Ulysses

By: James Joyce

Narrated by: Jim Norton

Length: 27 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Ulysses is regarded by many as the single most important novel of the 20th century. It tells the story of one day in Dublin, June 16th 1904, largely through the eyes of Stephen Dedalus (Joyce's alter ego from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man) and Leopold Bloom, an advertising salesman. Both begin a normal day, and both set off on a journey around the streets of Dublin, which eventually brings them into contact with one another.

While Bloom's passionate wife, Molly, conducts yet another illicit liasion (with her concert manager), Bloom finds himself getting into arguments with drunken nationalists and wild carousing with excitable medical students, before rescuing Stephen Dedalus from a brawl and returning with him to his own basement kitchen.

In the hands of Jim Norton and Marcella Riordan, experienced and stimulating Joycean readers, and carefully directed by Roger Marsh, Ulysses becomes accessible as never before. It is entertaining, immediate, funny, and rich in classical, philosophical, and musical allusion.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

(P)2004 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Classics, 2005

"As ambitious and rewarding an audio production as any that exists, an audio experience that truly deserves to be cherished....Readers of Ulysses have long been encouraged to read out loud the more difficult sections for added comprehension and enjoyment of the language. Now, thanks to Naxos, the entire book is available in a performance to savor. It is safe to say that anyone wanting to experience the preeminent work of modern fiction has in this package the perfect audio companion." (AudioFile)

Ulysses

Reader is finest I’ve ever heard. While nothing can equal this magnificent masterpiece of a novel, the performance here is as great as can be imagined.

a bit of a slog at times

the performance and the reading and musical accompaniment is wonderful.
but the story drags at some points.

Audible is perfect for this book

I cannot read Ulysses in book form. The Audible version is very poetic and lyrical. The narrator uses different voices for different characters, which helps distinguish who is speaking.

A most admired classic admirably performed

This book is often listed among the greatest novels. It is certainly among the most admired, but perhaps not among the most beloved. It's stream-of-conscious format and rambling plot make for very difficult reading. Fortunately, the audio format removes some of that confusion.

It is still a many-hour and hard listen but the narration is brilliantly done and helps immeasurably to get the dedicated listener through it. Unless one is a literature major or true intellectual, most will find this a real task. But if you love language and are willing to be projected back to an earlier time with harsh references to ethnic groups, this can be quite rewarding.

Don M, of Queen Creek, AZ

Excellent reading

I’ve read this book many times and know it well. I was curious, and very skeptical , about how it would come over as an audiobook. Jim Norton does a marvelous job and I was able to enjoy a different view of the book. Good job by Marcella Riordan, too. Really great performance.

Ramblings

Where is the story? No plot just the vulgar ramblings of the writer. Having said that I waited to the end to see the point of Ulysses, no point no story just a the diary’s notation of the day to day life of an Irish man…then the wife finds the diary and adds her own thoughts and desires to his.

So excellence. It’s performed by several people and adds early musical recordings from the era.

Sometimes it’s hard to hear, the Irish can mumble sometimes, so excellent overall. To hear it performed by Irish folks was a real treat.

Singers and Lovers

What a treat. Jim Norton is a wonderful narrator for this masterpiece, including all the Italian and French phrases, words, and singing parts of Don Giovanni, and other songs.

Recording makes it hard to listen to

This is a great story, the voice acting is well done, but the mixing of individual voices in the recording is horrible. Certain characters voices are extremely loud, while others are like a whisper, making it very difficult to hear. My other gripe is that while the voice acting is terrific, I can't understand a lick of what is being said, let alone comprehend it as I drive along in my car. The thick Irish accent makes this book un-listenable for me sadly.

I read this book because Gabe hated it.

Gabe is not wrong about this book. The performance is flawless, especially Molly’s soliloquy.
This book feels like a 27-hour rant by your drunken Irish uncle at your grandfather’s wake before the invention of the mobile phone. The language is beautiful, but the story makes no damn sense.