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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Not my favourite book of Hemingway’s but the story carries itself well enough throughout the 300 pages.
If i were to read this again I’d probably give it 5 stars. I’m a little emotionally exhausted right now though
I enjoyed “The Sun Also Rises” and especially “For Whom the Bell Tolls” more, so I’ll give this one a four. Shoutout to John Slattery for being a great narrator.
If you've never seen the film Silver Linings Playbook, there is a scene that accurately wraps up this book. Watch that scene to understand the book. But READ the book to understand why I'm crying right now.
But, because it's Hemingway, it's cultured crying.
That makes it okay, right?
…right?
But, because it's Hemingway, it's cultured crying.
That makes it okay, right?
…right?
The descriptions are rich, and Hemingway's style is still one of my favorites...but I just didn't get into the story as much as I have other works of his. There were two long monologues that were incredible, but the rest of it was less memorable.
I liked it I guess, but not as much as [book:The Sun Also Rises]. It was sad. But didn't make me cry, which is odd: EVERYTHING makes me cry.
Hemingway, what can I say? Stream of consciousness style doesn’t do it for me. Nope. That’s part of the reason I haven’t ever picked up a Kerouac novel. That… and the misogyny… and rampant drug use… I don’t even care if the titles would be wicked cool celebrity kids names (hello, nice to meet you, this is my daughter Desolation Angel Pitt), it’s not happening. Hit the road, Jack. Beat it. (cue snickers in the background, and not the chocolatey kind.)
Not my favourite. I found the characters quite one-dimensional, particularly Catherine, and the whole thing seemed a little pointless. But maybe that is the point, wars are pointless and death catches us all, sooner or later, so you may as well just drink life away (him), or try to subsume yourself into someone else (Catherine).
Continuing my march through World War I novels, we have A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway. The novel describes an American, Frederic Henry, who is serving as a lieutenant in the Italian Army, on the Italian front of World War I. It describes how Lieutenant Henry meets and falls in love with a nurse Catherine Barkley, a relationship that blossoms when Henry is wounded and Catherine comes with him. As I understand it the novel is semi-autobiographical, based on Hemingway's experiences on that front.
I have nothing but negative things to say about the main character/narrator Lieutenant Henry and his love interest Catherine Barkley. Henry is one of the most empty characters I've ever seen in any literary work; when asked why an American is fighting for Italy at all, his response is that, "I don't know, there isn't always an explanation for everything." Which I think aptly describes his character. He's a man of few words, and not very compelling at all. As he's the first person narrator, one would expect him to display some sense of complex internal motivation, but he seems to be motivated by nothing other than sex and alcohol. I can't emphasize how much alcohol this character drinks; the guy literally gets liver disease and jaundice halfway through the novel. His entire life seems to consist of seeking out the next pleasure. Obviously Hemingway is a very talented writer, so I can't chalk this up to lack of ability like I might with other writers. So either in Hemingway's mind these are the only things that motivate people, or we're left to ponder why anybody would ever deliberately create a character like this one.
Catherine Barkley, his love interest, is even worse than he, as impossible as that might seem. She seems to have been constructed purely as a kind of fantasy, existing purely for Henry's pleasure. At one point she even says that, "I'll say just what you wish and I'll do what you wish and then you will never want any other girls, will you?...I want what you want. There isn't any me any more. Just what you want." Her character is disturbingly insecure, constantly seeking approval that Henry "really loves" her, and vowing to do whatever he wants. Her speech patterns are also absolutely infuriating: she's one of those characters who talks a lot but says almost nothing. I also counted 100 instances of the word "darling." The central relationship was generally very irritating, and I actually found myself sympathizing with the few characters who expressed dislike for one or both of them.
Oh, and there's a war going on. It was inevitable, I think, that my initial instinct in reading would be to compare this with All Quiet on the Western Front, but it quickly became clear that the two novels shared little in common. All Quiet is a very somber work, fitting for a war in which millions of young men lost their lives. A Farewell to Arms, on the other hand, seems to show us what war is like for those of privilege, who spent much of that time getting drunk and generally having a good time. So while poor, unfortunate boys were dying face down in the mud on the Western and Eastern Front, rich men like Hemingway were taking an extended vacation, and earning medals along the way.
I have nothing but negative things to say about the main character/narrator Lieutenant Henry and his love interest Catherine Barkley. Henry is one of the most empty characters I've ever seen in any literary work; when asked why an American is fighting for Italy at all, his response is that, "I don't know, there isn't always an explanation for everything." Which I think aptly describes his character. He's a man of few words, and not very compelling at all. As he's the first person narrator, one would expect him to display some sense of complex internal motivation, but he seems to be motivated by nothing other than sex and alcohol. I can't emphasize how much alcohol this character drinks; the guy literally gets liver disease and jaundice halfway through the novel. His entire life seems to consist of seeking out the next pleasure. Obviously Hemingway is a very talented writer, so I can't chalk this up to lack of ability like I might with other writers. So either in Hemingway's mind these are the only things that motivate people, or we're left to ponder why anybody would ever deliberately create a character like this one.
Catherine Barkley, his love interest, is even worse than he, as impossible as that might seem. She seems to have been constructed purely as a kind of fantasy, existing purely for Henry's pleasure. At one point she even says that, "I'll say just what you wish and I'll do what you wish and then you will never want any other girls, will you?...I want what you want. There isn't any me any more. Just what you want." Her character is disturbingly insecure, constantly seeking approval that Henry "really loves" her, and vowing to do whatever he wants. Her speech patterns are also absolutely infuriating: she's one of those characters who talks a lot but says almost nothing. I also counted 100 instances of the word "darling." The central relationship was generally very irritating, and I actually found myself sympathizing with the few characters who expressed dislike for one or both of them.
Oh, and there's a war going on. It was inevitable, I think, that my initial instinct in reading would be to compare this with All Quiet on the Western Front, but it quickly became clear that the two novels shared little in common. All Quiet is a very somber work, fitting for a war in which millions of young men lost their lives. A Farewell to Arms, on the other hand, seems to show us what war is like for those of privilege, who spent much of that time getting drunk and generally having a good time. So while poor, unfortunate boys were dying face down in the mud on the Western and Eastern Front, rich men like Hemingway were taking an extended vacation, and earning medals along the way.