A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

"Rereading this in anticipation of Bloomsday this year. Really great stuff, maybe one of the most relatable classics. 😍 "

"This was a challenging first read for me - I’m sure I will try to tackle again in the future. There were plenty of profound observations and some utterly breathtaking probes into very deep inner thoughts, but Joyce’s dips in and out of Stephen Dedalus’ complex psychological inner workings and life stages were a stone skipping along the surface of the water this first go around and so it was hard for me grasp it all."

"It was an early touchstone for me, when I was in my teens and had very romantic notions about what my life was going to be. I think I related to it in exactly the opposite way Joyce intended, but appreciate his POV more now."

"Liked this more after reading Ulysses, but still a great start to reading Joyce and getting a feel for his wordplay and other quirks. "

"I tried reading this book about four times when I was younger, and slightly stupider. I thought I could do it this time, and I only managed it by shear determination. For me, I found it so, so boring. I have <br/>a copy of Ulysses I have been saving for a time when I am feeling smart. It might have to stay unread a while."

"This book takes so stinkin' long to read! I don't know if I'll ever get through because about 5 pages is all I can take at a time!"