Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake by James Joyceby James Joyce
Shares rank 53 of 122 novels by recommenders
Recommended as a dense novel that rewards rereading, especially with a skeleton key guide. Main caveat: it is very hard to read and follow.
Recommended as a dense novel that rewards rereading, especially with a skeleton key guide. Main caveat: it is very hard to read and follow.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 67%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Skeleton key guide aids deeper reading
“I'd recommend a skeleton key after going through it the first time if you want to go deeper.”
Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “Short Little Difficult Books” Understanding intended pacing eases reading
“I had so much trouble trying to read him before understanding the intended pacing.”
Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “Short Little Difficult Books”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Dense and confusing to read
“If you found Ulysses confusing, what would you think of Finnegan's Wake ?”
Comment from 21 Mar 2026 in “Books of the Century by Le Monde” Critic strongly dislikes Joyce
“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.”
Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “I like 'em thick OR: an apology to my English teachers”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Finnegans Wakeby James JoyceThis page | 4 | 2 | 67% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“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.”
“If you found Ulysses confusing, what would you think of Finnegan's Wake ?”
“I had so much trouble trying to read him before understanding the intended pacing.”
“I'd recommend a skeleton key after going through it the first time if you want to go deeper.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.