In a first review published in June 1914 in the Manchester Guardian, it was noted: "A multitude of small sins is hidden in these sketches of Dublin life. A procession of depressed figures slowly emerges through James Joyce's texts: small employees, drinking companions, maids, boarding house proprietresses, all of whom preserve their cheerfulness through sin or the thought of sin. In the first sketch, a priest goes mad because he once dropped a chalice during communion. Then a bank clerk loves a married woman, suppresses his love, and allows her to succumb to drink. A degenerate parasite swindles ten shillings from a maid. An employee is coerced into marrying his landlady's daughter. These are the stories of Mr. Joyce, but they are written with genuine artistry that neither sugarcoats nor condemns.".