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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
Possibly the worst book that I have ever read - and not only because I don’t have quite the appetite that Hemingway had for the “n word”. That this was written by the same person that wrote A Farewell to Arms really does show what a complete basket case Hemingway became in his second half. My god, it was written the way Donald trump would write a book. Repeated sentences - that didn’t make sense, racism, misogyny. You could almost hear Donald in all his faded glory.
This hit me differently. I really didn’t like the mc initially. Found him contemptible. But the Florida keys and the boat descriptions and the characters were so clear. And his wife, wow. She was so very herself. Their relationship emphatic from start to finish, explained and understandable. This is probably the exact opposite of Hemingway to everyone other than me, and I am 100% ok with that.
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was an interesting read. I wouldn’t say it was bad however I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It was a solid story about a man doing whatever he could to support his family which seems like it’d be heartwarming, but they don’t mention much of the family at all throughout the book. Also Hemingway doesn’t seem to like his own cast since the characters are always changing. For the first quarter of the book the main character has his old time friend with him who seemingly disappears and is replaced by a new “old time buddy” with no story to how he knows him.
By the last few chapters of the book, it definitely gets to be a thrilling page turner but then as soon as the climax happens and you’re ready for the story to be wrapped up, you get an unexpected 2 or 3 chapters that have nothing to do with anything that you’ve read at all, and that really irked me. But after you get through that randomness, the book does wrap up quite nicely.
I wouldn’t say skipping this book would take anything away from you. It was fine to read, but at times gets a little boring and repetitive (there are some points where the characters just repeat themselves over and over).
By the last few chapters of the book, it definitely gets to be a thrilling page turner but then as soon as the climax happens and you’re ready for the story to be wrapped up, you get an unexpected 2 or 3 chapters that have nothing to do with anything that you’ve read at all, and that really irked me. But after you get through that randomness, the book does wrap up quite nicely.
I wouldn’t say skipping this book would take anything away from you. It was fine to read, but at times gets a little boring and repetitive (there are some points where the characters just repeat themselves over and over).
This was like super depressing and not in a good way. While I can appreciate the class rivalry going on, it was just so incredibly brutal, racist, misogynistic, etc. that it made me so uncomfortable and actually kind of angry and annoyed at the 180 pages of tequila soaked testosterone I just read. And on top of that it was just straight up fucking boring! And not like typical Hemingway boring I'm talking the words have no meaning and I'm dragging myself through the last 70 pages boring. How can a book that's so reliant on violence and action scenes be so boring?!! But I suppose its an accomplishment in its own right for a book to bother you as much as this one bothers me.
"Have you been crazy long?"
"I think always."
"Have you been crazy long?"
"I think always."
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is the ur-American Tabloid, wearying in its bleakness and predictive of much awfulness to come. Its dated portions (i.e., racist language) are expectedly shocking, but its overall worm's eye take on economic desperation is unexpectedly timely. There are some surprising parallels in narrative structure and point of view to Ulysses (perhaps not so surprising given their acquaintanceship), as if Hemingway were attempting to create a maritime crime take on Joyce (in more conventional prose). I read it in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Key West, but came away with greater insights into the craft of James Ellroy and Frank Bill.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
