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hannasandmann's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I find it really hard to give a star rating to this book. I enjoyed reading it and I admire Hemingway's skill and I know I am going to come back to this book very often in my head, but quite often felt disconnected from what I think Hemingway's intentions were for the reader, e.g. I did not root for the romance at all. To the contrary, I hated their relationship. So the ending did not have the devestating effect on me, it could have had, had I actually enjoyed their relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Medical trauma, War, Gun violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
nbmki's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Miscarriage
Minor: Racial slurs
christinaanna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Alcohol, and Child death
Minor: Racial slurs and Sexual harassment
ladycapricorn's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and War
Moderate: Child death and Death
julianh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Racial slurs
williamgideon's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I really had to push through this one. The writing is hard to follow, and really, really bland. I don't vibe at all with Hemingway's writing style. The characters were extremely flat and uninteresting, the only remotely likeable ones were side characters. Our narrator has no personality, and the same goes for his love interest, who is barely her own person and is just there to please the narrator. Not at one point did I care what was happening to the characters or if they were gonna be okay. The one thing I did enjoy was the part where they live in the Swiss mountains but that's just because of the setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Gun violence
merlinduh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and War
Minor: Racial slurs and Child death
elainarkk's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
You guessed it: another book read for my literature class on modernism!
Personally, I was not a fan of Hemingway's journalistic writing style. While it was certainly easier to read than other modernist authors, it also felt boring. I found myself skimming over long descriptions of nature that would go on for pages--and while I'm sure these descriptions could have some metaphorical significance, they didn't feel well executed. The story itself was okay. The ending (as in the last 20 pages) was the most interesting and moving portion of the book, but the rest felt dated and un-relatable. I'm always wary of "romance" books or love stories written by men (especially "classic" love stories), because there always seems to be an inherent misogynistic characterization of the women in the story, and that quality is definitely present in A Farewell To Arms. I think Hemingway has some wise things to say about the war and its effects on people in the aftermath, but I also feel like I would have rather read a different novel that covered the same themes in a more tactful or interesting way...
Personally, I was not a fan of Hemingway's journalistic writing style. While it was certainly easier to read than other modernist authors, it also felt boring. I found myself skimming over long descriptions of nature that would go on for pages--and while I'm sure these descriptions could have some metaphorical significance, they didn't feel well executed. The story itself was okay. The ending (as in the last 20 pages) was the most interesting and moving portion of the book, but the rest felt dated and un-relatable. I'm always wary of "romance" books or love stories written by men (especially "classic" love stories), because there always seems to be an inherent misogynistic characterization of the women in the story, and that quality is definitely present in A Farewell To Arms. I think Hemingway has some wise things to say about the war and its effects on people in the aftermath, but I also feel like I would have rather read a different novel that covered the same themes in a more tactful or interesting way...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
lineofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Alcoholism
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