In 1918 Ernest Hemingway went to war, to the 'war to end all wars'. He volunteered for ambulance service in Italy, was wounded and twice decorated....
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May 23, 2008
Jason
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(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)
The CCLaP 100: In which I read a hundred so-called "classics" for the first time, then write reports on whether or not they deserve the label
Book #17: A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway (1929)
The story in a nutshell:
Published in the late 1920s, More...
The CCLaP 100: In which I read a hundred so-called "classics" for the first time, then write reports on whether or not they deserve the label
Book #17: A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway (1929)
The story in a nutshell:
Published in the late 1920s, More...
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Feb 23, 2011
Michael
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(Spoilers ahead.)
THE DOUBLE DATE
Dramatis Personae:
Henry, protagonist of A Farewell to Arms, ex-soldier.
Catherine, wife of Henry, an ex-nurse for wounded soldiers.
Michael, book "reviewer," handsome and devilish rogue.
Joy, Michael's wife. She'll cut a bitch.
The Waiter, self-explanatory.
Distressed Customer #1, Only has one line.
Dying Man, just proposed to his girlfriend.
Dying Man's Fiance, happy, but frightene More...
THE DOUBLE DATE
Dramatis Personae:
Henry, protagonist of A Farewell to Arms, ex-soldier.
Catherine, wife of Henry, an ex-nurse for wounded soldiers.
Michael, book "reviewer," handsome and devilish rogue.
Joy, Michael's wife. She'll cut a bitch.
The Waiter, self-explanatory.
Distressed Customer #1, Only has one line.
Dying Man, just proposed to his girlfriend.
Dying Man's Fiance, happy, but frightene More...
2 comments
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Nov 18, 2008
Meg
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I feel like awarding the great Hemingway only two stars has officially consigned me to the seventh circle of literary hell. But I must be honest. By this website's criteria two stars indicates that a book is "okay" - and to me that describes this work perfectly.
Hemingway himself is undeniably gifted. I love his succinct style (though at times it degenerates to downright caveman-speak), his honest diction and his wonderful sense of humor. That being said, he gets away wi More...
Hemingway himself is undeniably gifted. I love his succinct style (though at times it degenerates to downright caveman-speak), his honest diction and his wonderful sense of humor. That being said, he gets away wi More...
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Nov 18, 2007
emily
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I first read this book in high school. Maybe because I was young, maybe because it was summer reading, or maybe because I read it immediately following The Invisible Man (intense!), I more or less just slid through the book, enjoying the love story and not dwelling long enough in the war episodes to feel much of anything.
The second time I read it, I didn't make it past the time in Milan. I couldn't settle into the prose and, more importantly, I couldn't handle Catherine: "I'll s More...
The second time I read it, I didn't make it past the time in Milan. I couldn't settle into the prose and, more importantly, I couldn't handle Catherine: "I'll s More...
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Jul 25, 2009
Ben
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I'm not a Hemingway guy. I yearn for internal dialogue, various and ladened spiritual questioning, and deep psychology in my characters. I prefer writing that is smooth and philosophical. Hemingway gives me little of this.
But the settings of this book were beautiful, and the dialogue between characters, poignant. By the end, I found that Hemingway had craftily fucked with me to the point of my complete immersion into the novel.
It made me cry.
But the settings of this book were beautiful, and the dialogue between characters, poignant. By the end, I found that Hemingway had craftily fucked with me to the point of my complete immersion into the novel.
It made me cry.
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Mar 21, 2011
Chris
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There really is much to enjoy in Hemingway's contribution to the relatively meagre shelf of First World War literature: the intriguing depiction of the effects and culture of war in the little-known Italian theatre; the dread conveyed when the stalemated Austrian forces are augmented by the mighty Germans; the stunningly depicted retreat across the Po plain, culminating in the bridge crossing where officers are being separated from the fleeing, crowding mass of soldiers to be lined up and shot;
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Feb 26, 2009
Matt
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A Farewell to Arms sort of gives you the inkling that Hemingway's death will probably involve a shotgun.
It's just that sad. Front to back, this is one of the more mournful novels I've read. It's about Henry, an ambulance driver in World War I. He is wounded and falls in love with Catherine, a nurse. They exchange odd banter. They fall in love in love during a summer in Milan (but who wouldn't?). He knocks Catherine up, then returns to the front. Unfortunately for him, he is fighting More...
It's just that sad. Front to back, this is one of the more mournful novels I've read. It's about Henry, an ambulance driver in World War I. He is wounded and falls in love with Catherine, a nurse. They exchange odd banter. They fall in love in love during a summer in Milan (but who wouldn't?). He knocks Catherine up, then returns to the front. Unfortunately for him, he is fighting More...
Feb 13, 2009
Rebecca
rated it: 
Observational tragedy. Bloke falls for sub-moron during war. *petitions friendly bombs*
Hemmingway absolves language of beauty. And then the world.
His intent was to expose war's mundanity. His method rendered art menial.
