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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.”
This is a novel of the Spanish Civil War, and one of his most ambitious works. Told in the third person but largely through the eyes of Robert Jordan, an American dynamiter fighting for the Republic, it also shifts at times into other characters’ perspectives, mainly to flesh out the broader human toll of war.
It is a dialogue-rich novel, though often the dialogues themselves aren’t particularly compelling, even if a constant undercurrent of tension runs beneath them. More distracting is Hemingway’s mannered attempt to translate Spanish speech patterns into English, using “thou” and “thee,” which feels stilted rather than authentic. The love story between Robert Jordan and Maria fares worse: their scenes are overwrought to the point of parody, and Hemingway gives us the oft-mocked euphemism “I felt the earth move.” Maria herself is a frustratingly thin character, drawn as a vulnerable, girlish figure in need of protection. Coupled with the novel’s heavy dose of machoism, it sometimes reads like a Hollywood war film from the 1940s.
There are also moments that may jar modern readers: Hemingway’s use of “Gypsy” and other racialized remarks remind us of the prejudices of his time, and they can make parts of the text uncomfortable or even painful to read today. And yet, despite these flaws, the novel has undeniable power. It gains strength from its tight frame, four days and three nights in the mountains west of Madrid, giving it a unity of time and place that lends weight and immediacy. Pilar’s harrowing account in Chapter Ten of the Red Terror in her hometown (likely based on Ronda) is unforgettable, a haunting set piece that anchors the book emotionally. And then there is the finale: a breathtaking, fast-paced stretch of nearly a hundred pages, written with cinematic urgency and cross-cutting, as Jordan’s mission reaches its tragic yet strangely hopeful climax. Here Hemingway’s narrative control is absolute, and the novel becomes a true page-turner.
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is uneven, its romance is embarrassing, its dialogue often strained, and its bravado wearying, but it is also one of Hemingway’s most romantic works, in the broader sense of heroism, sacrifice, and fleeting beauty in the shadow of death. It doesn’t have the steadier balance of "The Sun Also Rises" or "A Farewell to Arms", but when it works, it soars.
It’s easy to see why so many, from John McCain to countless others, have called it a favorite. For all its flaws, it remains a novel of striking consistency, unforgettable set pieces, and a finale that lingers long after the last page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault
Anti-God sentiment. Would not finish reading out of respect for God.
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“You cannot ride that wheel too long. That is probably quite a deadly wheel. I’m glad we are off of it.”
Quote sums up my thoughts on this novel. While it is interesting to read the perspective of an American helping the Republic during the Spanish Civil War fighting fascism, I did not find the plot plausible. What group of people accepts a random man and agree to blow up a bridge with him within 5 minutes of meeting him.? Why do they blindly listen to him? What woman who after experiencing real trauma falls in love with a man in 5 minutes? The whole plot is a farce.
Robert Jordan comes off as broken man. He learns a lot about himself over the three day period and comes to grips with about his fate in pine needles. Hard to understand why he puts himself in such a position.
Of course there is Pilar, she is the leader of this drunken band of cohorts. She is out of shape and admits she has no smarts, why is she their leader? Everyone else is too drunk? Because she loved bull fighters?
We do not get the backstory of Anselmo, the older man introducing Robert to the drunken cohorts. He is loyal to Robert at a fault.
That said, the writing has an aesthetic one cannot argue with. The pacing is okay, there is a large build for the first 60% of the novel then it kicks into gear. Tragic ending I come to expect after reading other Hemingway stories.
Plot 1*
Writing 4*
Character development 3*
Resulting in 3* will not reread again unlike the Sun Also Rises and Farewell to Arms.
Quote sums up my thoughts on this novel. While it is interesting to read the perspective of an American helping the Republic during the Spanish Civil War fighting fascism, I did not find the plot plausible. What group of people accepts a random man and agree to blow up a bridge with him within 5 minutes of meeting him.? Why do they blindly listen to him? What woman who after experiencing real trauma falls in love with a man in 5 minutes? The whole plot is a farce.
Robert Jordan comes off as broken man. He learns a lot about himself over the three day period and comes to grips with about his fate in pine needles. Hard to understand why he puts himself in such a position.
Of course there is Pilar, she is the leader of this drunken band of cohorts. She is out of shape and admits she has no smarts, why is she their leader? Everyone else is too drunk? Because she loved bull fighters?
We do not get the backstory of Anselmo, the older man introducing Robert to the drunken cohorts. He is loyal to Robert at a fault.
That said, the writing has an aesthetic one cannot argue with. The pacing is okay, there is a large build for the first 60% of the novel then it kicks into gear. Tragic ending I come to expect after reading other Hemingway stories.
Plot 1*
Writing 4*
Character development 3*
Resulting in 3* will not reread again unlike the Sun Also Rises and Farewell to Arms.
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes