Dubliners
Joyce, JamesStories about ordinary men and women in Dublin at the beginning of the 20th century. Joyce's first masterpiece. [Small font]
Comments from Groups
First read of James Joyce for most of us - no wonder the Irish are so proud of him! Characterisation and description drew the reader into the story immediately. Mangaweka 001We had to agree that this is a classic with excellent command of language, but it is rather gloomy and depressing. The last story is the best. Masterton 008Dark, obscure - best taken with stout! Lively discussion ensued. Auckland 094A great read but a little depressing. Those of Irish ancestry really enjoyed it. Coromandel 003A short story book enjoyed very much by us all. Waitaki 001
Pages
207
207
Year
1914
1914
Reviews
05-02-2021
Half of us found it a stimulating book, and the other half didn't! Great discussion ensued.A number of people were challenged by the shortness of the stories.
05-02-2021
Varied response. One member motivated to read further works by the author. Most became more hooked as they reached the longer stories.
05-02-2021
We were all glad to have read it - generally enjoyed. Much discussion on the fate and place of women.
05-02-2021
Everyone admired James Joyce and his amazing descriptions of people. The discussion was more disjointed discussing so many short stories. We certainly felt the frustration and depression of Dublin at the time Joyce was writing.
05-02-2021
Greatly enjoyed by all members; wonderful use, and mastery of the English language.
05-02-2021
Mostly the group thought this was a good read. Joyce has a great economy of words while still being a good descriptive writer. The subject of the stories was often grim, as was the outcome. Probably an accurate picture of Dublin life 100 years ago.
03-02-2021
No one in the group owned up to requesting this book, and we all agreed the subject matter was depressing, BUT his use of language and descriptions of characters were excellent. Each one of us had a favourite character, situation or phrase to share. None of us had read a James Joyce novel - some had attempted Ulysses, but none had finished reading it. This selection of short stories generated animated discussion.
03-02-2021
Varying opinions. Some recognised the great writing, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Others thought it difficult with miserable content, even though really good writing! All agreed it was challenging, but there was GOOD discussion.
15-04-2019
We agreed with the Temuka Group that we would have preferred to choose our own stories, and we liked their questions as we felt that that the other questions took a long time to answer. Luckily our group was small that night as we had a long discussion about JJ and what he meant or didn't mean. In the end we gave Dubliners 5 out 5, and thought James Joyce was a brilliant writer.