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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
I had to give up-probably the 3rd or 4th book in my life that I haven't been able to finish. It just didn't grab my attention.
Too many n words
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
A book club pick ;)
The only Hemingway I’ve ever read was The Old Man and the Sea, and as a school assignment besides. So I voted yes with enthusiasm when my book club suggested we read this one.
I enjoyed the writing from the start. The descriptions of fishing were magnificent. And yet, why would you fight a beautiful creature of the sea, just so that you may win and it may die?
The dialogues are alive, rich and colourful, you can taste them.
“What happened to your arm?” the lawyer asked Harry. Harry has the sleeve pinned up to the shoulder.
“I didn’t like the look of it so I cut it off,” Harry told him.
I liked how Hemingway lets you catch glimpses of a different time and place, with a word here, or just a hint of a scent, a colour there.
Despite all this, I felt annoyed and bored. The women were mostly very silly and ridiculous. In general, there was a lot of “of its time” stuff in here, and I am still not sure how I felt about that. Also, I have seen this story before; I’ve met all these people before, in various reincarnations, in other books. Had this very short novel been better constructed, I would have been willing to overlook this. The POV changes and jumps between first and third person jarred, I felt. The cacophony of characters by the end added nothing to the narrative and just felt chaotic. They were not people, either, they were more like bugs under a magnifying glass – watch them crawl, oh, look, they picked up a piece of shit and are eating it, such weird bugs. I mostly just wanted the book to be over.
P.S. There might be better Hemingways out there. Recommendations, anyone?
slow-paced
A very macho book, rum soaked smugglers aren't hard to find, a good read for sure
I wasn't a big fan of the story or characters. Otherwise, prose was fine. I don't know if I'll read more Hemingway, this happened to be the first of his books I picked up.
An easy read, but trying to connect the underlying ideas can prove difficult.
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes