A review by optionalobjectives
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

reflective medium-paced
  • 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 wasn't surprised to find almost every character in this book a little pathetic and despicable. Hemingway can't resist a little autobiography and he and his crowd were, in general, drunken tourists. Yet, almost in spite of myself, I think that he succeeds in the execution of his main themes and in description. It makes sense for a book about failure to feature a range of characters who are failures of different types. Cohn, in particular, works broadly well as a foil to Jake, the main character. Neither can let go of the object of their desire (one Lady Brett Ashley, who is also terrible but possessed of mysterious allure to every man in the book), but where Cohn clings to an ultimately violent end, Jake remains more mellow and tragic. Between that and the way that Hemingway's prose pulled me through the swirls and eddies of the fiesta of San Fermín, this was a worthwhile read in the end.
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