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callumbooth 's review for:

To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway
4.0

On one hand, this is a very 'Hemingway' novel. It's full of men (and pretty much only men) of the land (or sea in this case) who drink hard and live a life that's even harder.

And it's damn good. The story is elegantly told, and deals with huge emotion and toil in an understated way – a prime example of his iceberg theory of writing. In many ways, it's a masterclass of taut, effective prose.

Despite this, there are some flaws. About halfway through the book Hemingway starts writing from other perspective and it begins to lose momentum. A lot of this tales and views are interesting, but gives the book a muddled feel at points.

Still, this is a minor quibble. Overall, 'To Have And Have Not' is a great read.