I've held off commenting because I didn't want to look like I was boasting but since you expressly ask, yes, I have read it. I did it when I was going through

I've held off commenting because I didn't want to look like I was boasting but since you expressly ask, yes, I have read it. I did it when I was going through a bit of a difficult time and I read the whole thing out loud to myself over about two to three months. The key is to reading it out loud; that's when the magic happens. I didn't try to understand the text and I didn't read any keys to the text; I read it simply for the language experience. There are many (multi-lingual) puns in the text and in this book Joyce elevated punning to a high art. I found it a very rewarding thing to do and I still return to some of my favourite sections. Many times during my first reading I felt shivers down my spine from the beauty of the language. And that peculiar 'front-lobe' excitement you get when perceiving just plain cleverness. So yes, I would recommend it, but not as something to master or to 'conquer'. Try reading a few pages out loud and see how that feels. If you like it, read on. If you don't, don't. I've never persevered with books I didn't like; I don't see the point.