Reviews

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

zenerat's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

meghannhruska's review against another edition

4.0

great quotes. good book. recommended to me by an asshole, so a little disappointed that i enjoyed it

saltygalreads's review against another edition

4.0

This short novella tells the story of Santiago, the old fisherman who heads out to sea in his little skiff to catch marlin all by himself. After days of struggle he finally manages to land it, only to lose it all to scavenging sharks on the journey back home.

It is a simple story, simply written, about a humble old man trying to make a living off the sea and the struggles he faces doing that. The most beautiful thing about the story is Santiago's attitude towards life and hardship. He fights nobly and so does the marlin he catches. When he loses it to the sharks, he does not whine and complain, but accepts it with a stoic attitude, attributing it to the mistakes he made and also to bad fortune. He then takes his rest, resolving to do things differently and better the next time.

In many respects, this feels like a love letter from Hemingway to Cuba - the people, the pleasures of a simple life, and to the fishing that he loved to do. I am glad that I took the time to reread it and appreciate the beautiful, simple prose.

henryk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

ahalsnad's review against another edition

3.0

Good

I guess I had expected it to be a little different.
I felt the story mainly tried to show the stubbornness and the pride of the old man to catch the fish even when it was hard. But he persevered and finally caught it only to lose it at the end.
I appreciate the old man for his perseverance, but maybe sometimes it isn't going to fetch the best result. As was the case for the old man.

emmaleigh55's review against another edition

reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

applechen's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

In diesem Fall ist der Titel des Buches selbsterklärend: der alte Mann und das Meer. Etwas anderes passiert nicht. Der Fischer Santiago treibt mehrere Tage und Nächte auf der See, gebunden an einen unbekannten Fisch, der ihn durchs Wasser zieht. Leider konnte ich daraus nicht so viel mitnehmen, was, denke ich, hauptsächlich daran liegt, dass ich die ganzen Bibelandeutungen nicht verstanden habe - gut, den Löwentraum am Ende habe sogar ich erkannt, aber das macht dieses Buch fur mich nicht unbedingt ansprechender oder tiefgründiger. So ganz verstehe ich nicht, warum Hemingway vor allem für dieses Buch seinen Literaturnobelpreis bekommen hat, aber mir fehlte halt auch ein entscheidender Schlüssel zum Zugang. Trotzdem bin ich froh, diesen Klassiker mal gelesen zu haben. Und: Hemingway hat auf jeden Fall einen schönen Schreibstil.

jaushe's review against another edition

4.0

Does anyone know if Joe DiMaggio liked this book?

eva_doel's review against another edition

1.5

no plot just fishing… not for me personally 

justnicka's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0