Reviews

A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway

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johannabeek's review against another edition

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sad fast-paced

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

4.25

jackbowerman's review against another edition

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4.0

The second half of this book is much better than the first, and it only earned its fourth star with the grit and horror of the last chapter. Hemingway is truly astoundingly apathetic to significantly shocking events in his writing. When he shoots the sergeant, there was no remorse or reasoning. When Aymo is shot and killed, it seems his only regret is that it brought unwarranted fear upon Bonello. Then in the final pages, it's as if his apathy has boiled over, becoming too much for him to control and he clearly struggles with the events of the final chapter (like any man would).

Not a book to read if you want cheering up. I hadn't expected or given much thought to the possibility of the book ending in the way it did, and had maybe even hoped for an ending that was more apathetic - just plain simple and nice. Definitely a difficult end to a simple and nice read.

fleanag01's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.75

rosheegats's review against another edition

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4.0

i found hemingway’s writing style very tiresome and wanted to finish this asap so i didn’t have to feel so exhausted reading this book. but the build up from the fifth part of the novel to the ending? oh my god. i expected that ending but the abruptness of it (with the beautiful last chapters of the novel) hit me like a freight train

snrynkee's review against another edition

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reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

arbaazk1999's review against another edition

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3.0

This book gave me a rather unflinching portrayal of war from a fairly close point of view (since most of it is autobiographical) with some very interesting philosophical ideas and what it means for soldiers who go to war. The prose was direct and sometimes hard hitting (and funny at times as well) but something about the novel did not resonate with me as much as i would like. The old man and the sea felt much more direct and to the point than this book. I have no idea why but it took me longer than it should have to finish it. And there were places where it felt like it dragged a bit and the plot seemed either irrelevant or confusing (like how are they going from one scenerio to the next? Did i just blink and miss something in between?). This might not be an issue with the book but perhaps my own attention span or my own reading of the novel. I might need to reread this some day in the future to understand it better. As of right now, i feel like i liked it but just not as much as i would have liked. It just didn't make me feel emersed as i wanted it to be.