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0 of 1 members found this review helpful“I want to read it again. Maybe now that I'm older, I'll be smart enough to fully get it.”
Teresa C wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“By far the most accessible of Joyce's works. Shows off his flawless storytelling abilities. Well worth the read.”
Liz Q wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Joyce has a reputation for being a difficult author. So does David Foster Wallace. I read a book of short stories by Wallace and found it a lot more manageable than his epic. I feel the same with Joyce. I am not in a place right now where I am able to read Ulysses. But I can read Dubliners, and I can see in smaller, more accessible chunks why Joyce is the type of author who can write a book that is incomprehensible to me and yet still known as the greatest work of the 20th century.
Chase H wrote this review Wednesday, December 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Dubliners is a book about mediocre people who fail to move past mediocrity. Sometimes one of them realizes he/she is mediocre, someones one does not. However, the image of these people, untied both by the city and by their shared lack of momentum, is strong. He does a good job at linking the themes of these stories. The Dead was particularly good; the final image is pretty haunting.”
“Very different sort of book. Sort of Kerouac meets Dickins...I wouldn't say that I liked it, but I didn't dislike it. I liked some and I didn't like others.”
kala_way wrote this review Monday, November 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The Dubliners
Jak W wrote this review Thursday, October 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
By Jacob Wilderman
The book I read was The Dubliners. This book consisted of 15 chapters, each containing their own distinctly different story. Even though all of the stories were very short they were each very entertaining. Yet the entertaining aspects of this book don’t eliminate the book, and its author’s history as a writer. James Joyce was the author of 19 books, and thoroughly ventured through the short story side of literature. His books were mostly banned around the world for its crude language, and obscenity. His books were banned in the U.S., Most European countries until after WWII had subsided. Most of his career as an author was spent trying to get his books published, yet mainly accepted so they would even be considered to be sold in other countries. His book “The Dubliners” was declined by over 40 publishers. His book was banned in many countries, and even burnt. His respect as an author declined exponentially during the period of WWI through WWII. His biggest problem was censorship in Spain. With the reign of General Franco just starting during the WWII period there was no room for creativity in the arts, no room for personal expression, and absolutely no margin to bend the rules. With the beliefs, and values of the leader’s being everyone else’s too (they were forced to believe, and follow these beliefs and values) there was no possibility for free will, or right to show your artistic expression. James Joyce fought long and hard to gain the publication of his books, however it is clear that some parts of his books are vulgar, and sometimes crude. Yet at the same time his stories are very creative, and entertaining. They bring out so many emotions unlike really any other book I’ve read before. Today James Joyce’s books can be found all around the world, and nowhere that I could find notified that his books were still banned around the world.
In the Dubliners there are many short stories told, none of them pertaining to the other in anyway. Most of the stories are just lessons that will be learned, lessons that have been learned, or unfortunate things that happen. The book does not tell bad oriented stories nor does it tell particularly good or happy stories. The stories in this book are just kind of bland in a sense they don’t serve any purpose or meaning to them, however some may serve as lessons to us all in life even without experiencing them. These stories were written mainly to entertain. ”
“I find Joyce tough to read, but this was pretty good.”
Bryan G wrote this review Monday, October 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ One of my favorite writers - he lived a messy life but he could tell a story and do it to enchant us with his prose”
Barbara S wrote this review Monday, September 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is kind of generous, I'd give it a 2.5, but that's not an option. It was ok.”
the_rick08 wrote this review Wednesday, September 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This collection contains some of the greatest short stories in the English language. The stories are as lyric as poetry, but the other features of story (plot, setting, character) are as rich and perfect as any in history. ”
Greg G wrote this review Thursday, August 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
