Exiles vs Ulysses: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Alienation, Textual Criticism, Facsimiles, Married people
Exiles
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Exiles by James Joyce is a modernist play that explores themes of love, betrayal, and artistic integrity. The drama revolves around an Irish writer and his complex relationships with his wife and a friend. Reflecting…
Ulysses
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Written over a seven-year period, from 1914 to 1921, this book has survived bowdlerization, legal action and controversy. The novel deals with the events of one day in Dublin, 16th June 1904, now known as "Bloomsday".…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Ulysses highest: Ulysses 3.8 · Exiles 3.5.
- Exiles is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 14 for Ulysses.
- Ulysses has the widest readership — 141363 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Exiles | Ulysses | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (2393) | 3.8 (141363) |
| Hardcover | 2.5 (2) | — |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | 5.0 (2) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (8) |
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Reception
| Exiles | Ulysses | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2393 | 141363 |
| Editions | 91 | 612 |
| Citations | — | 23 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2413 | 454032 |
| Reading it now | 39 | 32942 |
| Written reviews | 207 | 11831 |
| Wikipedia attention | 6617 | 119814 |
| Pages | 158 | 790 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Exiles or Ulysses?
Ulysses has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Ulysses 3.8/5, Exiles 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: Exiles or Ulysses?
Exiles is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Exiles (158 pages, ≈ 2 h 56 m); Ulysses (790 pages, ≈ 14 h 38 m).
Which is harder to read: Exiles or Ulysses?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Exiles: Demanding; Ulysses: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Exiles: no film adaptation on record; Ulysses: 3 film adaptations.