Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have frequently heard Ulysses proclaimed the best book ever written, but I could never understand why. I purchased this edition of the novel three years ago, and since then it sat on my shelf, a mighty 900 page undertaking that I kept putting off. I was reluctant to read it, for I have often heard how difficult it was to get through. Finally, I have read it, and though I believe it presumptuous to call any one book "the best book of all time", I certainly believe that Ulysses could claim that title. First off, it is not a difficult read. If you could get through A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, you can get through Ulysses. I heartily recommend this edition because of the brilliant introduction by Declan Kibard. Before I read Ulysses, I could not understand how this could be the best book of all time. According to my understanding, it was a novel detailing, in 900 pages, one day in the life of a Jewish Irishman, Leopold Bloom. A totally unremarkable day at that. After reading Kibard's introduction, I was fiercely eager to begin the novel. In his introduction, totally some 70 pages, Kibard answers the precise question I had: Why would this book be called the best of all time? This book is never boring, and is actually a quite enjoyable read. It is arranged in 18 chapters, and to me, the most astounding aspect of this piece of literature is the fact that every chapter is written in a different style. Joyce wanted to show that "originality" in terms of style was merely a new arrangement of previous styles, and so shows his brilliance as a writer by changing his technique and method completely in each chapter. It is indeed difficult to believe they were written by the same person. The styles are listed as: Narrative (Young), Catechism (Personal), Monologue (Male), Narrative (Mature), Narcissism, Incubism, Enthymemic, Peristaltic, Dialectic, Labyrinth, Fuga per canonem, Gigantism, Tumescence detumescence, Embryonic development, Hallucination, Narrative (Old), Catechism (Impersonal), Monologue (Female). Some chapters, such as the Cyclops, done in Gigantism, are deliciously satirical and overdone, while others, such as the Lotus-eaters, are sharp and direct. Though Joyce is often called a "stream of consciousness writer", only a few chapters are the truly chaotic stream of consciousness, such as the Oxen of the Sun, the Proteus, and the Sirens. The culmination of absurdity and abstraction occurs in the massive Circe chapter, a play styled as a hallucination in the brothels of Dublin. This novel is nearly impossible to take in with just one reading, and I will be reading it again shortly. On this note, I would say that I heartily recommend reading Ulysses straight through in its original form, rather than labouring under the weight of the hefty annotated edition. A true masterpiece, one of the best books I've ever read, and yes, quite possibly the best book ever written.