ravensviewca 's review for:

A Farewell to Arms: The Hemingway Library Edition by Ernest Hemingway

2.0

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I'm re-reading A Farewell to Arms. Or trying to. I got a version from the library that includes an introduction by Ernie Hemingway himself, as well as all his alternative endings and several early drafts of some passages. I thought it would be interesting for me, as a writer, to see how he did this. But first I have to finish it. I'm on page 257 of 284, so almost there, but a haven't really been swept off my feet with his style. "Curt and simple" some say, but there are a lot of rambling repetitive descriptions that made me wonder if he had an editor at times Or maybe that's heresy? His dialogue certainly is curt.  More taciturn than a New England farmer. People now like to talk, but maybe it as different in Italy 100 years ago. And the characters, especially Catherine, seem shallow at times.
I'll make it through. 
Edit - okay, I finished. Spoiler alert - Catherine dies. I didn't really care. And it seemed that the protagonist. Emmet. wasn't that upset either. I browsed the many alternate endings, and found them interesting. However, I don't think the problem with this was the wrong ending.