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qamelion's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of short stories gave me a profound impression of Hemingway’s life as a youth. His preference for foreign cultures and especially their languages is displayed in this book as in no other of his works. Even though each chapter is completely different in its plot (beside the re-occurring theme of men living in solitude) he portrays the image of a young adult discovering the world in which he doesn’t shy away from any new challenges. May it be thinking about things to think about during the nights at the Italian army, working around the horns of vicious bulls in the night arenas of Spain, or being the listener of strangers telling him about their sorrows.
Beside the motive of a missing lover on their side, most of the main characters share one essential emotion: fear.
Fear that is brought up by loneliness.
A loneliness that is of a very certain type. Imagine the cliché example of a guy in his twenties going abroad for a year but not to a country in which he is familiar with the language and habits. More like an Estonian going to Peru. Even though this man might have a great time in the land of the Inca he will eventually be exposed to solitude. And then - because he himself is responsible for being in this peculiar situation - he cannot just drown in self-pity but ends up fighting himself for what might seem like the utmost stupidity of the idea of spending a year abroad.
And that’s not a one-and-gone feeling. It’s occurring in a steady equilibrium with the highs of life - only in different intensities which makes it very difficult to deal with.
Another characteristic of the book is banality (there’s even a chapter called 'Banal Story') and ordinary simplicity of life. In my opinion Hemingway uses those chapters to show off his talent of writing. In his ability to paint every day life situations using authenticity and his unique style he manages to put a smile on my face on several different occasions.
That being said Ernest Hemingway solidified his status as my favorite author - at least for the moment - and I’m glad I had the opportunity of diving into one of his older works.
Beside the motive of a missing lover on their side, most of the main characters share one essential emotion: fear.
Fear that is brought up by loneliness.
A loneliness that is of a very certain type. Imagine the cliché example of a guy in his twenties going abroad for a year but not to a country in which he is familiar with the language and habits. More like an Estonian going to Peru. Even though this man might have a great time in the land of the Inca he will eventually be exposed to solitude. And then - because he himself is responsible for being in this peculiar situation - he cannot just drown in self-pity but ends up fighting himself for what might seem like the utmost stupidity of the idea of spending a year abroad.
And that’s not a one-and-gone feeling. It’s occurring in a steady equilibrium with the highs of life - only in different intensities which makes it very difficult to deal with.
Another characteristic of the book is banality (there’s even a chapter called 'Banal Story') and ordinary simplicity of life. In my opinion Hemingway uses those chapters to show off his talent of writing. In his ability to paint every day life situations using authenticity and his unique style he manages to put a smile on my face on several different occasions.
That being said Ernest Hemingway solidified his status as my favorite author - at least for the moment - and I’m glad I had the opportunity of diving into one of his older works.
jacobhalfman's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
marion's review against another edition
1.0
*read for literature classes*
sorry ernest mais je me suis emmerdée tout le long, jusqu'au point où i literally fell asleep à peine le livre ouvert...
je ne veux plus jamais entendre parler de ce livre, merci.
sorry ernest mais je me suis emmerdée tout le long, jusqu'au point où i literally fell asleep à peine le livre ouvert...
je ne veux plus jamais entendre parler de ce livre, merci.
meraval's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Maybe I'm just not the right audience... some of the stories were interesting though, for example the last one. The white elephant one as well.
valtscn's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
3.5
k6t6rin6's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
mkordziel's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This collection of short stories contains a multitude of very intriguing stories alongside ones that don’t hit for me. The Undefeated, Hills Like White Elephants, Fifty Grand, and Today is Friday stood out to me as my favorites.
carmooo's review against another edition
3.0
There were some great stories like "The Undefeated" and "Hills like white elephants". A couple of characters reminded me of Cormac McCarthy. Maybe Hemingway is one of his influences. I don't know.
owleyedjoe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
3.0