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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"No matter how a man alone ain't got no ... chance"
Sounds depressing, nihilistic, suicidal - throw in a lot of rum and whiskey it's obvious why the author committed.
There is a realistically and creatively depicted tender love relationship amist all the booze, bozos, and low lifes.
This is classic Hemingway style. However some of the dialogue gets a little hokey and tiresome - have a drink, take it easy, rummy, punchie, cool him, he's tight, old woman, etc.
Sounds depressing, nihilistic, suicidal - throw in a lot of rum and whiskey it's obvious why the author committed.
There is a realistically and creatively depicted tender love relationship amist all the booze, bozos, and low lifes.
This is classic Hemingway style. However some of the dialogue gets a little hokey and tiresome - have a drink, take it easy, rummy, punchie, cool him, he's tight, old woman, etc.
I don’t care what anyone has to say Ernest Hemingway symbolizes everything I hate about masculinity and I don’t believe that makes him historically significant or interesting. If this was trying to be political there are plenty of people who’ve done the same and also aged well. These characters just seemed like tough guy creeps. Don’t understand the fuss about this guy.
I kinda want to give this both 5 stars and 3. At times completely brilliant, at others it was overblown, racist and inconsistent in style. I can see why it divides people.
My full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/?p=2139
My full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/?p=2139
I had two misconceptions about To Have and Have Not. The first was that it’s widely regarded as Hemingway’s worst novel and even the author himself said he only wrote it for the money. I’m not sure where I picked that up, because as far as I can tell it received mixed reviews and the only suggestion that Hemingway disliked it comes from an interview with Howard Hawks, a director who adapted it for film in 1944, and claimed that Hemingway told him it was “a bunch of junk.” The second misconception was that it was based on the short story “After the Storm,” one of my favourites from The First 49 Stories. But while “After The Storm” is very similar – involving a rough-and-tumble boat captain in the Gulf of Mexico – To Have and Have Not is actually apparently based upon two different stories, which were incorporated into the book.
To Have and Have Not follows Harry Morgan, a forty-something American skipper who divides his time between Key West and Havana and makes a living by chartering his boat for ventures ranging from fishing expeditions to human trafficking. You can tell pretty early that it was developed out of a couple of short stories, because it’s a patchwork novel; it begins with a couple of disparate sections in which Morgan smuggles Chinese immigrants and then a load of rum, oddly switching between first person and third person perspective, and then it warms up to the crux of the novel – a scene in which the Cubans he agrees to smuggle back into the country rob a bank in Key West first and then essentially hijack him. This critical part of the novel is an example of Hemingway at his finest, and even the earlier segments, while unnecessary, were enjoyable in themselves. It’s a shame that during and after this mid-novel climax, Hemingway decided to focus on a bunch of extraneous characters back in Key West who are going through marriage break-ups and bar arguments are various other things that are not as remotely interesting as the lethal conflict between a skipper and his hijackers in the middle of the sea.
To Have and Have Not is a flawed but enjoyable Hemingway novel, with subtle Marxist undertones (hence the title) and a particularly vivid setting – you can almost feel the Cuban sun on your arms and see the light dappling on the Caribbean water. (Or maybe that’s because I read most of it on a beach in Western Australia.) When it’s good, it’s truly great – it’s just a shame that those moments are uncommon. There’s a very good short novel in here, encrusted with a bunch of other rubbish that simply didn’t need to be there. If Hemingway truly did think this book was “a bunch of junk,” he only had himself to blame.
To Have and Have Not follows Harry Morgan, a forty-something American skipper who divides his time between Key West and Havana and makes a living by chartering his boat for ventures ranging from fishing expeditions to human trafficking. You can tell pretty early that it was developed out of a couple of short stories, because it’s a patchwork novel; it begins with a couple of disparate sections in which Morgan smuggles Chinese immigrants and then a load of rum, oddly switching between first person and third person perspective, and then it warms up to the crux of the novel – a scene in which the Cubans he agrees to smuggle back into the country rob a bank in Key West first and then essentially hijack him. This critical part of the novel is an example of Hemingway at his finest, and even the earlier segments, while unnecessary, were enjoyable in themselves. It’s a shame that during and after this mid-novel climax, Hemingway decided to focus on a bunch of extraneous characters back in Key West who are going through marriage break-ups and bar arguments are various other things that are not as remotely interesting as the lethal conflict between a skipper and his hijackers in the middle of the sea.
To Have and Have Not is a flawed but enjoyable Hemingway novel, with subtle Marxist undertones (hence the title) and a particularly vivid setting – you can almost feel the Cuban sun on your arms and see the light dappling on the Caribbean water. (Or maybe that’s because I read most of it on a beach in Western Australia.) When it’s good, it’s truly great – it’s just a shame that those moments are uncommon. There’s a very good short novel in here, encrusted with a bunch of other rubbish that simply didn’t need to be there. If Hemingway truly did think this book was “a bunch of junk,” he only had himself to blame.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
On one hand, this is a very 'Hemingway' novel. It's full of men (and pretty much only men) of the land (or sea in this case) who drink hard and live a life that's even harder.
And it's damn good. The story is elegantly told, and deals with huge emotion and toil in an understated way – a prime example of his iceberg theory of writing. In many ways, it's a masterclass of taut, effective prose.
Despite this, there are some flaws. About halfway through the book Hemingway starts writing from other perspective and it begins to lose momentum. A lot of this tales and views are interesting, but gives the book a muddled feel at points.
Still, this is a minor quibble. Overall, 'To Have And Have Not' is a great read.
And it's damn good. The story is elegantly told, and deals with huge emotion and toil in an understated way – a prime example of his iceberg theory of writing. In many ways, it's a masterclass of taut, effective prose.
Despite this, there are some flaws. About halfway through the book Hemingway starts writing from other perspective and it begins to lose momentum. A lot of this tales and views are interesting, but gives the book a muddled feel at points.
Still, this is a minor quibble. Overall, 'To Have And Have Not' is a great read.
This was a difficult read. I had a rough time with it all the way to the end and could not make much sense of it after I finished it. Then I began to actually think about it and really it is brilliant. Hemingway traces Harry's life through many seasons and trials and explains human desperation and what one will do to provide for his family. I loved the descriptions of his wife and of many of the other secondary characters.
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What can I say... not my cup of tea. The characters were not at all likeable... I found myself rooting for bad things to happen. And as someone who had never read Hemingway before outside of quotes... was surprised at some of the um,... language he chose to use. Remembering the time it was written, I know why, but some racist language/slurs, not to mention the misogynistic ones. Surprised and sad since he's supposed to be one of our "great American authors" or something.