherwin's review against another edition
4.0
A decent mix of short stories. The Dead is really the standout and I would give that five stars alone.
Doesn’t feature as much life, wit and quirkiness as Bennett’s Grim Smile of the Five Towns.
Doesn’t feature as much life, wit and quirkiness as Bennett’s Grim Smile of the Five Towns.
kaitlynnightingale's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up as my book for Ireland in my journey to read books from every country (@BeyondPageOne on Instagram). My grandmother and her family are from Ireland, and I've now had the chance to visit Dublin twice myself, so I was looking forward to revisiting through literature.
I find the concept and history of this book to be so fascinating. The premise of showcasing the ordinary lives of people isn't a stance that more books take, and serves as a realistic glimpse into the true essence of a place. Upon doing some research for this read, I learned that the book was submitting to at least 15 publishers before being accepted for print. These types of risks are why Joyce is so famous—he pushes boundaries through unique approaches to writing.
While most stories that we find are written to escape reality and find new, exciting adventure, readers must accept that this book isn't that and isn't meant to be (you have to understand this to be able to embrace this read). I assume many people don't enjoy it because it "celebrates" the mundane; it's almost too relatable, and nothing incredible or life alternating takes place in particular. Instead, it feels more personal, like a collection of James Joyce’s own thoughts, as if he is a passer-by watching these lives unfold. As described in "ReJoycing: New Readings of Dubliners", with the lack of "thematic unity, logic of plot, or closure, Joyce prevents any conclusive critical analysis."
All this said, I love the concept, and it is well written. I'd be interested to read some of Joyce's poetry based on the beautiful descriptions of people and setting (Ulysses still seems very daunting). I think he did a fantastic job building characters and weaving relatable themes into the short stories. These aspects include not living up to our own expectations, fear of living a boring life, thinking we know what love is but not quite reaching it, succumbing to the tragedies of life and much more. I noticed a lot of modern themes despite the 100+ age gap (like the differing views between generations, choosing between comfort and risk, wish for adventure, etc). The use of the first-person narrative in the first few stories and the rest in the third person was a bold choice, and you can read about different interpretations for this decision.
Some of my other issues in enjoying this collection was that it was almost too many stories (15) and the vast number of characters to keep track of. Understandably, some things were lost on me due to the older style of writing (even though I've read classics from the likes of Jane Austen and Victor Hugo). I wished for some connections between the short story, like if there was some interaction between the character of each to tie it all together. The most enjoyable for me were The Sisters, Eveline, and A Little Cloud, some others were more forgettable.
I find the concept and history of this book to be so fascinating. The premise of showcasing the ordinary lives of people isn't a stance that more books take, and serves as a realistic glimpse into the true essence of a place. Upon doing some research for this read, I learned that the book was submitting to at least 15 publishers before being accepted for print. These types of risks are why Joyce is so famous—he pushes boundaries through unique approaches to writing.
While most stories that we find are written to escape reality and find new, exciting adventure, readers must accept that this book isn't that and isn't meant to be (you have to understand this to be able to embrace this read). I assume many people don't enjoy it because it "celebrates" the mundane; it's almost too relatable, and nothing incredible or life alternating takes place in particular. Instead, it feels more personal, like a collection of James Joyce’s own thoughts, as if he is a passer-by watching these lives unfold. As described in "ReJoycing: New Readings of Dubliners", with the lack of "thematic unity, logic of plot, or closure, Joyce prevents any conclusive critical analysis."
All this said, I love the concept, and it is well written. I'd be interested to read some of Joyce's poetry based on the beautiful descriptions of people and setting (Ulysses still seems very daunting). I think he did a fantastic job building characters and weaving relatable themes into the short stories. These aspects include not living up to our own expectations, fear of living a boring life, thinking we know what love is but not quite reaching it, succumbing to the tragedies of life and much more. I noticed a lot of modern themes despite the 100+ age gap (like the differing views between generations, choosing between comfort and risk, wish for adventure, etc). The use of the first-person narrative in the first few stories and the rest in the third person was a bold choice, and you can read about different interpretations for this decision.
Some of my other issues in enjoying this collection was that it was almost too many stories (15) and the vast number of characters to keep track of. Understandably, some things were lost on me due to the older style of writing (even though I've read classics from the likes of Jane Austen and Victor Hugo). I wished for some connections between the short story, like if there was some interaction between the character of each to tie it all together. The most enjoyable for me were The Sisters, Eveline, and A Little Cloud, some others were more forgettable.
raghavs's review against another edition
4.0
The thing to remember before starting this one is. It will be slow, because at the end for the story you will not be able to leave the story. It would simmer there, on the backburner of your head , for awhile. And surprisingly all of them will make you indulge
eelsmac's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
jtc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75