Reviews

To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway

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arytaco's review against another edition

3.0

Ernest Hemingway’s “To Have and Have Not” benefits from the author’s authentic portrayal of Key West and Cuba, as well as the many literary techniques deployed. Perspectives shift, writing styles alter and Hemingway switches from first to third person partially through. However, there is something fundamentally disjointed here, as if the author was writing this novel on a whim. Protagonist Harry Morgan is almost completely absent from the final stretch, while the characters who replace him are not nearly as interesting. An interesting perspective on solitude, Hemingway’s novel will make for an interesting read, although it is flawed to the detriment of its narrative.

absentjean's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

vivix's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

lora2295's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

dscobbie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

catmisae's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Let me put it this way: I fell asleep for an entire chapter while listening to the audio book and when I went back to replay what I missed I concluded that I probably didn’t need to waste my time. Yes, yes you made some guys mad and someone got shot on the high seas we get it. The pattern has already been established.

Content Warnings

mkordziel's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Hemingway writes about, as the title concedes, the haves and have nots of the world in this story. While I liked it overall, I thought the character’s were not likable enough to elicit a lot of sympathy and I struggled with how dated the attitudes were.