"Ulysses - C'mon, the champion and still champion. I've tried twice, still haven't gotten past the first 6-7 chapters".
How ironic that this subject has been raised on FR at this time. After reading my third or fourth stinker of a contemporary novel in a row I consulted the internet and decided to read some of best literature ever written. I queried Google and found one site that had "The Hundered Best Novels" and two lists; one a publisher's list and the second a readers list. The number one book on the readers list was "Atlas Shrugged". I had read "The Fountainhead" years ago and liked it so I was enthusiastic. It was a great read, the long speeches however, were painful.
On to the publisher's list; number one there is "Ulysses". Have read "Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man" many years ago and liked it so I figured this would be good. I'm normally a book every other day guy so that you know. It's been three weeks since I started reading "Ulysses" and it reminds me of trying to read novels in Spanish in college with a Spanish-English dictionary on my lap. I'm on page thirty and there's no dictionary to help me. I've got to make a decision about this book or give up reading.
Publishers must be liberal because I know that no one living could possibly understand what this guy's talking about.
Thanks, I feel much better.
Ulysses wins for me, hands down. I've picked it up at least 6 times in the last 20 years. I've not made it past page 100 yet.