Ulysses

I can take heart from Dan Mulhall, Ireland's ambassador to the US, whose Ulysses: A Reader's Odyssey is just published. He takes a practical approach: if some bits of the book prove just too baffling, simply bin them and skip on a few pages.

Powerfully, [Mulhall] argues that Joyce and Ireland for him are indissociable and that he retains a burning relevance today.

....an excellent guide through daunting terrain.

...releases the great masterpiece from its reputation of impentrability. An affectionate, accessible tribute.

Ambassador Mulhall cleverly decodes all 18 episodes of the novel, providing personal and funny insights that contextualize and illuminate Joyce's text, making you want to pick up "Ulysses" again.

An informed, enjoyable guide, it homes in on Ulysses' emotional core [...] A convivial companion to help navigate Joyce's masterpiece.

Never has a visit to the attic proven so educational.

This book is a delightful, chatty introduction to the wonderful world of James Joyce's Ulysses

James Joyce's magnus opus remains in need of chaperones. This is certainly one of the better ones available - highly readable, personable and well researched.

'In this genial, largely first-person narrative, based on Mulhall's experience of discussing Ulysses .. during his international postings, he argues that Joyce is a significant asset for the "soft power" of the Irish state.'

Mulhall brings a historian's eye to Joyce's text, rather than that of a literary critic, and he writes about Ulysses with exuberance and evident enjoyment.