I’ve read this novel three times at this point. The first time through was fairly painful, but it improved so much the second time, and then the third time I loved it so much. So I would suggest maybe reading it at least twice? I understand very much how it’s hard to justify rereading novels, especially since there is so much quality writing out there and there is such a relatively short time in which to experience it. However, I can assure you that this text is one of the richest I’ve ever encountered, and has been among the most rewarding to revisit.

Also I think there are primarily two quite different things that make reading this novel difficult: The first (and perhaps most obvious) are the various experimental narrative techniques Joyce uses. I would advise a first-time reader to consult Joyce resources on the web in order to become familiar with the novel’s bizarrely intricate structure, as most copies of the novel do not even list chapter headings. I don’t think reading brief descriptions of chapters in advance will spoil this novel for you. I think being prepared for what is coming your way will prevent a great deal of unnecessary confusion and frustration.

The second is the gap between the experience of someone reading this now and someone reading this when it was initially published between 1918 and 1922, particularly someone living in Dublin and sharing some of Joyce’s various interests. This is harder to overcome, of course, as for example a student in the United States might not be familiar with Irish politics of the early 20th century. Fortunately, though, access to the internet makes it quite easy to quickly research these matters. Again, I would suggest taking advantage of the extensive Joyce resources available online.

I’d be happy to help readers in any way I can. This book is one of my favorites, but it is sort of a confusing mess, especially to a first-time reader.