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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Is it possible to feel even more devastated now by the end (really by the whole second half) of this book than I did when I first read it as a junior or senior in high school? Yeah. I'm much more familiar with the breaking Hemingway captures here. "It is in defeat that we become Christian." Now I know how true that is.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
this was a nightmare to get through and every page i was vowing to myself that i would never pick up a hemingway ever again and every conversation between sexist caricature catherine and the narrator made me want to bash my head in and then i got to the end. and i’m not sure if this is 3 stars or 4 or 5.
I thought this book was going to be about a double amputee coming to terms with his condition, but instead I got a book about being blown up while eating cheese.
Hemingway’s sparse, matter of fact style was refreshing. This novel is absolutely devastating. I can see why Bradley Cooper got so pissed off in Silver Linings Playbook, bipolar disorder or no. However, I would never dream of throwing this book out of a closed window. I quite enjoyed it.
Hemingway’s sparse, matter of fact style was refreshing. This novel is absolutely devastating. I can see why Bradley Cooper got so pissed off in Silver Linings Playbook, bipolar disorder or no. However, I would never dream of throwing this book out of a closed window. I quite enjoyed it.
The story of American Frederic Henry who serves as an ambulance driver in the Italian army during World War I and his love affair with Catherine Barkley, a British nurse.
I thought this book was okay. I feel like I should have thought it was amazing as it is Hemingway (my first one), but I just wasn't that into it. I thought the descriptions of war were great, but I really disliked the portrayal of Catherine. Her character was like a guy's dream of what a woman should be. Everything was about her guy, she basically had no personality. I got tired of her saying, "Anything you want, darling. I only want what you want, darling." It was nauseating. I'm glad I read this classic, but I wouldn't recommend it.
NK Book Club June 2014
I thought this book was okay. I feel like I should have thought it was amazing as it is Hemingway (my first one), but I just wasn't that into it. I thought the descriptions of war were great, but I really disliked the portrayal of Catherine. Her character was like a guy's dream of what a woman should be. Everything was about her guy, she basically had no personality. I got tired of her saying, "Anything you want, darling. I only want what you want, darling." It was nauseating. I'm glad I read this classic, but I wouldn't recommend it.
NK Book Club June 2014
First off, I am very glad that I gave Hemingway another shot. I loved his blunt and punchy writing and easily got sucked into the rapid dialogue. I felt like this book was written to be read in one sitting and frequently would return to the book to find myself disoriented or needing several pages before I remembered where the characters were in the plot. I did not feel compelled by Lt. Henry and Catherine's love story until about the last 10 pages which may have been intended and their relationship was supposed to be this over the top, illogical thing. I think I would have appreciated this book more if I had a companion guide or read it as part of a class so that I had some direction on what was just Hemingway's outlook on the world and what was intended as a metaphor or parallel for WWI. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and will definitely be picking up more Hemingway in the future.
For years I've been telling myself I'd give Hemmingway another chance (my only exposure was the Old Man and the Sea in high school and I hated it). I'm so glad I got over that and tried again. I really enjoyed this book a lot, despite the gloominess. Both the story and the style made kept me intrigued, glad I finally read it. I think I'll try Hemmingway again soon - suggestions?