*sarcastic applause*
Hemmingway absolves language of beauty. And then the world.
His intent was to expose war's mundanity. His method rendered art menial.
*sarcastic applause*
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Sep 11, 2008
Skylar
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The old joke proves itself upon reading.
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A (Hemingway): To die. In the rain.
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A (Hemingway): To die. In the rain.
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Jul 29, 2008
Bruce
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I read all of Hemingway's major works when I was in high school and "HemingwayandFaulkner" were always presented together as contrasting literary twins. I never much liked Hemingway. He seemed as if his characters were monosyllabic tough guys without subtlety or much emotion, and reading him was like watching a John Wayne movie (which I also disliked). The dialogue seemed stiltled and the syntax boringly simple and direct. I voted for Faulkner (partly because my classmates found hi
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May 18, 2008
Jacqui
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I disliked Hemingway the first time I read him. I didn't get his prose. I thought he was a misogynist. Well, okay, perhaps he wasn't any feminist or friend of feminists, but I don't know. It was a different time, and all those excuses. Nevermind that, however, because while that was important to me on first reading his novels at age 14, it no longer is. My perspective on, well, lots of things has changed, and Hemingway is now one of my favorite writers.
You don't have to like what yo More...
You don't have to like what yo More...
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Feb 20, 2008
Matt
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I just finished it, and I'm disappointed. And not only disappointed; I'm also bothered by it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at Hemingway's one-dimensional, sexist portrayal of Catherine Barker, having read much of his other work, but somehow I still am. Put simply, Catherine is a ridiculous figure, and it's no fault of her own. Hemingway gives her no opportunity to sound like anything more than a half-crazy, desperate, fawning caricature with no real desires or opinions of her own. How many t
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May 09, 2011
Becky
rated it:
Once, there was a time when I would have struggled through this one, convinced that since it was a "classic", there must be some redeeming quality to it. I'd have struggled to the bitter end, hating it more and more, and I'd have been disappointed by it even if there was something worthwhile at the end. Because getting there was tedious, boring, painful, and annoying.
This book has a lot of very varied reviews and opinions. Lots of people loved it, lots of people hated it. More...
This book has a lot of very varied reviews and opinions. Lots of people loved it, lots of people hated it. More...
Dec 26, 2010
Michael
rated it:
Lord help me but I just can't get into Hemingway. I tried three times before (A Moveable Feast, The Sun Also Rises, and The Old Man and the Sea) and I plan on now trying three others, but so far with A Farewell to Arms I have the same reservations as earlier, only worse. His prose is described as "terse, tough" (this from the back of the Scribner edition), but to me it's bone dry reportage. Supposedly stoicism is what's being imparted, but why should we care when this stoicism encounte
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Jan 28, 2008
Chris
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 17, 2009
Annette
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Hemingway is a force to be reckoned with. That is, until every modern day writer starting imitating his style. Then, us readers go back to "discover" Hemingway only to realize that it reads just like all the other minimalist literature out there today. Admittedly Hemingway started it all. Give him props for that. It's kind of like the first fat girl who got a butterfly tattoo on her left shoulder. Cool. But does it really have to be done over and over again? And by the time you
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Oct 07, 2008
Siria
rated it:
I've never read any Hemingway, so I thought to myself, 'Self, that is probably something you should remedy.' And now there are a couple of hours of my life that I will never get back. The macho posturing, the awful dialogue (if it were possible to have excised every word he put into the mouth of Catherine, I would have done so), the misogyny, the sometimes bizarre interactions between people... whatever the hell he was trying to do, for me it read as if everyone was either: 1) Certifiably insane
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Nov 19, 2008
Sarah
rated it:
For those of you who didn't hear me babbling about this at SnB the other week, this is only the second Hemingway book I've ever read, although I've read a few short stories, and when I was like seven years old, we visited his house in Florida. It's a cheesy tourist trap filled with stray cats, so of course I loved it.
Basically this novel is his version of an unabashed love story, which means it's also sad, and there's a lot of drinking, and it's wartime in Italy (just pre America get More...
Basically this novel is his version of an unabashed love story, which means it's also sad, and there's a lot of drinking, and it's wartime in Italy (just pre America get More...
Dec 17, 2009
Jason
rated it:
The masterpiece that everyone says it is, and has a rightful place in the canon. Those who prefer more verbose, emotional styles to Hemingway's miss the point. The terse style has more content than any long-winded sentence could. It's true that you have to look more closely, but that is what makes reading an engaging process.
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Jul 19, 2011
Alex
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"Farewell To Arms"
1. Memorable 3
2. Social Relevance 4
3. Informative 4
4. Originality 2
5. Thought Provoking 3
6. Expressiveness 3
7. Entertaining 2
8. Visualization 4
9. Sparks Emotion 3
10. Life Changing (Pivotal, crucial, determining, defining, momentous, fateful, consequential, climacteric, transformational) 1
3, 4, 4, 2, 3, 3, 2, 4, 3, 1 ====> 29/10 = 2.9
http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/51719...
