Worthwhile read, but not particularly a page-turner
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This is a collection of short stories, centering around characters in Dublin. Joyce's grasp of human psychology is profound, and he weaves this into narratives of domestic life and tensions. He manages to create a nostalgia within these stories that resonates with a wistful sadness, almost as if the personalities encapsulate his own regret or yearning for the past.
Although the ability of the book to really grab the reader is limited, Joyce's writing and the depth of character of his stories, really makes the effort worthwhile.
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Okay-ish
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This collection of short stories is generally agreeable, though occasionally disturbing. Varied quality too, for instance, `The Boarding House' is excellent and the worst is probably `Grace' which is only average. The shorter of the short stories tend to be the better ones and end very well. Of course there is the long introduction (not Joyce) which does not necessarily enhance the appreciation. I hear that the early stuff is best so I will not be rushing to read `Ulysees'.
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Moving, Funny, never Boring
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A newcomer to James Joyce, I was looking forward to reading a work by an author associated so closely with the modernist " stream of consciousness" style of writing.
Joyce was simply a poet, and some sentences and passages in this book are better than Shakespeare etc. the 15 short stories are all set in Dublin, and all contain a range of different characters with different emotions, feelings, and indeed outlooks on life.
" An Encounter" is beautifully written from a child's point of view. Encountering someone who is essentially a paedophile will be a strange experience for a child, and, through Joyce, the boy simply tells the reader what he sees. Yet, the story is still disturbing and haunting.
My particular favourites are " Araby", focusing on a boy who is infatuated with a girl, it also contains the best line in the book in " but my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like strings running upon the wires"; " A little cloud", about a man who realises his failed journalistic career, and indeed the loss of affection for his wife; and " a painful case", again, like " A little cloud" centring on a man who has wasted his life, and, once he finds his true love, lets her go from him until it is too late when she dies.
The 15 stories are all poetically flawless Joyce's real strength here is that he both manages to write archaically yet keeping the reader interested.
Thanks to this book I now intend to read Joyce's other great works " Finnegans Wake" and then, his classic, " Ulysses".
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Work of art...once you appreciate it
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I read this book for my A-level English Literature studies. I`ll be frank...at first, I found it to be terrible, not so much that it was boring, but that at the end of some of the stories, nothing seemed to have happened. But, after we studied it in bit more detail, I began to appreciate it...really began to appreciate it. It, to me, is a masterpiece. Joyce captures moments in life, "epiphanies", which are so subtly written, yet so potent, that you really do see "Dubliners" as a work of art. In this frame of mind, all the stories make sense, they all bear out some meaning. By living out the lives of those caught in the vast social spectrum of Dublin, Joyce reveals to us not only individuals, but also human lives, in their joy, pain, hope, love, loss, etc. Simply beautiful.
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A rich book
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This is the second James Joyce book I have read and it goes to reinforce the feeling I had after reading the first that that writer is a great storyteller. In fact, I consider
James Joyce's Dubliners as one of the best collection of short stories ever put together. The settings are amazing and the rich and lively characters all combine with the incredible plots to add credence to the stories. Not only are they true to life in fitting with the atmosphere that one finds in Dublin, the stories are also hilarious, subtle, and inspirational and gripping. The pace of the stories is fast and the voices are rich. This is a highly recommended read along with THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, FINNEGANS WAKE, THE UNION MOUJIK, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE
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