
Dubliners
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy Now for £15.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Chris O'Dowd
-
By:
-
James Joyce
About this listen
Form-defining short stories.
First published in 1914, James Joyce defined what the short story could be with his collection Dubliners. A mixture of prose and poetry, each story can be listened to independently or as a collection. From childhood to maturity, we see what life - and ultimately death - can be, via an extraordinary cast of characters, all of whom experience an epiphany. There’s Father Flynn, the priest; Evelyn, the shop girl who dreams of escape; Mrs Mooney, the butcher’s daughter, who runs a boarding house.
Joyce described the stories as ‘a moral history of my country’. Written by a young Joyce, with the devastating potato famine still in living memory, he wanted to explore the reasons why a city and its occupants could be so paralysed. For the modern listener, the stories also provide a fascinating snapshot of early 20th-century life - from clay pipes to sixpences, petticoats to ginger beer. In your mind’s eye, walk round Stephen’s Green, wander down Grafton Street and over the River Liffey. You’ll never forget this city or its occupants.
The stories:
- 'The Sisters'
- 'An Encounter'
- 'Araby'
- 'Eveline'
- 'After the Race'
- 'Two Gallants'
- 'The Boarding House'
- 'A Little Cloud'
- 'Counterparts'
- 'Clay'
- 'A Painful Case'
- 'Ivy Day in the Committee Room'
- 'A Mother'
- 'Grace'
- 'The Dead'
What listeners say about Dubliners
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John Wood
- 08-04-22
Perfection
O'Dowd was born to do this. He takes you by the hand to walk the streets and houses of Dublin. As a child once Said "I like the wireless better than TV. the pictures are better". Never more true than Chris's Dubliners.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alun
- 09-06-21
Peerless Storytelling
The narration cannot be bettered. Stories are beautifully crafted and genuinely affectionate.Humour abounds .Brilliant in every respect. Immensely enjoyable. A perfect introduction to Joyce.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alison West
- 12-08-24
Descriptive but not Gripping
Descriptive written short stories giving glimpses of life in Ireland during certain time periods. Well written, just didn't grip me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mame
- 17-12-21
Poor choice of narrator
I like Chris O’Dowd, but this choice of reader for Dubliners is baffling. Joyce’s characters are Dublin through and through whilst O’Dowd’s accent is decidedly rural. A dreadful mismatch. After 15 minutes, I stoped listening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pen Name
- 11-02-23
Beautifully read
What an excellent narration of these varied atmospheric stories. The Dead is one of my favourites and this is simply beautifully read. A real pleasure to listen to
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alexander Clifford
- 15-01-25
Clear pictures painted of individuals from long ago
Like this book and narration, clear images of people a long time ago - they come to life
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JOD
- 31-03-23
Not for me
This is classic writing, brilliant narration from Chris but it's not my cup of tea. Only got half way.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sometimes it's a Zebra 🦓
- 09-10-23
Dubliners
It's like you're sitting having a coffee and an eclair in Bewley's on Grafton Street people watching, and as the people go by you're getting a small glimpse of what life is like for each of them in that snippet of time.
I didn't love it or hate it. Obviously Joyce writes well. Most of the stories really bring each of the characters to life - no easy feat when each story is so short. And it is interesting to get a feel for what it meant to be a Dubliner in the early 1900's.
However, for the most part, it just didn't draw me in. I didn't dread turning it on but I wasn't really excited by the thought of it either.
The same can be said for O'Dowd's performance. It was fine.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Andrew b
- 25-07-21
O’Dowd amazing
Chris O’Dowd has put in a great performance - incredible range and ability to convey mood. First time reader of Joyce - ran hot and cold through the stories and their mundanity and routine, but think that was probably his intention. Was feeling exasperated at how it would all come together and then came the last intense 5 minutes of ‘the dead’, which seemed to provide a hopeful glimpse that one character might escape from his life of paralysis
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Paul Ormerod
- 21-12-24
Superb reading
Typicall goog JJ stories brought to life by excellent readig by Chris O’Dowd a master of voices
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!