A review by jackbowerman
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
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.
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.