Named one of the best books of historical fiction by the New York
Times
Acclaimed Irish novelist Nuala O'Connor's bold reimagining of the life
of James Joyce's wife, muse, and the model for Molly Bloom in Ulysses
is a "lively and loving paean to the indomitable Nora Barnacle" (Edna
O'Brien).
Dublin, 1904. Nora Joseph Barnacle is a twenty-year-old from Galway
working as a maid at Finn's Hotel. She enjoys the liveliness of her
adopted city and on June 16--Bloomsday--her life is changed when she
meets Dubliner James Joyce, a fateful encounter that turns into a
lifelong love. Despite his hesitation to marry, Nora follows Joyce in
pursuit of a life beyond Ireland, and they surround themselves with a
buoyant group of friends that grows to include Samuel Beckett, Peggy
Guggenheim, and Sylvia Beach.
But as their life unfolds, Nora finds herself in conflict between their
intense desire for each other and the constant anxiety of living in
poverty throughout Europe. She desperately wants literary success for
Jim, believing in his singular gift and knowing that he thrives on being
the toast of the town, and it eventually provides her with a security
long lacking in her life and his work. So even when Jim writes, drinks,
and gambles his way to literary acclaim, Nora provides unflinching
support and inspiration, but at a cost to her own happiness and that of
their children.
With gorgeous and emotionally resonant prose, Nora is a heartfelt
portrayal of love, ambition, and the quiet power of an ordinary woman
who was, in fact, extraordinary.
