Nora: A Love Story of Nora and James Joyce

By Nuala O’Connor Harper Perennial 496pp / $16.99

Although my preference is always to read actual, physical books, I settled for the digital version of this sweeping narrative for the sake of time. And while I am not opposed to epubs, per se, I could not help but feel that something was missing from the experience. That said, Irish scribe Nuala O'Connor's epic reimagining of Nora Barnacle's lengthy love affair with James Joyce is a great read in any form. As the couple adventures across Europe, Joyce acquires literary renown with Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Finnegan's Wake. All the while, his better-half struggles to support him through an array of health and financial issues. Perhaps fittingly, Joyce modelled Molly Bloom in Ulysses after his longtime muse. ~ SPC