Hemingway - Visitors Recommend

Visitors Recommend

Ernest Hemingway »


A Farewell to Arms	The plot of the story and the diction used by Hemingway are basically simple making the whole story a simple one with great legacy to the world of literature. Hemingway deserved to be credited as one of the innovators of modern literature. /Dean Mark Gonzales, 27, Philippines I like it because of the simplicity of Hemingway's diction and for the combination he made of love and war. /Al-mustafa Najjar, 20, Syria

For Whom the Bell Tolls	I believe it exposes the hidden evil in all of us. The scene that describes the murder of all nazi sympathisers is chilling. /Alexander Sen, 29, India It is the only book written by Mr. Hemingway having a social contemporary relevance in the shape of the Spanish Civil War. It contains every other universal theme Mr. Hemingway always wrote so well about: defeated heroes, nobility of defeat, love contrasted to war, man's efforts to fill in the nothingness of life, thoughts on death and on fear of death, suicide etc., but it is only in this book the writer, who had hitherto shunned contemporary political reality, very consciously moulds all these themes and integrates them into the fabric of contemporary reality represented by a four day sojourn in the Spanish mountains among a handful of peasant Spanish guerrillas struggling against the dictatorship of General Franco. For the first time Mr. Hemingway (at last) has spoken on concrete politics. Another uniqueness about the book is the writer's use of biblical English to distinguish Spanish peasant dialect from English. The very idea I found striking and I believe Mr. Hemingway to be the first person to apply such a technique in English or American literature. And he has done it so consistently in this book! The 400 pages odd long book covers only 4 days. Theme upon theme alternates and superposes: bullfights, matadors, massacre of fascists, dynamiting details, restaurants, Montana, Gaylord, Madrid, communism, love and love-making, fortune telling - all fused into a universal single theme Mr. Hemingway loved: Man is heroic only in defeat and is nobler than the forces that crush him. Notwithstanding all this, this almost sublime book is, in the final analysis about the triumph of MAN. /Bapi Lahiri, 54, India It is an adventurous book dealing with the Spanish Civil War, and accurately reflects what went on in Spain at that time. The characters in this novel may be ficticious, but whoever reads this book also gets to know what the war was like. Hemingway was an adventurer, and his style is easy to read. He invited the reader to actively live through the episodes he deals with. /Thomas Hofer, 60, United States It was soooo good! I got completely drawn in while reading it. The language is wonderful! /Madi, 17, United States This book has some of the strongest messages of humanity ever portrayed. Besides this, it is a fascinating account of the Spanish civil war through the eyes of a rebel band and an American dynamiter. The dialogue is glorious; the description of the fascist killings chilling - but the underlying message of humanity shines through. /Lalit, 17, India

Islands in the Stream	Between love and pain, hope and suffering, living and dying ... it just collects all those human themes Hemingway immortalized in his full bibliography and puts them all together in a great masterpiece. /Santiago Bullard, 18, Peru

A Moveable Feast	A raw interpretation of what should be known as the good life, with social commentary, so universal, I have yet the privilege to equal. /Gershon Riesenberg, 20, Australia

The Nick Adams Stories	First, I read 'A Farewell to Arms' by Hemingway and immediately became hooked to his "stream of consciousness" technique and the unforgettable settings and characters that stirred my imagination of WWI on the Italian front. I then read 'The Nick Adams Stories' which is either a compiling of works that Ernest never finished or short stories that are put together in chronological order to follow the development of Nick Adams from a kid to an adult. I was fascinated at how remarkably well I could relate to the book, being a fisherman, and since Hemingway was a fisherman I believe that these stories may have been a more comfortable topic for him and therefore accounts for the beauty and details in his writing. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this collection of stories is better than 'A Farewell to Arms' and may be one of his best works. As you read the novel you follow Nick Adams and the settings and stories are as unforgettable as Nick himself. I would definitely recommend this book for fellow fisherman and outdoor lovers and to anyone who wants to relax with an easy to read and entertaining novel. /James Berret, 18, United States

