The keys to. Given!

Finnegans Wake is probably one of the most unconventional works of literature ever written. It demands so much from the reader but offers plenty of rewards, surprises, and even intense euphoric moments that all justify the effort. On the surface the sentences may appear to be gibberish since each word contains multiple meanings and is constructed like the nucleus of an atom. However, a deeper reading reveals thousands of different stories and layers being told at once, rewarding the reader again and again in a process of exciting discovery. One can spend the rest of his or her life reading and rereading the book and even then, there will be many secrets that will remain hidden for future readers to find.

This audiobook is a miracle in that it effectively provides keys to unlocking many of the novel’s treasure chests through a very careful and passionate reading by Barry McGovern and Marcella Riordan. The narrators seem very tuned in to the novel’s uniquely Irish voice, and the pace of their narration is perfect, not too fast but enough to keep the listener engaged. Pronouncing the words and keeping their flow requires a lot of talent, and I’m so thankful both narrators excel with flying colors. I have been searching most of my adult life for recordings of the book to listen to again and again and am just thrilled this audiobook is now available to the public on Bloomsday. James Joyce scholars have recommended reading the novel aloud to help guide the reader but this audiobook does all of that for you in the most extraordinary way. You won’t understand everything in the novel at first, but the more you allow its voice to sink in, the more like music the words will become.

For those up for the challenge of tackling this novel, a lifetime of pleasures awaits you!

53 people found this helpful

A lifetime wish fulfilled

Finnegans Wake has been my deepest heart puzzle and research project since finding it as a teenager in 1967. To have a recording of the ENTIRE Wake performed by voice actors with this level of Comprehension, Stamina and Soul means I'm not coming out of my reading room again. Ever.
Released on Bloomsday! Thank you all so much for proving it can be done.

27 people found this helpful

Great performance of an unreadable book

Life is too short to read Finnegans Wake. It is incomprehensible gobbledegook. I stuck with it only to finish the Modern Library’s 100 greatest novels of the 20th century. But if you are going to read it I highly recommend this performance; it made this monstrosity almost tolerable.

17 people found this helpful

The seim anew.

McGovern and Riordan do a great job of bringing this challenging work to life. I was particularly impressed by Riordan’s work on the Anna Livia Plurabelle chapter, the lessons chapter (she reads Issy’s footnotes), and the conclusion of book IV. I listened to it while reading along, which helped because I was able to see words where the pronunciation was ambiguous. Hearing the Wake aloud gives new levels of comprehension. If you want to try Finnegans Wake, this is a great way. It’s also a great way for experienced readers to hear it anew. I will definitely be coming back to it. For future readings, it would be great if there were a way to skip to each of the 17 chapters instead of just the four books. The next time through I’ll write down the times so I can find particular sections more easily.

12 people found this helpful

pro tip

Slow it to .80/.85 speed. It will aid you in this quest. I can hear it now...but still have no idea what's going on...

3 people found this helpful

Extraordinary

For longtime lovers of Finnegans Wake as for those diving in for the first time, this reading is a precious, moving accompaniment. “Lots of fun…”

3 people found this helpful

The most entertaining experience of the year...

You will hear that Finnegans Wake is a difficult read, if not impossible. Instead of reading it, try experiencing it through the voices of Barry McGovern and Marcella Riordan. They bring to life what, at first reading, appears to be gibberish.

I think of Finnegans Wake as a story being dictated from a dream, complete with all you would expect from a dream; a stream of consciousness tale linking word and thought associations with double and tripple entendres. There is singing, there is prose, and there is poetry; there is a rhythm in a lot of the book that the narrators bring out nicely.

If you ever had a dream where everybody you ever met and everything you ever experienced got linked together, along with all the coincidences that ever happened in your life and you had the task of putting them all into one story, it just might turn out like Finnegans Wake. This was indeed the most enteraining experience of the year...

2 people found this helpful

difficult yet worthwhile.

This is by far the most complex audiobook I have ever heard. It's hard to truly understand what the heck you even listened to thankfully Brian mcguffins and Marcella Riordan did an excellent narration. I don't think I could have gotten through it if I hadn't gone with the audiobook version. Book one still makes my mind hurt. The other books were much more comprehensible to me. I will definitely have to come back to this book and give it another go through to truly appreciate this masterpiece. The book is filled with lots of quotable quotes. There were times that I was reminded of gravity's rainbow and the illuminatus both of which are obtuse books but nowhere near as obtuse as Finnegan's wake.

1 person found this helpful

An excellent reading of a difficult text

No one should pick up Finnegans Wake expecting an ordinary story. Look well before setting sail on this work. But if you have decided to read it, this audio rendition will be an outstanding help. (For one chapter, Shem the Penman, I am partial to the reading by Cyril Cusack, also available on Audible. But delightful as that recording is, it is of a heavily abridged text. This recording is unabridged. A monumental achievement.)

Guzzly Mindsnap!

Have waited a long time for an audible version of this masterpiece. I have been listening to many productions from Audible over the last couple of years, but this one definitely gets my topmost rating. It's a little bit much to listen to at first and a little like an altered state of consciousness ensues if one listens for a prolonged period of time. This is an extremely polysemous work. So much so that synchronicity is not far away with every word. I will be listening to this again and again since without a doubt it will fit every stage of life and sound fresh every time. Just like a good piece of music. Hence the use of the term "Masterpiece!" It's alive!