I started reading Ulysses when I was in my early 20's and in college. I never made it. And over the years, I'd try and try. I probably read the first 50 pages a dozen times.
at 62 I decided I was going to finish it come what may. I won't say it was easy and I took a good month off in the middle of it. But 10 minutes ago, I shut the book on the final "yes" and can now say I read Ulysses,
What I can't say is that I enjoyed it. Because I really didn't. The first part of the book was actually pretty good, but then, when Joyce stated playing with literary conventions, writing in different styles from different periods, went on a prolonged chapter (lasting about 150 pages) which is one long hallucination, there really wasn't any relief until the final chapter, Molly's soliloquy (which is one long run-one sentence with no punctuation which goes on for about 50 pages.
I'd never recommend this book. I find it vastly over rated, over rought, and pretentious in many ways. It was in vast need of a good editor.
But, yes, i read it, yes. slogged through, yes, and yes, finally, yes got to the godamn end. YES!