Customer Reviews
Two men wander around Dublin - By: Archie, 11 Mar 2008 
Interesting tale. Very offbeat. Set on 16th June 1904in Dublin. Leopold Bloom deals with advertsin the local newspaper, but he is plagued by several things: He is aware that his wife (Molly Bloom) is having an affair with local "Casanova" Blazes Boylan, & they are due to meet at 4pm. He isin mourning over the recent death of his friend Paddy Dignam, & his son Rudy ten years earlier (Rudy was just a baby when he died), & also, his father Virag, who committed suicide some years ago. Mr Bloom broods over these matters as he wanders the streets. He does not want to return home, because that would remind him of his wife's adultery. He is very compassionate, kind, & opposed to violence, helping everyone he comes across, including a blind man whom he helps to cross the road, Mrs Dignam to whom he gives money. (Paddy Dignam used the life assurance to pay off a debt). Mr Bloom also visits Mina Purefoyin hospital, where she has beenin labour for 3 days. Mr Bloom helps Stephen Dedalus, an aspiring writer who has lots of bizarre philosophical ideas, & often says enigmatic things, which are often not understood by the other characters! Stephen drunkenly proceeds to the red-light district & Bloom follows, to try & protect him. Stephen is alsoin mourning over the death of his mother, for which he feels at least partly responsible. Having rejected Christianity, Stephen refused to kneel down & pray, & he harbours a sense of regret. Stephen unwittingly gets into a fight with an English soldier (a metaphor, perhaps, for England's oppression of Ireland during the British Empire), & Bloom helps Stephen to recover. By this time, Stephen's so-called "friends" have abandoned him, & he has nowhere to sleep. Stephen & Bloom talk of many things, & the Ithaca episode is a Q&A writtenin an exaggerated parody of the scientific style. (Much of the humour derives from wordplay & exaggeration.) Finally, Molly has the last word, & she is a true optimist who finds pleasurein so many things, such as flowers & music. Ultimately, she realises that,in spite of his shortcomings, she still loves Bloom. Her final affirmation is a kind of saying "yes" to life itself.
There are many themes, including: ancient Greece, the father/son relationship, the human body, love, death, betrayal, language. One of the recurring themes is Home Rule. In 1904, Ireland was still part of the British Empire, & most Irish people wanted independence. In the late C19th, they had hoped that Charles Stewart Parnell would lead them to Home Rule, but he was discredited after his affair with Kitty O'Shea was made public.
Stephen's theory on Hamlet: Hamlet's father (the ghost) is Shakespeare. Hamlet is Shakespeare's son Hamnet (sic). Gertrude is Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare suspected his wife was unfaithful, & sought to recreate the son who had died as a baby using the fictional character of Hamlet. (Parallel between Shakespeare & Bloom. But remember that this is pure speculation, & Stephen himself is not entirely convinced by it.)
This book is worth reading with the aid of a study guide, a large dictionary (but beware: Joyce sometimes invents his own words!), & something like the Internet to look up the more important points. NB: "Ineluctable" just means "unavoidable". I was confused by Stephen's "ashplant". I thought he was carrying around a potted plant all day! Eventually, I found out an ashplant is a kind of walking stick made of ash!
Great book - By: Mtsensk, 07 Mar 2008 
Surprisingly witty, impressively erudite, justifiably famous & incredibly rich: use a good edition with notes (like the Oxford) & you'll find this one well worth it. Up there with the best novels.
Beyond Me - By: SJSmith, 20 Aug 2007 
I've tried it & it wasn't for me. Reached the 200 page mark last night & felt weighed down by the 500 still to go. I haven't understood what I've read it isn't actually a pleasure. I'm very pleased I've tried, I'm disappointedin myself for not completing it but what would I achieve by reading something I'm not enjoying?
I'm not sure what Joyce was aiming for with the audience for this book but it isn't your average reader & I'm sure it wouldn't be the average reader of the times. Extremely challenging to follow & I think listening to this read on audio may make a big difference.
* - By: D. Parry, 22 Aug 2006 I read this book thinking it would inspire me as its often cited as the best literary novel of all time. It didn't however. It's excellently written & testiment to a brilliant mind but it's frustrating & boring to read. Best read as a textbook rather than a story, because the average joe (ie me) won't understand a lot of what makes this book good. But I won't begrudge many starsin rating it because of how well written it clearly is. But don't buy this unless you're doing an english degree or a masochist, or unless you see it cheapin a charity shop (like I did)
Hard work - but is it worth it? - By: JaneLouisa, 15 Aug 2006 
I'm reading 'Ulysses' because my MAin modernist literature demands it. But that's not to say that I'm not enjoying the challenge of ploughing through one of the most indecipherable booksin history. And it really is indecipherable. For the first timein my literary career (and I've read a LOT of books), I've had to resort to reading the Cliffs Notes alongside the original, just to try & get a handle on what's going on. And a lot of the time it just feels like I'm reading word after word, but have no idea what they all mean when they're strung together. It's true that it makes it a 'little' easier if you read the book outloud, but frankly, 1) it takes twice as long & 2) my boyfriend was getting fed up of me drivelling on at home about Bloom & his long-winded defecations (and I don't blame him!) - & that's without commenting on the funny looks I got on the bus.
I admit I haven't yet finished 'Ulysses' - I'm currently on chapter 10, of 18. It does at times feel like I'm never going to get through it, although I'm determined to finish it - I see it as a mountain to climb, & I know I'll be pleased with myself when I get to the end,in 500+ pages! But I'd be a big fat fibber if I said I'd enjoyed a single page of it... so far.
Personally, I don't think that reading 'Ulysses' will add anything to your appreciation or otherwise of contemporary literature. It's an exceedingly preposterous & pretentious tome, & Joyce clearly had one intention when he wrote it - to cause controversy & incite argument. And judging by the reviews on Amazon alone, he's certainly succeeded. However, I was disappointed to readin The Guardian last week (in a flippant article about the new set texts for school curriculums) that Joyce didn't get a lookin (for any of his books) & they they didn't think he'd care. Of course he'd care... otherwise what's the point of writing a bookin the first place?
