Synopsis/review (credit: www.amazon.co.uk)

James Joyce's astonishing masterpiece, Ulysses, tells of the diverse events which befall Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus in Dublin on 16 June 1904, during which Bloom's voluptuous wife, Molly, commits adultery.

Initially deemed obscene in England and the USA, this richly-allusive novel, revolutionary in its Modernistic experimentalism, was hailed as a work of genius by WB Yeats, TS Eliot and Ernest Hemingway.

Scandalously frank, wittily erudite, mercurially eloquent, resourcefully comic and generously humane, Ulysses offers the reader a life-changing experience.

Modern Library 100 Best Novels: No 1.
On the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List.

(Bought second-hand at the Well Read Books Pop-up Shop, Gardens Centre, Gardens.)

What were Joyce's reasons for using this writing style? I would say, in short: because he could. The impression I got was that he was intelligent, widely read, and a master of his craft. It is clear that he wanted to set his readers a challenge: See how many of the riddles and references you can decipher; how many layers of subtext you can identify!

His target audience? His piers, his critics and admirers, readers for generations to come.

The storyline is of secondary importance. This is, after all, a glimpse into one 24-hour period in the life of "just another person". Look at any day in our own lives: routine, mundane occurrences, discussions ... with only isolated events having longer-term implication.

I read this book over a period of a year as part of a read-along.

Episode 17 was great, others like 2, 11 and 13 were enjoyable; the bulk of the rest was fairly hard work with limited returns. Without various study guides and pointers from others in the read-along group, most would have gone over my head. Even with all the assistance, enjoyment wasn't the term that came to mind. "A life-changing experience", as described by the amazon review, definitely not. However, I'm happy that I've read it. It certainly is a classic and I'm glad to have made the acquaintance.

For more information on how it went, refer to the discussion threads of the various episodes:

Main discussion thread
Episode 1 - Telemachus (up to p 28 in my edition)
Episode 2 - Nestor (pp 28 to 45)
Episode 3 - Proteus (pp 45 to 64)
Episode 4 - Calypso (pp 65 to 85)
Episode 5 - Lotus Eaters (pp 85 to 107)
Episode 6 - Hades (pp 107 to 147)
Episode 7 - Aeolus (pp 147 to 189)
Episode 8 - Lestrygonians ( pp 190 to 234)
Episode 9 - Scylla and Charybdis (pp 235 to 280)
Episode 10 - Wandering Rocks (pp 280 to 328)
Episode 11 - Sirens (pp 328 to 376)
Episode 12 - Cyclops (pp 376 to 449)
Episode 13 - Nausicaa (pp 449 to 499)
Episode 14 - Oxen of the Sun (pp 499 to 561)
Episode 15 - Circe (pp 561 to 703)
Episode 16 - Eumaeus (pp 704 to 776)
Episode 17 - Ithaca (pp 776 to 871)
Episode 18 - Penelope (pp 871 to 933)

I read the book in conjunction with The Odyssey by Homer.

I have a copy of this book in my own library, so I didn't read this particular copy.

To be left in the lounge above the fireplace.

If you are new to BookCrossing and found this book, welcome! Enjoy the site, the book, and the BookCrossing community.

BookCrossing has not taken off in a big way in South Africa yet, but there are a number of dedicated BookCrossers across the country who are actively involved to grow the concept. A discussion group for BookCrossers in the wider Cape Town area, BCct, was set up to make it easier to arrange meetups or to spread local news. If you are a BookCrosser from this part of the world or planning a visit, please feel free to join. Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcct for more information.

Whether you decide to join or not, please make a journal entry — now, and again when you decide to release the book to continue its journey.