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darthnibbles's review against another edition
5.0
Browsing through the other reviews on this site, I was surprised by how many people complained about the plot. You don't read Hemingway for the plot; if you want plot, go watch a soap opera. You read Hemingway for the style, the setting, and an uncanny ability to convey emotion without actually talking about emotion.
I finished this book with the idea that nothing in it is to be taken literally. By the half-way point, in fact, I kept expecting to find that it was all a dream or he was dead. Fortunately Hemingway never does anything so inane. Instead, we are left with the impression that nothing seen or described may actually be quite what we understand it to be. It is the colored impression of a man filled with pain, longing, and regret.
Ultimately, this is the story of a man who knows he is going to die, trying to come to terms with that fact.
I finished this book with the idea that nothing in it is to be taken literally. By the half-way point, in fact, I kept expecting to find that it was all a dream or he was dead. Fortunately Hemingway never does anything so inane. Instead, we are left with the impression that nothing seen or described may actually be quite what we understand it to be. It is the colored impression of a man filled with pain, longing, and regret.
Ultimately, this is the story of a man who knows he is going to die, trying to come to terms with that fact.
ollie_reading's review against another edition
previously incapable of writing a protagonist that wasn't a stoic, strong & silent type who watches on coolly and sagely while all around him lose their heads, finally hemingway writes a protagonist that actually has a personality! and flaws! and eccentricities!
this novel is far more immediately entertaining, and funny, as a result, and despite the plot, which revolves almost solely around a 50 year old man pining for a teenager, cantwell is more endearing than any previous hemingway protagonist because he feels things openly, loves more deeply, is quicker to rage or sulk or express joy or joke or make mistakes. it comes through most obviously in his descriptions of venice; cantwell has a beautiful and genuine love of the city and so the venice of this novel feels far richer than the paris of 'the sun also rises' and the various italian towns in 'a farewell to arms'.
it's just a shame that the plot revolves mainly around often nauseating conversation between cantwell and the 'daughter' he's hopelessly in love with. the non-linear chronology, war flashbacks and mediations on mortality are the most interesting aspects of the novel but feel underbaked, and as a result across the river and into the trees feels slight and flimsy in comparison to his earlier work and difficult to take as seriously.
this novel is far more immediately entertaining, and funny, as a result, and despite the plot, which revolves almost solely around a 50 year old man pining for a teenager, cantwell is more endearing than any previous hemingway protagonist because he feels things openly, loves more deeply, is quicker to rage or sulk or express joy or joke or make mistakes. it comes through most obviously in his descriptions of venice; cantwell has a beautiful and genuine love of the city and so the venice of this novel feels far richer than the paris of 'the sun also rises' and the various italian towns in 'a farewell to arms'.
it's just a shame that the plot revolves mainly around often nauseating conversation between cantwell and the 'daughter' he's hopelessly in love with. the non-linear chronology, war flashbacks and mediations on mortality are the most interesting aspects of the novel but feel underbaked, and as a result across the river and into the trees feels slight and flimsy in comparison to his earlier work and difficult to take as seriously.
kingbob's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bcohen13's review against another edition
3.0
For a novel written between “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “The Old Man and the Sea”, this was just… not very good. Hemingway is great, but not this book. Still, I’m not upset I took the time to read it.
mmillerb's review against another edition
America’s funniest writer and most embarrassing cultural export
athend's review against another edition
3.0
It is an interesting work. At times the dialogue can feel extremely childish, like the blabberings of a child (or of an old fool), but then, at other times, you come across a sentence which hits you hard and true out of the blue.
I guess final goodbyes are like that: talking about everything and nothing, making plans that will never be, a final solace before the drop of the curtain. And then the swan sings.
I guess final goodbyes are like that: talking about everything and nothing, making plans that will never be, a final solace before the drop of the curtain. And then the swan sings.
sbsenpai's review against another edition
2.0
As my first outing with Hemingway, this book didn't leave the best impression with me. Set in one day at the end of World War II, this book is about a 50 year old American Colonel with a 19 year old Italian countess. If you read Lolita, then you can understand how uncomfortable he writing/situation can be at times... Now at least the woman is of legal age, but it does still seem pretty off at times. I give it credit, for telling it in just a day, so the pacing was nice.