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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
I don't say this lightly, considering I hate everything this man has written, but this is actually the absolute worst Hemingway book. While most of his works are boring, this managed to be boring and offensive and just poorly written. I do not at all recommend reading even the back cover of this book.
Perhaps one of my now-most favorite novels, besides the sun also rises, it’s story is so powerful and realistic in its unhappiness, making it very relatable and easy to read. The book only deepened my love for Hemingway and his take on the world. Highly recommend.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“No matter how a man alone ain’t got no bloody fucking chance.” He shut his eyes. It had taken him a long time to get it out and it had taken him all his life to learn it.
Overall a decent read. Definitely not my favorite Hemingway.
There is something interesting in the rich and those with more opportunity/money taking advantage than others (the man charting Morgan’s boat at the start, Albert dying as he relies on Morgan for opportunity, the banker on the yacht, etc.), though it feels clunky and repetitive at times.
The perspective shift between the first and second shift felt unnecessary. From what I understand, the first part was originally a short story that Hemingway made into a full novel. Taking a few days to just rewrite it to third person would’ve made the novel more cohesive.
Overall a decent read. Definitely not my favorite Hemingway.
There is something interesting in the rich and those with more opportunity/money taking advantage than others (the man charting Morgan’s boat at the start, Albert dying as he relies on Morgan for opportunity, the banker on the yacht, etc.), though it feels clunky and repetitive at times.
The perspective shift between the first and second shift felt unnecessary. From what I understand, the first part was originally a short story that Hemingway made into a full novel. Taking a few days to just rewrite it to third person would’ve made the novel more cohesive.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pretty wild that a little dude from suburban Illinois ended up writing the two greatest examples of the "guy on a boat in Cuba" genre, but life's funny that way.
Not his best. Kind of falls off at the end, it should have remained a novella.
After a trip to Key West, I gave Hemingway a second chance, and I'm glad I did. I got swept up in the book and Hemingway's language. My issue with it is that it was messy at the end. It did make me want to read more Hemingway, which is a change of my view of him in the past.
This was not Hemingway's best book by any stretch of the imagination. I am somewhat of a Hemingway fan, and this book was clearly not planned out at all before he started writing it. You will spend multiple chapters at a location or on a boat before it has even been described, you will have characters and their stories brought into the book for no apparent reason, and the ending doesn't tie much together at all.
I wouldn't suggest anyone start their Hemingway reading with this novel. It is a novel that can be finished and you can pick out interesting viewpoints or intriguing quotes throughout the book, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.
I wouldn't suggest anyone start their Hemingway reading with this novel. It is a novel that can be finished and you can pick out interesting viewpoints or intriguing quotes throughout the book, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.