Read Dubliners. There’s no way you would think that.
Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man are both easy to read, but beautiful in their imagery, and especially depth of feeling.
exactly like a highly skilled, but experimental musician, I agree that with Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, Joyce departs from conventional writing and delves into his own mind and psychology. At various points you think “can you return to the melody again, please?”
I read that almost 50 years ago. I thought it was okay, and it’s probably his best; but it is still a mediocrity compared to, say, Jack London’s works. Hell, even Steinbeck’s stuff is superior. And Joyce can’t even begin to approach the genius of Mark Twain. As for Irish writers, I thought Liam O’Flaherty was better than Joyce. Different style, obviously; but O’Flaherty was a better story teller.