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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent description. Like the main characters quite a bit. Less misogynistic than some of his others. Like the de-centered worldview and attention to existential matters rather than high ideals.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
they’re just trying to grab the bull by the horns.
a conversational tale about coping with the reality of life and meandering your way through. i think all of the characters are essentially the same just told through different situations and appearances. they’re also so real for hating cohn basically because he’s insecure and desperate. there’s a sort of apathy to the characters and plot that makes them seem more youthful than they really are, but truly a depiction of a generation fresh out of war, it’s also worth noting how timeless these questions of purpose and direction are to every generation
a conversational tale about coping with the reality of life and meandering your way through. i think all of the characters are essentially the same just told through different situations and appearances. they’re also so real for hating cohn basically because he’s insecure and desperate. there’s a sort of apathy to the characters and plot that makes them seem more youthful than they really are, but truly a depiction of a generation fresh out of war, it’s also worth noting how timeless these questions of purpose and direction are to every generation
Reading the dramas of this particular friend group has the same level of excitement as being forced to view your coworkers vacation pictures. It just felt like they were all constantly talking and drinking, and not really saying anything. A bit of amping up at the end and then it pretty quickly just fizzles back out with no real conclusion. I guess the characters could have just carried on as they had been and it would make sense.
I've been told this is not the Ernest Hemingway novel to read if one chooses to read Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea or Farewell To Arms are both recommended over this one. Having not read those, I can't comment on whether my friends are right, but this was not much of a book. It was thankfully short, but not a great deal happened. The narrator, Jake Barnes seems to've been a stand-in for Hemingway. I trust the actual author was a more captivating character, because Barnes seems to have no strong opinions about anything outside of bull-fighting. Most of the book is concerned with bullfighting and Jake's love of Brett who is flighty and self-pitying. It could be this is a great piece of literature, I don't think it's poorly written, but it's also not at all for me.
The first time I read this, I was unquestionably too immature to understand anything that happened in it. Fast forward about fifteen years, and I'm now able to understand and follow the plot (if you can call it that) just fine. I could actually tell there were jokes in it this time, but a couple of bits seemed uncomfortably racist. All of this is more a testament to how growing up works rather than anything about the book or Hemingway's writing itself.
I like that Hemingway at least keeps things simple and the words don't really bog you down. This isn't a book where you're going to get lost in prose and have to re-read paragraphs, just make sure you've had enough life experience to understand what's happening between these characters if you decide you want to read this.
I like that Hemingway at least keeps things simple and the words don't really bog you down. This isn't a book where you're going to get lost in prose and have to re-read paragraphs, just make sure you've had enough life experience to understand what's happening between these characters if you decide you want to read this.
I rarely stop reading a book before I've finished it but I'm making an exception for this one. I like Hemmingway and have enjoyed a number of his books (For Whom the Bell Tolls, A Farewell to Arms, The Old Man and the Sea). I gather this was his first - so I'm willing to cut him some slack - but it's very poorly written. It reads like a draft and the characters are dull. I very much doubt this book would have found a publisher today.
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautiful portrait of extremely real characters. Hemingway’s dialogue is masterful in this, explaining complicated layers of a character through one simple conversation. Hemingway always is, but usually there is some sort of action that surrounds it. In this masterpiece almost all of the action and tension comes from the dialogue. He even nails what a conversation between hammered people sounds like. Every man has been cursed with loving a Brett Ashley once in his life, and this book perfectly explains the joy and torture that is found in that love.
Honestly I loved the writing in this book. Even though this book is fiction, it almost felt historical fiction since I was learning a lot of the mannerisms and nuances. Every now and then while reading, I would stop and think about how crazy it was that the book was written right after world war 1 and before world war 2 and the treatment of Cohen made everything a lot sadder. Obviously a lot of things are out of date and horrid to read, but the perspective is intriguing.
About a 100 pages in I had to look up what this novel is about. Even knowing what to look for I didn't see much of the character exploration it's supposed to show. And the Lost Generation theme didn't resonate with me. Otherwise it was ok read, not boring, but also not something I would go back to.
Couple of funny passages.
"Road to hell is pave with unbought stuffed dogs."
Couple of funny passages.
"Road to hell is pave with unbought stuffed dogs."