Finnegans Wake

By: James Joyce

Narrated by: Barry McGovern, Marcella Riordan

Length: 29 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

"Riverrun past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs...."

So starts Finnegans Wake, the greatest challenge in 20th-century literature. Who is Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker? And what did he get up to in Phoenix Park? And what did Anna Livia Plurabelle have to say about it? In the rich nighttime and the language of dreams, here are history, anecdote, myth, folk tale and, above all, a wondrous sense of humor, colored by a clear sense of humanity. In this exceptional reading by the Irish actor Barry McGovern, with Marcella Riordan, the world of the Wake is more accessible than ever before.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1975 The Trustees of the Estate of James Joyce (P)2021 Naxos AudioBooks

Much Ado About Nothing

Finnegan’s Wake is a remarkable performance by gifted actors, who seem to understand what they’re talking about even though I had no idea what they were talking about from beginning to end. It was quite remarkable to spend 30 hours listening to what sounds like gibberish and yet somehow enjoying it. I feel the same way about much modern poetry and song which are both lovely and incoherent. I’m glad I listened to this “novel” but I don’t know what I listened to.

Magnificent reading

I’ve been fascinated with FW for decades now. I can’t tell you what a treat it is finally to have such a worthy reading of the entire text. Amazing!

needs prep to enjoy

before and after each chapter I read a chapter guide/summary, which allowed me to pick up way more than going in blind. Very clever once you have the key.

Extraordinary

For longtime lovers of Finnegans Wake as for those diving in for the first time, this reading is a precious, moving accompaniment. “Lots of fun…”

The most entertaining experience of the year...

You will hear that Finnegans Wake is a difficult read, if not impossible. Instead of reading it, try experiencing it through the voices of Barry McGovern and Marcella Riordan. They bring to life what, at first reading, appears to be gibberish.

I think of Finnegans Wake as a story being dictated from a dream, complete with all you would expect from a dream; a stream of consciousness tale linking word and thought associations with double and tripple entendres. There is singing, there is prose, and there is poetry; there is a rhythm in a lot of the book that the narrators bring out nicely.

If you ever had a dream where everybody you ever met and everything you ever experienced got linked together, along with all the coincidences that ever happened in your life and you had the task of putting them all into one story, it just might turn out like Finnegans Wake. This was indeed the most enteraining experience of the year...

so helpful

i loved it and found it necessary to finally truly fall in love with this book. this performance is so daunting the effort alone should be celebrated!

Masterpiece

Truly Amazing! Every time I read Joyce the experience is deepened and expanded. There are so many levels to enjoy.

A progression in earnest souls reading

I started with the audible recording. Then bought the paperback midway through. By the end I was pulling apart the paragraphs in commentaries. I joked with coworkers about how smart I was for reading it. But under it, I really did enjoy tossing on the waves, enjoying the hints of understanding here and there, marveling and oblivious at times. It did for me what a poem does at the edge of my understanding.

difficult yet worthwhile.

This is by far the most complex audiobook I have ever heard. It's hard to truly understand what the heck you even listened to thankfully Brian mcguffins and Marcella Riordan did an excellent narration. I don't think I could have gotten through it if I hadn't gone with the audiobook version. Book one still makes my mind hurt. The other books were much more comprehensible to me. I will definitely have to come back to this book and give it another go through to truly appreciate this masterpiece. The book is filled with lots of quotable quotes. There were times that I was reminded of gravity's rainbow and the illuminatus both of which are obtuse books but nowhere near as obtuse as Finnegan's wake.

Guzzly Mindsnap!

Have waited a long time for an audible version of this masterpiece. I have been listening to many productions from Audible over the last couple of years, but this one definitely gets my topmost rating. It's a little bit much to listen to at first and a little like an altered state of consciousness ensues if one listens for a prolonged period of time. This is an extremely polysemous work. So much so that synchronicity is not far away with every word. I will be listening to this again and again since without a doubt it will fit every stage of life and sound fresh every time. Just like a good piece of music. Hence the use of the term "Masterpiece!" It's alive!