The Old Man and the Sea	I think that this novella is overtime and really apt. You read about an old man who tries to catch a big fish, which is bigger and stronger than he's able to catch. Beside that there are some sharks attacking the fish which eat up the fish before the sea swallow floats to the coast. But actually, it's not about fishing and sea, it's about us all. About the humanity which has always been trying to triumph, to succeed in its life. But even if there will always be people who want to harm you like sharks, finally you will be accepted and appreciated by people like the sea swallow because of skeleton of such a huge fish. /Kathy, 17 I like a person who has the brightest eyes to see things that are more often considered as immaterial and simple to others but not for the writers like Hemingway in this book. He created a fight between the most rival combattants, a man and his mind. You can find this in 'The old man and the sea'. /Mengistu Worku, 25, Ethiopia This book is very interesting. It talks about the determination of the old man. /Micheline, 20, Ghana 'The Old Man and the Sea' gave me the most optimistic idea about life. A book I believe can help humanity pass through the sea of life in the smoothest way. Santiago - a hero - staunch or pig-headed? Firm or stubborn? Harbinger or foolish? No doubt the best way a young man can behave in the face of adversity. /Shehla Anbreen, 30, Pakistan It's simply just amazing. /Casper Nim, 18, Denmark It's beautifully written: it almost seems childish; but the lovely style belies the immense meaning it holds. It may be one of the finest books I ever read. /Lalit, 17, India I am greatly moved by the old man's iron will. He will never surrender no matter what he is faced with. In my heart he is an eternal hero. Whenever I want to give up, I'll say to myself: "Hey, coward, think of the lonely old man in the vast ocean." He is a flag that makes me get through my pains. /Jie Zhang, 20, China A timeless classic that could be enjoyed by everyone because of the great, strong simplicity of this fascinating story. It also teaches you about bravery and perseverance! /Oscar Xia, 12, Canada Well, first off, the symbolism was greatly overlooked and I felt my breath stolen from me as I realized what Ernest Hemingway was trying to say in the book. Note how he uses the sharks to represent how in life our spoils are taken and also when the Cuban man says "I love you but I must kill you" meant he loved the challenge, not the fish itself and when he caught the fish the challenge was over. "The chase is better than the catch". Overall lovely imagery as well as symbolism. /Benny Wah, 12, United States This book is a masterpiece; I loved it. /Contessa, 16, United States Only one line of the book, i.e., "Man is not made for defeat; he is destroyed, not defeated", works as an elixir when circumstances force a person to struggle with his destiny for survival. /N.N. Dash, 52, India It is a book about the condition of man in the eminence of death, in this case an old man, Santiago, that by running against his state looks for dignity and a purpose to go on in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of nothing. /Didier Pratiot, 33, France A classic novel, short and big at the same time, wise and simple. /Yes, 15, Netherlands In this book Ernest says you can win for losing! /Cheryl, 15, United States Because of its simplicity and profound sadness. /Ryan, 31, Philippines It is clear and concise. You want to pity the old man at the end but instead feel he wants no pity and has triumphed in a place where most men will never go, and, that is within themselves. /Joel Hobson, 33, United States So few words say so much. /Lars Bilting, 31, Sweden Superposition for the natural world and it's habits. /Si Thu Tin Aung, 19, Singapore It is a short, yet very profound story. Hemingway's style is definitely original and great to read. /Alisha, 15, United States Its probably the most touching book ever, the dignity of mankind represented by an old fisherman, its a jewel. /Daniel Michel, 24, Mexico I recommend this book because of it's artistic beauty. For example, the way Hemingway describes the sea - at times purely lyrical, with great imagery that puts you in the boat with the old man - fighting the fish and the elements. /Aaron J. Clarke, 32, Australia This is absolutely the most beautiful book I've ever read. It's so fascinating I've read it in just one night. It's not just the story of an old fisherman, it's about the meaning of life. /Amedeo Caputo, 22, Italy I recommend it because it's a very special book! It tells us about sacrifice! And it makes me cry! /Brian Hoxha, 17, Albania

The Sun Also Rises	This novel is masterful because it has such simple language yet it speaks volumes. This novel has a message that every single generation past, present, and future can relate to: every generationis in some way lost. /James Quaite, 18, United States Because, it's just real, and just shows how people were in the Lost generation, and how people are selfish in many ways, and just stuff we do. 4 stars. /Faith, 15, United States Absolutely necessary for any writer in training. The "Great American Novel." /Waylon, 22, United States

To Have and Have Not	Hemingway writes a spare, unflowery prose that has seldom been better. /Rob Boyd, 41, South Africa You feel what is written in the book. The book does not allow you to dwell too much on one subject but is short and direct. /Jackie Morris, 42, United States

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