Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

29 reviews

kananineko's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Violence

waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Hemingway's thoughts, feelings, and ideas about the world are deeply flawed due to his racism, sexism, and antisemitism, but goddamn do I love the way he writes. I love his short, sharp prose though. Each word is thoughtfully chosen and deployed.

The main character is Jake—who is so clearly a self-insert that it’s almost laughable—and we see the world only through his eyes. He’s self-centered, broken by war, desperately sad, and serious. In between jazz age parties, you watch this man crumble beneath the weight of his suffering, and even though he kind of sucks, you can’t help but feel sorry for the guy.

Jake's travels in France and Spain read like a journal/travelogue. He’s simultaneously numb and in pain, but he also sees beauty in everything. He’s a walking, talking contradiction.

The prose is melancholy, wistful, and reflective. You end up feeling bad for almost all the characters, who have all wrecked their own lives or been wrecked by others or some combination. This is the first novel of Hemingway's that I’ve read, and despite some of my qualms with it, it makes me want to pick up more of his work. He's writes a compelling, fascinating read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: War

hgbush's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Blood, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Violence

Minor: War

ecourtis's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Bullying

Minor: War

toffishay's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Xenophobia, and War

lay_kone's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

renicula's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

seanml's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

"The Sun Also Rises" defined the Lost Generation, and it certainly feels lost. It's very reminiscent of the very household name The Great Gatsby, published only a year earlier. We follow a group of affluent white folk who live in a world feeling jaded. They hope that each new day will be better, but their freedom brings them to poor conclusions. The characters are put in situations where they don't HAVE to do the right thing, and so each decision is just a little selfish. Usually not grossly so: they're all human, and we would act the same. But these little building disagreements, without distraction, gradually build into conflict. I like our protagonist well enough. I like Bill. I want to like Brett, I want to like Robert, and Mike, and Romero. In the end there's no reason to dislike them either. They're all lost and hurt people, formed by circumstance.
P.S.: There is a single page where the n-word is uttered casually something like 15 times. It doesn't seem malicious, but it's flagrant. Just be aware that if you read this book about problematic people, understand that the author also was a problematic person in a lost world. 8.5/10.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Antisemitism, Stalking, and Classism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Gore, Infertility, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and War

brittishrcoming's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

lauramcc7's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Antisemitism, and Alcohol