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bookswgreen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
kananineko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Violence
bmpicc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I kept reminding myself about the time period, the world in which this was written. It didn't help. There are certain words I was not raised with, nor use. Words that grate on my soul and this books overuse of 2 of them hurt. Not to mention the alcohol consumption, the poor bulls ear, & the lack of character depth to name a few. The conversations/paragraphs filled with repetitive words left me feeling bored and unamused. ex. fiesta & daunted.
This will be an interesting book club chat!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The main character is Jake—who is so clearly a self-insert that it’s almost laughable—and we see the world only through his eyes. He’s self-centered, broken by war, desperately sad, and serious. In between jazz age parties, you watch this man crumble beneath the weight of his suffering, and even though he kind of sucks, you can’t help but feel sorry for the guy.
Jake's travels in France and Spain read like a journal/travelogue. He’s simultaneously numb and in pain, but he also sees beauty in everything. He’s a walking, talking contradiction.
The prose is melancholy, wistful, and reflective. You end up feeling bad for almost all the characters, who have all wrecked their own lives or been wrecked by others or some combination. This is the first novel of Hemingway's that I’ve read, and despite some of my qualms with it, it makes me want to pick up more of his work. He's writes a compelling, fascinating read.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: War
hgbush's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Blood, Antisemitism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Violence
Minor: War
ecourtis's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Bullying
Minor: War
toffishay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Xenophobia, and War
lay_kone's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, and Alcohol
renicula's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
storyorc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I understand from researching the title and Hemmingway's comments on the book that it's intended to show that the Lost Generation is not so lost but I struggle to see it. Our main character endures but seemingly only to be taken advantage of again and again by worse people of better breeding. Perhaps that willingness to hope and work hard (when not spending so much on holiday it makes you cringe) is a virtue in itself. However, even if you consider it hopeless, as I'm tempted to, it's a fantastic portrayal of that downtrodden acceptance of an imperfect life. Very much about settling and accepting a bad lot; perhaps that's why it wasn't set in America.
If nothing else, it's academically fascinating to watch Hemmingway pile on the weight of unsaid things atop his sparse and simple prose. Occasionally, a character does admit what they actually think about their grotesque little love polygon but the story is at its most tense when they're sat around talking about anything else. I didn't appreciate how there was an elephant behind the elephant in the room until this passage came after a simple dinner with friends:
It was like certain dinners I remember from the war. There was much wine, an ignored tension, and a feeling of things coming that you could not prevent happening.
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexism and Injury/Injury detail
Antisemitism, including from the narrator, goes unchecked by the narrative beyond the general impression that all the characters are arseholes. Black characters are allowed very little personhood. K- and n-slurs used. A 34yr old woman seduces a 19yr old boy. General period-typical sexism abounds. The main character is wounded in a way that prevents them from having sex and it is implied the woman who loves him will not be with him because of it, though she doesn't seem to stay with uninjured men any better.