leilaghanbar's review against another edition
3.0
The descriptions will give a feeling of every second of the story. But sometimes it is difficult to read all those details.
melmogle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I feel kind of silly rating The Old Man and the Sea since it's such a classic and I can see why this is a such an influential piece of American literature. My review is thus based solely on my enjoyment of the book and not the literary quality of it which has been well established and with which I wholeheartedly agree. The writing is so sharp and simple, and really shows why Hemingway is lauded as much as he is (although this book is judged by many to be his magnum opus and the peak of his writing, so it is likely this book contributes significantly to his reputation).
As far as my enjoyment of the tale: I definitely was gripped by the story, although it did lag at times for me, a strange occurence given the length of the book. In addition, I'm so unfamiliar with fishing terms that at times I really didn't know what was being described. Throughout the book, there were stretches where I read the words but could not picture what was happening because I don't know hardly anything about fishing. I acknowledge this is mainly my own shortcoming (although I doubt a lot of people would know every fishing term in the book), but this was nonetheless my experience of reading it. I could still understand the story, so it didn't detract significantly from the book, but did slightly influence how much I enjoyed what I was reading.
That being said, the final 1/4 of the book was incredible. Hemingway says so much with so few words, it really is masterful.
Overall, I think this is essential reading for anyone interested in literature. While some of the descriptions didn't hit on every note for me, it is nevertheless a masterpiece that I would recommend to anyone.
As far as my enjoyment of the tale: I definitely was gripped by the story, although it did lag at times for me, a strange occurence given the length of the book. In addition, I'm so unfamiliar with fishing terms that at times I really didn't know what was being described. Throughout the book, there were stretches where I read the words but could not picture what was happening because I don't know hardly anything about fishing. I acknowledge this is mainly my own shortcoming (although I doubt a lot of people would know every fishing term in the book), but this was nonetheless my experience of reading it. I could still understand the story, so it didn't detract significantly from the book, but did slightly influence how much I enjoyed what I was reading.
That being said, the final 1/4 of the book was incredible. Hemingway says so much with so few words, it really is masterful.
Overall, I think this is essential reading for anyone interested in literature. While some of the descriptions didn't hit on every note for me, it is nevertheless a masterpiece that I would recommend to anyone.
lovemyshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mrsm_lovesbook's review against another edition
4.0
It's definitely a classic and worth reading at least once in your lifr, but it's not something I'd reread anytime soon.
bog_boi's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
elundh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
xerosolar's review against another edition
3.0
It's not bad, it's just not amazing, for the time it was written it was probably fascinating, and I understand the appeal, also for 80% of the book to be a man, alone, in a boat trying to fish, it's more entertaining than I expected, so I respect that
thothgodofknowledge's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
BOOOOOOORRRRRINGGGGG.
janessaalexis's review against another edition
2.0
Well, so. I picked this up at an Italian bookstore with my friend. I had an hour and a half to read it before closing.
So I did.
And maybe I read it too fast. I'm not sure. But while I liked the simplicity of the beginning, I found it repetitive and kins of tiring by the end. Which is especially weird, because it's less than 100 pages.
But I don't think I'd like it more if I re-read it.
So I did.
And maybe I read it too fast. I'm not sure. But while I liked the simplicity of the beginning, I found it repetitive and kins of tiring by the end. Which is especially weird, because it's less than 100 pages.
But I don't think I'd like it more if I re-read it.
sparkviking's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- immersiv erzählte kurze Geschichte
- sehr introspektiv