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How We Mortals Blame the Gods
On the verge of a marital breakup after the death of their stillborn son, a journalist, Omar Wilde, who is covering the Centenary Bloomsday celebrations of James Joyce’s Ulysses in Dublin, Ireland, is desperately looking for "the story" that will prove his worth to his disillusioned wife, Flora. While wandering around the Bloomsday celebrations, he and a young actor, Kiarán Lynch (Kinch), who, unbeknownst to Omar, is involved with his wife, find themselves embroiled in a potential terrorist attack. Faced with this life-threatening situation, Omar must finally conquer his fears and sense of failure before hundreds of people, including many dignitaries, are murdered horribly.
This audiobook is a shadowing of James Joyce’s Ulysses, set 100 years to the day, June 16, 2004, after Joyce’s masterpiece. It takes a contemporary look at similar issues such as religion, gender equality, and identity in modern Ireland and attempts to answer the If the characters of Joyce’s Ulysses were alive in modern Dublin, who might they be?
This audiobook is a shadowing of James Joyce’s Ulysses, set 100 years to the day, June 16, 2004, after Joyce’s masterpiece. It takes a contemporary look at similar issues such as religion, gender equality, and identity in modern Ireland and attempts to answer the If the characters of Joyce’s Ulysses were alive in modern Dublin, who might they be?
Audible Audio
Published June 23, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 19, 2023
James Joyce, the famous Irish writer of Dubliners, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses and the unfinished Finnegan’s Wake was reputed to have uttered three words before his death in 1941: “Does nobody understand?”
I mused on these words as I read Máirin McSweeney’s How We Mortals Blame The Gods. Of course, I was reminded of my experience the first time I read Ulysses in April 2020, a year that needs no introduction. What better way to spend one’s days locked down in the throes of a pestilential apocalypse than to read a book that was once called ‘divine’ and, conversely, a ‘heap of dung’?
But this is not about Ulysses. How We Mortals Blame The Gods is Ulysses reborn in Ireland on Bloomsday 2004, the annual commemoration of Joyce’s life every 16 June. McSweeney’s work is much more comprehensible and gripping for the casual reader. Her characters are not mere models of their Joycean counterparts. Rather, they are reincarnations who have post-2001 concerns and anxieties. Some of their worries, hopes and dreams, however, are not dissimilar to those of Joyce’s characters in early 20th century Ireland, a reminder that some things never change. For example, McSweeney’s Omar Wilde is no carbon copy of Leopold Bloom, but he too has one parent who was neither Irish nor Catholic and he seems to feel just as much an outsider as Bloom did. He may walk similar paths trod by Bloom, but his overall journey is his own. Likewise, Kieran Lynch or ‘Kinch’ is not Stephen Dedalus (even if he is dressed like him at Bloomsday 2004), but both have troubled relationships with the institutions of Roman Catholicism that have dominated Ireland for almost two thousand years, albeit for different reasons as one learns from McSweeney’s tale.
Above all, McSweeney’s story helped me understand Ulysses, and I realise now I should have read hers first and then read Ulysses. How We Mortals Blame The Gods is a worthy counterpoint to Ulysses, harmonious with Joyce but with its own rhythm and contours. If Joyce were to ask me now, I’d say “I understand.”
I mused on these words as I read Máirin McSweeney’s How We Mortals Blame The Gods. Of course, I was reminded of my experience the first time I read Ulysses in April 2020, a year that needs no introduction. What better way to spend one’s days locked down in the throes of a pestilential apocalypse than to read a book that was once called ‘divine’ and, conversely, a ‘heap of dung’?
But this is not about Ulysses. How We Mortals Blame The Gods is Ulysses reborn in Ireland on Bloomsday 2004, the annual commemoration of Joyce’s life every 16 June. McSweeney’s work is much more comprehensible and gripping for the casual reader. Her characters are not mere models of their Joycean counterparts. Rather, they are reincarnations who have post-2001 concerns and anxieties. Some of their worries, hopes and dreams, however, are not dissimilar to those of Joyce’s characters in early 20th century Ireland, a reminder that some things never change. For example, McSweeney’s Omar Wilde is no carbon copy of Leopold Bloom, but he too has one parent who was neither Irish nor Catholic and he seems to feel just as much an outsider as Bloom did. He may walk similar paths trod by Bloom, but his overall journey is his own. Likewise, Kieran Lynch or ‘Kinch’ is not Stephen Dedalus (even if he is dressed like him at Bloomsday 2004), but both have troubled relationships with the institutions of Roman Catholicism that have dominated Ireland for almost two thousand years, albeit for different reasons as one learns from McSweeney’s tale.
Above all, McSweeney’s story helped me understand Ulysses, and I realise now I should have read hers first and then read Ulysses. How We Mortals Blame The Gods is a worthy counterpoint to Ulysses, harmonious with Joyce but with its own rhythm and contours. If Joyce were to ask me now, I’d say “I understand.”
December 19, 2022
I read Ulysses about forty years ago (showing my age here!), but i dont remember much about it, it seemed that nothing much happened at all. I just remember that I read it completely (and it was boring, if not painful) and found it puzzling if not shocking. This was supposed one of the greatest books of all time!
Anyway, when my neighbour Mairin told me she wrote a book to celebrate the 100 years of Ulysses, I was happy to read it, because after all these years I am still wondering about Ulysses. Mairin’s book is easy to read, maybe because the references are “more modern” and deals with more current issues in a more relatable or direct manner, some surprises and shocks were also included.
