Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

I have started reading At Swim-Two-Birds byFlann O'Brienand would really like to get other opinions on this unusual book.
It is described as "a brilliant impressionistic jumble of ideas, mythology and nonsense."

Since I felt like an Irish read on St. Patty's Day, I read the first chapter as a free Amazon kindle. I bought the book and will continue when I get it. While I am also reading other books, it will be a contrast and balance to my non-fiction and Trollope, which I begin after Wodehouse. Two fiction at a time is my limit.
The book is certainly "unusual' and seems more like Joyce than I remember The Third Policeman being. I expect a confusing ride with stories within stories and characters created by created characters. I may not get it all, but will try to enjoy the ride.

I saw the ressemblance to Joyce as well. I am intrigued by the book, but it is going to take me a while to read it too. I am reading The Small House at Allington right now.

I will be starting Small House soon. I waited to start because I got ahead of the pace with Framley Parsonage and had difficulty restricting my comments to the appropriate chapters without accidental reveals. I don't think I did, but I did have to re-look at previous chapters to see what happened when.

The same thing happens to me with the Trollope books. I am a week behind so far, and plan on not going ahead until closer to the end of the book.

I have just finished reading the sad tale of the mad Sweeny.

After 20 pages of mainly bio reminisces, I started the Pooka and Good Fairy tale and, since it will go about 30 more pages have put the book down as i think it best to do the tale in a single reading.
I made the mistake of stopping shortly after starting the Sweeny tale and when I picked it up some days later, found I was lost. I had to use outside sources to figure out what was going on and re-read passages. I'm still not sure I got it all.
i am having a difficult time with the book and need outside sources to assist in the characters and plot. I also need to read slower than normal. It's one I think I could understand better as a read along with an audio book as I sometimes read parts aloud. No, not in public.

I am reading the Pooka and good fairy tale right now too. I ask myself where the book is going. If I am not mistaken, the stories are from the narrator's manuscript?

Yes and no, The narrator is writing about the writer Dermot Trellis. On the bottom of page 59 in my version it says Trellis is writing a book on the consequences of wrong doing and, for that purpose creates the characters of: the Pooka, Furriskey, Peggy, Finn MacCool, Paul Shanahan and Sheila and Antony Lamont.
Thus, these are characters, some original and some from existing Irish myths, that Trellis is writing about. The narrator is writing about Trellis writing about the characters, so these stories are in Trellis's manuscript and, thus, then in the narrator's
I gather from the back cover blurb SPOILER that the narrator will mainly be writing about when the Trellis characters actually interact with their creator Trellis.

I know a little bit about Irish myths, since my daughter majored in Celtic Studies in university. I know the legend of Finn McCoull, but the others I am not so sure about.

I finished the book-it was an experience. I needed to do a bit of research online to help me figure it out. Finding out the ending didn't matter so much, because the journey was so unique.
There was a lot of drinking in this book, besides all the unusual events.

Only 80% finished as I read it slower and in shorter bursts than with other works.
I liked it when the narrator's friend Brinsley "expressed his inability to distinguish between Furriskey, Lamont and Shanahan" and that the "three of them might make one man between them." as I felt the same way. At that point, I finally felt that maybe I really was understanding the book as much as the author intended.
Wikipedia called the book a Menippean Satire, which is a new term for me. I guess the book is similar to other cited Menippean satires that I've read, such as Gullivers Travels, The Crying of Lot 49 and Hitchhicker's Guide.
A Menippean Satire parodying Irish myths written in Metafiction style, a term I did know, but am understanding better now. I guess I'm one who likes labels and comparisons to other works to assist my comprehension.

I also learned some new literary terms when reading this book. As for the characters Shanahan, Lamont and Furriskey--I didn't know which was Lamont and which was Shanahan, but Furriskey stood out from the other two.

I have finished the book, ending appropriately strangely with a non-character German writing "good-bye, goodbye, goodbye."
I am glad to have read it, but I don't know if I appreciate the satire and style as much as some, including Stephen Fry, Graham Greene and Dylan Thomas, seem able to do.
I had difficulty visualizing images of parts of the book and will be very interested in seeing a movie version, if Irish actor Brendan Gleeson ever succeeds in getting it made. The language was poetic so it would be interesting to both listen to and see the story.

I am glad I read it as well- especially since I didn't have to go out and buy a copy. I read my daughter's copy. She hasn't read it yet, but now she is a mom of a one year old, so it will be a while until she reads it.
She majored in Celtic studies in university, which is how I got more interested in Irish literature.
This book is one-of-a-kind. I noticed that the characters spent a lot of time in pubs.

Rosemarie wrote: "I have just finished reading the sad tale of the mad Sweeny."

I watched part of an episode of The STARZ TV production of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" and one of the "Old Gods" characters is "Mad Sweeney" portrayed by actor Pablo Schreiber. While he is derived from the Irish legend, this Mad Sweeney claims to be a leprechaun, which in the book/show are large, and acts accordingly. As far as I know, the legendary Mad Sweeney wasn't a leprechaun.

I don't remember him being a leprachaun either.

Who is Mad Sweeney? I never heard of it.

He is a character in At Swim Two-Birds, a very strange character.

Oh. OK. I thought that he was a real person.