Customer Reviews

Nora: The Real Life of Molly Bloom

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The story of Nora and James Joyce's unconventional relationship and how it shaped the writings of one of history's most controversial authors. This book is nothing short of riveting, both in terms of the story it is telling and the way it is told. It explores the influence Nora held over Joyce in his life and his writing and gives countless examples of how he used the experiences of those around him in his books. More than anything, this is the story of a woman struggling to hold her life and her family together in the face of hardship after hardship. A truly incredible read that I couldn't put down until the last page - I even read the bibliography!

This is the perfect companion to Richard Ellmans bio of JJ. I first read it when it came out a few years ago and I found it to be a good "other side of the story". Much has been made of Joyce's letters to his wife and of her being the model for Molly Bloom. He must have been a happy man if that was the case. She was all woman.

This is a great counterpart to the authoritative work by Richard Ellmann, and the picture of the Joyces' family life is incomplete without reading both. While not as academic as Ellmann's biography, "Nora" is a highly enjoyable page-turner, with some quality analysis alongside dozens of interesting anecdotes and insights from the Joyces' contemporaries. It really shows that Maddox has done extensive research. As the book continues past 1941, anyone curious about the later lives of Nora and her children should read it.