# Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

4 Hacker News commenters recommended Finnegans Wake by James Joyce and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a dense novel that rewards rereading, especially with a skeleton key guide. Main caveat: it is very hard to read and follow.

## Why people recommend it

- Skeleton key guide aids deeper reading (1 comments): "I'd recommend a skeleton key after going through it the first time if you want to go deeper." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45968022))
- Understanding intended pacing eases reading (1 comments): "I had so much trouble trying to read him before understanding the intended pacing." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45968151))

## What people warn about

- Dense and confusing to read (1 comments): "If you found Ulysses confusing, what would you think of Finnegan's Wake ?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47472575))
- Critic strongly dislikes Joyce (1 comments): "I have a visceral hatred for Joyce so, even if I were a literary expert (which I'm not), I doubt I could judge it in an unbiased manner." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49378456))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0571217354?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780571217359) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Finnegans Wake by James Joyce", https://hackerapproved.com/p/finnegans-wake/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).