Works best as a sedative
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This book brings new meaning to the word 'boring'. The first chapter is reasonable, which is why I gave 2 stars instead of 1, and this lulled me into a false sense of security. It rapidly decends into endless dull rambles that make little sense, and if you are going to read it, you really need detailed knowledge of Irish history and the religious troubles. I found I had to constantly flick to the back of the book to read the footnote that explained an obscure reference, and that quickly became very irritating. It annoys me that this is viewed as a classic, the writing is incredibly self-conscious and I can't imagine enjoying this dull, pretentious novel. It is one of those books that people feel they ought to like, but if you don't like suffering, then avoid.
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..(from) THE DEPTHS
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"A Portrait..", written with such creative wise insight, unfolds an extrordinary mind through its inner voice,
and lets the reader sense its overwhelming life-flow from cradle through the "unshackeling" towards freedom.
Reading this masterpiece, moving through ideas in literature,poetry,phylosophy,politics;
encountering situations,sights&sounds,thoughts&feelings through the books unique language, is both a beautiful & a thought-provoking journey.
This book i recommend to any reader who's curious to step beyond, read deeper, & find inspiration
--a personal favorite..enjoy.
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Gloomy, harsh and quite soulless
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Joyce's POTAYM is dominated by Catholicism which seeps from almost every aspect of his writing. Unfortunately this can be almost a turn off for anyone attempting to read Joyce who isn't an Irish Catholic as the preoccupation with Church dogma and paraphernalia can be overbearing.
POTAYM also suffers from the narrator being unlovable. The stream of conscious format (a headache and a waste of space at the best of times) can become almost insufferable in places and feels like a cheaper alternative to a real narrative or dialogue. Added to this is the sense of a dark, cold atmosphere that makes the novel wholly unwelcoming.
Joyce does save the book from being entirely bleak and unreadable by studying some interesting themes such as sexual sin and corporal punishment. However for a truly moving memoir of boarding school Roald Dahl's Boy is by far superior in nostalgia and atmosphere.
My lasting impression of POTAYM is one of uninterest- it seemed too dull, bitter and long winded to justify its themes if slightly more accessible than Dubliners and far more mainstream than the rest of Joyce's work. I would not recommend this unless you have prior interest in Irish Catholicism and education circa 1900
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A thoughtful and brilliant book!
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I can't believe that no one has taken the time to write a review for this book. The reason? Possibly the overexaggerated appeal of Ulysses. As a young man myself I found his experiences of childhood and of Ireland poignant and thoughtful. Everyone should read this book to see just how well he got inside the mind of himself (for it is surely autobiographical) as a child and presented it in such a way that makes it a believable and brilliant novel. This book should be read and re-read!
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