Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce

Hard to believe this was written by the same guy who wrote Ulysses. The story line is cohesive, the prose is excellent and the main character (Stephen Dedalus) is understandable. The false and then the true catharsis of the work is the meat of its worth. Dedalus decides first to enter the Catholic Priesthood - then in the true catharsis decides to live life to its fullest - free of the boundaries and preconceptions of Catholic Theology. The transformation and final decision opens many avenues of thought and explores the relationship of the individual to the faith, God and life.