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cleothebengal's review against another edition
3.0
If you take a shot every time he calls his lover his daughter, you’ll be blackout drunk by the end.
nanbary's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
In all honesty, I struggled to follow the plot of this book and found my interest lying less in the story than the stand alone quotes scattered throughout. Recounting the horrors of war through the lense of a man attempting to look at things clinically whilst understanding the gravity of what he had witnessed was quite compelling, especially as one reads that through serving he respects those who have fought (regardless of what side they were on) more than those who haven’t. It also opened my eyes to the financial liability a leader imposes when a misstep results in casualties - as a Colonel, your death toll is not only devastating on an emotional level but at 10k a head you could also be costing your government hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It’s not without its quirks, I do wish it hadn’t been my first Hemingway, but overall fairly okay.
emilymsimpson's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
wldiv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
2.5
lonelyasfranz's review against another edition
3.0
Vaguely amusing and mildly thought-provoking. Overall subpar.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
At the end of WW2, a middle-aged American colonel meets a young Contessa in Venice. He spends his days reminiscing about the war, duck hunting, drinking and dining with the young lovely. He knows he’s dying, but she gives him one last season of love.
This is so typically Hemingway! I read The Old Man and the Sea when I was in eighth grade, and I’ve been a fan of his writing since.
This isn’t his best-known work, and I read it only to fulfill a challenge to read a book that was a bestseller the year I was born. Still, there is something about his writing that captures my attention. The short declarative sentences make the work immediate and bring this reader right into the story.
But the older I get the more I’m disturbed by the way the women are portrayed … or more accurately, but the way Hemmingway writes the male/female relationships. Knowing his own history of depression (and ultimate suicide), not to mention his four wives, I see him projecting his own character on the page, and I’m getting tired of it.
This is so typically Hemingway! I read The Old Man and the Sea when I was in eighth grade, and I’ve been a fan of his writing since.
This isn’t his best-known work, and I read it only to fulfill a challenge to read a book that was a bestseller the year I was born. Still, there is something about his writing that captures my attention. The short declarative sentences make the work immediate and bring this reader right into the story.
But the older I get the more I’m disturbed by the way the women are portrayed … or more accurately, but the way Hemmingway writes the male/female relationships. Knowing his own history of depression (and ultimate suicide), not to mention his four wives, I see him projecting his own character on the page, and I’m getting tired of it.
alyx30's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hank_hell's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eddiessnail's review against another edition
BORING
(to me, a non-fan of hemingways writing style so far)
(to me, a non-fan of hemingways writing style so far)