A strange thing happened though, reading this book I felt that I wanted to read Ulysses again, so I started to read both in parallel, and lo and behold, Joyce’s book became actually more enjoyable. I am not sure that I grasped all the depths of the Joyce book (or Mairin’s book for that matter), but I enjoyed reading Ulysses again and i did enjoy reading this book.
Anyway, when my neighbour Mairin told me she wrote a book to celebrate the 100 years of Ulysses, I was happy to read it, because after all these years I am still wondering about Ulysses. Mairin’s book is easy to read, maybe because the references are “more modern” and deals with more current issues in a more relatable or direct manner, some surprises and shocks were also included.
A strange thing happened though, reading this book I felt that I wanted to read Ulysses again, so I started to read both in parallel, and lo and behold, Joyce’s book became actually more enjoyable. I am not sure that I grasped all the depths of the Joyce book (or Mairin’s book for that matter), but I enjoyed reading Ulysses again and i did enjoy reading this book.
October 7, 2022
First of all, let me say, I've never read Joyce's Ulysses, I'm not sure I'm ever going to but I know a little about it (and it doesn't sound like fun to me!). I did have a go, once or twice, at "Portrait", but didn't get too far. But I highly recommend picking this book up for a tribute to Joyce that takes a lot less from you!
Back to the book. The author has gone to enormous lengths to pay tribute to Joyce. Picking up much of the stylistic points - character specific writing style; changing from chapter to chapter, a huge cast of characters, intimate experience of the environment (also Dublin!). But what she avoided was making the reader work so hard.
It's a complicated story with lots of moving parts and two couples at the centre, but it remains a very enjoyable, fluid read. Characters were universally both loveable and despicable for their traits and flaws, and the environment played it's part portraying a vivid Dublin of the Noughties.
Back to the book. The author has gone to enormous lengths to pay tribute to Joyce. Picking up much of the stylistic points - character specific writing style; changing from chapter to chapter, a huge cast of characters, intimate experience of the environment (also Dublin!). But what she avoided was making the reader work so hard.
It's a complicated story with lots of moving parts and two couples at the centre, but it remains a very enjoyable, fluid read. Characters were universally both loveable and despicable for their traits and flaws, and the environment played it's part portraying a vivid Dublin of the Noughties.
March 16, 2023
This is an excellent reimagining of James Joyce’s novel set 100 years later in the increasingly multi-cultural and suddenly affluent capital of Celtic Tiger Ireland. It artfully poses questions of how Joyce’s genius and the reverence for it can sit in a Dublin that is so different to anything that he knew and in tracing the same journeys in an entirely new set of footprints the novel almost casually highlights the few elements of Dublin life that have changed not a scrap in between times. It does all this while also drawing the reader into a deceptively fast paced ride of sex, drugs and lots and lots of rock and roll in a thrilling life or death adventure.
March 8, 2023
The interesting title was the first thing to capture my attention and pull me in and I have to say, I have always loved Irish writers so I thought I'd give it a go.
Right from the get-go, you can really relate to the characters and I was really nervous as I felt I could already see how the story was going to unfold and how the characters lives were going to play out.
I've never read Ulysses but was intrigued to read a book that was inspired by it - such an interesting spin and so totally unique. Looking forward to what this author comes up with next.
Right from the get-go, you can really relate to the characters and I was really nervous as I felt I could already see how the story was going to unfold and how the characters lives were going to play out.
I've never read Ulysses but was intrigued to read a book that was inspired by it - such an interesting spin and so totally unique. Looking forward to what this author comes up with next.
July 3, 2023
If you are looking for a great read, then look no further than ‘How we Mortals Blame the Gods’. A good friend recommended this book a few months ago but I was hesitant to start due to its connection to Ulysees, a book I have never read. However, I shouldn’t have worried because this book reads well with or without its knowledge. This fabulous story, set in Dublin, maps the story of four distinct characters over the course of one day and shows how they all become intertwined. It is a story rich in depth and at the same time is moving, captivating and entertaining. The author’s style of writing is exploratory, enjoyable and well crafted, a testament to her power of storytelling. ‘How we Mortals Blame the Gods’ is definitely a worthwhile read, packed with compelling content that will keep you hooked until the very last page.
March 5, 2023
A contemporary twist on the classic which transports you back a decade or two ago to memorable haunts and places of vibrant Dublin. Carefully chosen characters reflect modern day Ireland and insight into their complex and interconnected lives. Twists and turns abound and some quite unexpected but will keep you on your toes!
March 12, 2023
I brought this book on holiday with me last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked reading about the Dublin of the recent past and how mad those times were 😆. Different story lines from amongst the main characters are woven together making you wonder what will happen next - a page turner. Bring it with you this summer and lose yourself in the streets of Dublin.
August 18, 2023
A great rollicking read set on Blooms Day in modern day Dublin, Ireland. I loved it! Filled with a brilliant cast of characters whose lives ultimately weave their way together in surprising ways. Well worth your time.
August 16, 2024
The book was great!!! You should definitely read it I enjoyed it and I was hooked the whole way. I thought the playlist at the end was such a great idea because you can experience the songs the characters are listening to with them which I thought was brilliant. Go read!!
March 11, 2023
I've never read Ulysses not will I ever do so but this modern take on it was very enjoyable and well worth the read.
August 18, 2023
A creative and timely take on ULYSSES by someone who knows the raw heart of her dirty old town at least as well as JJ ever did. Molly would love it.
August 20, 2023
Super read so far 👍. It's a very well written, fast moving and enjoyable story
August 27, 2023
Fantastic retelling of the classic Ulysses. Interesting characters and great atmosphere created through the interlinking storylines. Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews