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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
Read this in the context of a Cuba trip, and is it just too dated? Too sexist? Too racist? I can always put books in the context of the times they were written in, and everyone knows that Hemingway wasn't the most admirable of fellows, but this was over the top for me. Interestingly, I recently read Islands in the Stream which has some similar settings and themes, but liked it very much. Maybe this just wasn't so good. But it gets a 2 because he certainly can write.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Featuring one of the best sex scenes OF ALL LITERATURE. Has inspired my own writing in so many ways. The Earth moved.
4.5
Got so engrossed w Harry's POV that I wasn't a fan of some pov switches. I do think it's a little rough around the edges form wise and there are a lot of stock characters but damn Hemingway's scenes are so vivid. The chapter of him trying to take care of another man while he was shot himself in the backdrop of the waves at night is one of the moments that stood out to me. Marie and Richard's brush-ups (the subtle plot convergence) was so good.
Thematically full of depth. Short and has that signature Hemingway kick.
Got so engrossed w Harry's POV that I wasn't a fan of some pov switches. I do think it's a little rough around the edges form wise and there are a lot of stock characters but damn Hemingway's scenes are so vivid. The chapter of him trying to take care of another man while he was shot himself in the backdrop of the waves at night is one of the moments that stood out to me. Marie and Richard's brush-ups (the subtle plot convergence) was so good.
Thematically full of depth. Short and has that signature Hemingway kick.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think there is a point in every male's life when they go through a Hemingway period in their lives. Sometimes it is when they are young and somewhat unformed, sometimes it is when they are older and trying to figure old why things turned out the way they did. And sometimes you just return to the man out of curiosity. How does he hold up after having lived your life? So, with that in mind, I read one of the few books by the man long after I had gone through my Hemingway period some thirty years ago. And for that, I chose this book. And I have to say it didn't quite hold up as well as I had hoped. The stripped down narrative and macho view of the world seem almost surreal to me now. Though there was something that still held me in its grip. Strange.....
This is a good read, but certainly not one of Hemingway's best. Still, I would recommend it for its insight into the types of difficult choices families and individuals were forced to make to survive during the Great Depression.
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
some beautiful language and interesting parts but I just didn't care about, relate to, like, or remember the characters... or the plot.
Loveable characters:
No