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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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, and War
Minor: Cursing, Violence, Homophobia, and Sexual content
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Racism
Minor: Gore, Death, Animal death, War, Misogyny, and Xenophobia
storyorc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The first half is ugly people behaving either boringly or badly but in a way that makes you recoil rather than lean in to see the mess. How much of that is necessary to make the bull-fighting section as gripping as it was, I'm not sure. Hemmingway's short stories and novellas are so tight, you feel he must have been able to make us suffer less to get to the part where suddenly the pages are flying past.
I understand from researching the title and Hemmingway's comments on the book that it's intended to show that the Lost Generation is not so lost but I struggle to see it. Our main character endures but seemingly only to be taken advantage of again and again by worse people of better breeding. Perhaps that willingness to hope and work hard (when not spending so much on holiday it makes you cringe) is a virtue in itself. However, even if you consider it hopeless, as I'm tempted to, it's a fantastic portrayal of that downtrodden acceptance of an imperfect life. Very much about settling and accepting a bad lot; perhaps that's why it wasn't set in America.
If nothing else, it's academically fascinating to watch Hemmingway pile on the weight of unsaid things atop his sparse and simple prose. Occasionally, a character does admit what they actually think about their grotesque little love polygon but the story is at its most tense when they're sat around talking about anything else. I didn't appreciate how there was an elephant behind the elephant in the room until this passage came after a simple dinner with friends:
I understand from researching the title and Hemmingway's comments on the book that it's intended to show that the Lost Generation is not so lost but I struggle to see it. Our main character endures but seemingly only to be taken advantage of again and again by worse people of better breeding. Perhaps that willingness to hope and work hard (when not spending so much on holiday it makes you cringe) is a virtue in itself. However, even if you consider it hopeless, as I'm tempted to, it's a fantastic portrayal of that downtrodden acceptance of an imperfect life. Very much about settling and accepting a bad lot; perhaps that's why it wasn't set in America.
If nothing else, it's academically fascinating to watch Hemmingway pile on the weight of unsaid things atop his sparse and simple prose. Occasionally, a character does admit what they actually think about their grotesque little love polygon but the story is at its most tense when they're sat around talking about anything else. I didn't appreciate how there was an elephant behind the elephant in the room until this passage came after a simple dinner with friends:
It was like certain dinners I remember from the war. There was much wine, an ignored tension, and a feeling of things coming that you could not prevent happening.
Reading the book with the shadow of the war in mind might yield richer results.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Sexism
Antisemitism, including from the narrator, goes unchecked by the narrative beyond the general impression that all the characters are arseholes. Black characters are allowed very little personhood. K- and n-slurs used. A 34yr old woman seduces a 19yr old boy. General period-typical sexism abounds. The main character is wounded in a way that prevents them from having sex and it is implied the woman who loves him will not be with him because of it, though she doesn't seem to stay with uninjured men any better.abe26's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
bookish_bry's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'll admit from the beginning that I don't really jive with Hemingway's style. I appreciate it as someone who writes themself, but as a reader, it makes it hard to get into. The entire first part of the book was very slow and the style made it hard to connect to any of the characters. However, later in the book I did start to enjoy it a lot more. While Hemingway doesn't use many metaphors the ones he does (pretty much just bullfighting) are used very effectively. I ended up being able to see the complexity of the characters and their relationship, and I appreciated them by the end.
It was a good representation of the lost generation and that sense of hopelessness and loss of real identity. It's definitely an important read, and I'm sure there are people who would appreciate the style more than I do at times.
It was a good representation of the lost generation and that sense of hopelessness and loss of real identity. It's definitely an important read, and I'm sure there are people who would appreciate the style more than I do at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Death
A big part of this book is about watching bullfighting with all of the violence towards animals and all of the danger to humans that implies.roclarenett's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Animal death, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Blood, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Classism, and Death
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