Customer Reviews
Worthwhile read, but not particularly a page-turner - By: Talc Demon, 30 May 2008 
This is a collection of short stories, centering around charactersin Dublin. Joyce's grasp of human psychology is profound, & he weaves this into narratives of domestic life & 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 & the depth of character of his stories, really makes the effort worthwhile.
Okay-ish - By: Mark Dickens, 24 May 2008 This collection of short stories is generally agreeable, though occasionally disturbing. Varied quality too, for instance, `The Boarding House' is excellent & the worst is probably `Grace' which is only average. The shorter of the short stories tend to be the better ones & 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'.
Moving, Funny, never Boring - By: Mr. J. P. Dickinson, 02 Apr 2006 
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, & some sentences & passagesin this book are better than Shakespeare etc. the 15 short stories are all setin Dublin, & all contain a range of different characters with different emotions, feelings, & 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 & haunting.
My particular favourites are " Araby", focusing on a boy who is infatuated with a girl, it also contains the best linein the bookin " but my body was like a harp & her words & gestures were like strings running upon the wires"; " A little cloud", about a man who realises his failed journalistic career, & indeed the loss of affection for his wife; & " 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" & then, his classic, " Ulysses".
Work of art...once you appreciate it - By: , 12 Feb 2006 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 itin bit more detail, I began to appreciate it...really began to appreciate it. It, to me, is a masterpiece. Joyce captures momentsin 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 caughtin 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.
A rich book - By: Sancho Mahle, 06 Apr 2005 This is the second James Joyce book I have read & 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 & the rich & lively characters all combine with the incredible plots to add credence to the stories. Not only are they true to lifein fitting with the atmosphere that one findsin Dublin, the stories are also hilarious, subtle, & inspirational & gripping. The pace of the stories is fast & 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
