surdiablo's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
So it's my first Hemingway work and while it was really enjoyable and profound, I also found it a bit underwhelming, primarily due to my own high expectations. It's a simple but well-written character-driven novella focusing on the struggles of an old fisherman down on his luck. I could discourse at great length about how this book is or could be about perseverance, about having hope no matter what, we never know what might be around the corner in life, how an artist is often their own worst critic, etc. But apparently, Hemingway said the below quote in one of his letters:
So I'm not gonna explain any of that and leave things to your own imagination. š It's a great work for sure but I personally find Steinbeck's writing to be more appealing so far.
Spoiler
"Then there is the other secret. There isn't any symbolism [sic]. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. The sharks are all sharks no better and no worse. All the symbolism that people say is shit. What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you know."So I'm not gonna explain any of that and leave things to your own imagination. š It's a great work for sure but I personally find Steinbeck's writing to be more appealing so far.
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Blood
sam_fielder_137's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I donāt have much to say about this one. I just felt like it was far too boring. It was a 127 page book about a single man catching a single fish. If I had to summarize it in one sentence it would be: A whole book about another bookās single paragraph. Fine, but too long for the amount of story it contained.
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
michaelion's review
challenging
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I used to go fishing a lot with my dad and it's not really an experience I would think to write about, so props for making fishing seem exciting on paper. Like it's fun in person but I never would've thought it could be written in a thrilling way too. The odds were stacked against this to be boring, thankfully it wasn't, but it also isn't my cup of tea. It has it's moments.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
tita_loves_literature's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Racial slurs
crowcrow's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
(Had to read it for school.)
You'd have a better time actually fishing.
On a positive, I thought the descriptions were nice, minus the bathroom breaks, which were unnecessary. But after reading about Hemingway's life I wouldn't be surprised if that was just his style of humor.Ā
And on that note, I HIGHLY suggest you go and research about the author and his thrilling adventures instead of reading this mellow whatever it was.
You'd have a better time actually fishing.
On a positive, I thought the descriptions were nice, minus the bathroom breaks, which were unnecessary. But after reading about Hemingway's life I wouldn't be surprised if that was just his style of humor.Ā
And on that note, I HIGHLY suggest you go and research about the author and his thrilling adventures instead of reading this mellow whatever it was.
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Animal death
Boring as sin.genben's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
4.5
Loved this book!!!!
It was such a nice story even if the end
The story was exactly like the title suggests and I loved how he explains creatures in the ocean (the turtles, the Portuguese Man of War, etc) as well as describing everything so simple yet beautifully.
Another part I enjoyed was the old man talking to himself, I get he is alone and might be ālosing his mindā a bit š¤£ but it was funny to listen to him talk to himself because thatās exactly what I would be doing in that situation as well (I do that a lot anyways lol).
Was my first Ernest Hemingway book and I was very pleased!! :)
It was such a nice story even if the end
Spoiler
he didnāt āwinā because of the sharks.The story was exactly like the title suggests and I loved how he explains creatures in the ocean (the turtles, the Portuguese Man of War, etc) as well as describing everything so simple yet beautifully.
Another part I enjoyed was the old man talking to himself, I get he is alone and might be ālosing his mindā a bit š¤£ but it was funny to listen to him talk to himself because thatās exactly what I would be doing in that situation as well (I do that a lot anyways lol).
Spoiler
Final thing Iāll say was I love the young boy and him relationship, it was so nice and to be honest I was really expecting the man to die in the end but Iām so glad how it ended. Like a realistic ending from a difficult journey, yet wasnāt PERFECT.Was my first Ernest Hemingway book and I was very pleased!! :)
Minor: Animal death and Blood
Wasnāt bad, just had blood from fighting fish.tarajoy90's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? No
3.0
Graphic: Animal death
pabi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
"Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is."Ā
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
___'s review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Fishing is notoriously boring.Ā
This is a book about an old guy fishing.Ā
This is a book about an old guy fishing.Ā
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
skysbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, and Animal cruelty