Finnegans Wake

By: James Joyce

Narrated by: Cyril Cusack, Siobhan McKenna

Cyril Cusack and Siobhan McKenna read from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. This idiosyncratic novel is full of multilingual puns and portmanteau words, intended to recreate the experience of sleep and dreams.

Public Domain (P)2011 Saland Publishing

Amazing Performances

What made the experience of listening to Finnegans Wake the most enjoyable?

Siobhan McKenna and Cyril Cusak turn in stunning performances. They give such marvelous expression to Joyce's impenetrable prose that the meaning hardly matters. I am content to sit back and let the words wash over me.

What other book might you compare Finnegans Wake to and why?

Finnegans Wake is in a class by itself. I know of nothing that is comparable.

Have you listened to any of Cyril Cusack and Siobhan McKenna ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Their performances of Yeat's poetry are also brilliant.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but one hour was much too short. I wanted it to go on. So sad that they couldn't have recorded the entire book

Great performance, bad sound quality

Great performance, bad sound quality. The reader commits to all the nuances of the book, but it sounds like it was read in a auditorium and recorder from the audience's seats.

Aweome but only 2 chapters?????

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but with the caveat that it is only excerpts, not the entire book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Finnegans Wake?

the entire reading is lyrical and melodious, just like Joyce intended it to be, I imagine. Its hard to extract one part as "the most memorable". It's not a romance novel. The whole book is a masterpiece.

Which scene was your favorite?

the scene where I wasted 10 minutes of my life completing this silly box form:)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake!

Beautiful beyond belief

Thanks. This audiobook has changed my conception of Finnegan's Wake...! I had no idea how dynamic the narrative really was, how lyrical.

A Standout Performance! Alas, only one hour.

Would you consider the audio edition of Finnegans Wake to be better than the print version?

Most definitely yes. Like Shakespeare's plays, 'Finnegans Wake' (by Joyce's own statement) is meant to be heard more than visually read.

What did you like best about this story?

'Finnegans Wake' is not a narrative by most people's standards. (The erudite crowd may disagree.) For me, it's more a work of prose-poetry to be relished for the immediate experience of hearing it read out loud (by talented readers) versus any intellectual meaning that can be found in the 'story'.

Which character – as performed by Cyril Cusack and Siobhan McKenna – was your favorite?

Every character performed by these gifted actors is superbly done.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Don't Look for Meaning.

Any additional comments?

Audible: Please commission Cyril and Siobhan to record this entire book. Doing so would be such a gift to the literary world. (There are Joyce foundations which would likely contribute to the cause.) The few other existing recordings of Wake are pathetic by comparison.