Okay. Full disclosure: I’ve not read any Hemingway before. But he is a favourite of my hubby, and a few other people have told me how much they love his writing, so I thought I’d give him a go. And I’m not sure how I feel about him now.

When I ask myself the usual questions about what I liked about a book (is the plot exciting and action packed? Are the characters compelling and realistic? Is the writing tight and active, not passive? Did all of this make me feel some kind of big emotion?) the answer to all of these is no. Even at the end, when mother and baby both die, I didn’t shed a tear or really care all that much. Maybe that’s the point, though. Maybe it’s some kind of commentary on war making us numb to the important human feelings we should have. I don’t think it is, though. I think it’s just Hemingway’s style.

Taking all of the above into account, the weird thing is I sort of enjoyed the book. I’ve tried to figure out why, and I don’t know. That sounds odd, I know. But it is what it is.

The plot follows one man, an American who is serving in the Italian army in World War I. He meets a nurse, Catherine, at a hospital, and this book is about their love affair. It is also about how he struggles to get away from the Italian army when they begin to retreat near where he is stationed. But it’s not really exciting. It’s not fast-paced. But it is interesting.

Catherine Barclay is an infuriating character, and perhaps that was why I didn’t mind too much when she died. I didn’t feel any connection with her. And, actually, she didn’t seem realistic at all. The dialogue between her and the main character, Frederick Henry, doesn’t strike me as real, and if this is how Hemingway imagined women think and behave, it doesn’t say a lot for his opinion of women.

So, yeah. This book is okay, and very much of its time, but I didn’t think it was brilliant.

People who like Hemingway. Those who don't want action-packed, big-feeling romps.

I don't know. I can't pinpoint it. But I did kind of like it.

Hemingway's portrayal of Catherine Barclay. The misogynistic way Hemingway writes women.

Ask other people why they like Hemingway, in the hope I might understand why I liked it.

Frustrated. Confused.

Ernest Hemingway. I'll be honest, if this book wasn't written by him I probably would have left it after the first few chapters. But I wanted to stick with it because I wanted to read something by Hemingway. And I'm glad I did. The writing is very much of its time, that's for sure. But it was okay.

It is a quick read.

It's not the most riveting book I've ever read. Plus, the characters infuriated me.

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Created Nov 12, 2024 at 5:24am • Submit your own review...