Review by pbraue13 - For Whom the Bell Tolls

pbraue13 's review for:

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

3.5

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