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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I had read A Moveable Feast before (the originally published version), but it's taken me a while to get a chance to read the new version. I can't say I've taken the time to do a close comparison, but I have to say it seemed smoother and more enjoyable. I think the new version is a definite asset to Hemingway studies.
I read this "restored version" edited by his grandson Sean that my partner picked up for me at the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris, which figures prominently in his memories.
It's a fantastic book to get into the head of one of America's foremost characters. He was a brilliant writer, but I think the belief that he was America's greatest 20th-century writer is misplaced. His misogyny is apparent--and the way he seems to implicitly apologize for it as he laments the way he treated his first wife is oddly touching--and his arrogance drips from each page. In that and other ways, he is a prototypical American character: hardworking but not really self-made; arrogant and demeaning to others, but by his talents you excuse--though not forgive--his many flaws and admire what he does for what it is.
A brief note on the prose: The chapters are written in a sort of pugilistic style. He hits you with light jabs as you chase him around the ring, not terribly affected by the short punches and leaving you wondering what it is he's up to. And then just before the bell rings, he lands a devastating blow or combination to conclusively win the round.
The excerpts included at the end of this book are fantastic. I would probably rate this book 4.5 stars if Goodreads allowed it, but as a student of writing, those excerpts are what brings this version to 5 stars because I don't believe 4 stars do it justice. The editing job was superb.
It's a fantastic book to get into the head of one of America's foremost characters. He was a brilliant writer, but I think the belief that he was America's greatest 20th-century writer is misplaced. His misogyny is apparent--and the way he seems to implicitly apologize for it as he laments the way he treated his first wife is oddly touching--and his arrogance drips from each page. In that and other ways, he is a prototypical American character: hardworking but not really self-made; arrogant and demeaning to others, but by his talents you excuse--though not forgive--his many flaws and admire what he does for what it is.
A brief note on the prose: The chapters are written in a sort of pugilistic style. He hits you with light jabs as you chase him around the ring, not terribly affected by the short punches and leaving you wondering what it is he's up to. And then just before the bell rings, he lands a devastating blow or combination to conclusively win the round.
The excerpts included at the end of this book are fantastic. I would probably rate this book 4.5 stars if Goodreads allowed it, but as a student of writing, those excerpts are what brings this version to 5 stars because I don't believe 4 stars do it justice. The editing job was superb.
Loved it if only for all the tea Hemingway spills about the great personalities of the times, like Gertrude Stein and F.Scott Fitzgerald.
My first foray into Hemingway. Interesting but not particularly memorable for me.
Hemingway's memoir of Paris is a beautifully rendered portrait of a time and a people. His bitchy pen portraits of the famous artists and writers have a pinch of arsenic to them but despite his usual smugness he is also frankly self critical and there's a sadness to the fact this is a happy period he will destroy before the Second World War gets there.
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Just finished. Makes me want to pick up some more Hemingway. I know I've read A Farewell to Arms. I liked his description of life in Paris - one of my favorite cities. He seemed pretty self-involved but maybe that's the artistic temperament?
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