The o More...
1. Memorable 3
2. Social Relevance 4
3. Informative 4
4. Originality 2
5. Thought Provoking 3
6. Expressiveness 3
7. Entertaining 2
8. Visualization 4
9. Sparks Emotion 3
10. Life Changing (Pivotal, crucial, determining, defining, momentous, fateful, consequential, climacteric, transformational) 1
3, 4, 4, 2, 3, 3, 2, 4, 3, 1 ====> 29/10 = 2.9
http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/51719...
The o More...
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May 14, 2011
K.D.
rated it:
My second book by Ernest Hemingway. I liked this so much that I cried while finally closing the book.
It must be the way Hemingway used his magic: the vivid descriptions of his locale. The war torn Italian picturesque villa and the use of rain as metaphor for hardship. The ying-yang kind of story: the "man's man" virile American Tenente and the whimsical English-woman Catherine. The contrast between these two lovers is so opposite that's akin to the sun and moon that sometim More...
It must be the way Hemingway used his magic: the vivid descriptions of his locale. The war torn Italian picturesque villa and the use of rain as metaphor for hardship. The ying-yang kind of story: the "man's man" virile American Tenente and the whimsical English-woman Catherine. The contrast between these two lovers is so opposite that's akin to the sun and moon that sometim More...
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(16 people liked it)
May 06, 2011
Erik
rated it:
During Union Theological Seminary's winter intercession of 1978-79 I became reacquainted with Linda Sue Harrington through my best friend and her former suitor, Michael Miley. The circumstances were unusual.
I had met Linda a couple of years before on a double date with Michael and Janny Willis. She, still in high school, was introduced to Janny and me as someone who was going deaf in a DesPlaines, Illinois restaurant after we had seen Otto Preminger's last film together. Later tha More...
I had met Linda a couple of years before on a double date with Michael and Janny Willis. She, still in high school, was introduced to Janny and me as someone who was going deaf in a DesPlaines, Illinois restaurant after we had seen Otto Preminger's last film together. Later tha More...
Jun 09, 2008
Edmund
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
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May 23, 2008
Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" is certainly a landmark in the genre of war fiction. The novel tells the story of Frederic Henry, an American who serves in the Italian army ambulance corps during World War I. He falls in love with Catherine Barkley, a British nurse, and has a number of traumatic experiences.
"Farewell" has a somber, haunting, and quietly compelling feel to it. In its ironic, naturalistic, and decidedly nonheroic presentation of war, the book More...
"Farewell" has a somber, haunting, and quietly compelling feel to it. In its ironic, naturalistic, and decidedly nonheroic presentation of war, the book More...
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Dec 31, 2008
Melissa
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A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway is probably my least favorite book that I teach. When I reread it last year, I was surprisingly happy with it--I very much disliked it in high school--but, this year, I was over it. Perhaps, unlike The Scarlet Letter, it cannot withstand a yearly reread.
After reading the book, I asked my two junior classes what they thought. This is a guilty pleasure of teaching. Even though most of them didn't actually read the novel, it's fun to just sit arou More...
After reading the book, I asked my two junior classes what they thought. This is a guilty pleasure of teaching. Even though most of them didn't actually read the novel, it's fun to just sit arou More...
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Oct 14, 2007
Jessica
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Reading this book made me want to be a man. Specifically, it made me want to be the kind of man portrayed in a Hemingway novel (NOT The Sun Also Rises!), because even though it's obviously difficult, it seems so very, very attractive and so different from my own life.
This is a great book. I'd recommend this book to someone convalescing from a long illness in a hospital staffed by beautiful nurses. I would also recommend this book to anyone training to become a beautiful nurse (you kn More...
This is a great book. I'd recommend this book to someone convalescing from a long illness in a hospital staffed by beautiful nurses. I would also recommend this book to anyone training to become a beautiful nurse (you kn More...
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Dec 08, 2011
I get why Hemingway is seen as such an important stylist. His terse, declarative sentences are a breath of fresh air after the florid, overwrought style of a lot of 19th century prose (Victorians, I'm thinking of you). And I understand that this is an important account of an often forgotten part of an often forgotten war. In spite of those things, I have to say, I was pretty bored for most of this. It was dull to me for the same reason that John Wayne is dull to me. Namely, because this sort of
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Sep 25, 2007
Ryan
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Allow me to quote Kurt Vonnegut on this book:
"A Farewell to Arms turned out to be an attack on the institution of marriage. Hemingway's hero is wounded in war. He and his nurse fall in love. They honeymoon far away from the battlefields, consuming the best food and wine, without having been married first. She gets pregnant, proving, as if it could be doubted, that he is all man. She and the baby die, so he doesn't have to get a regular job and a house and life insurance and a More...
"A Farewell to Arms turned out to be an attack on the institution of marriage. Hemingway's hero is wounded in war. He and his nurse fall in love. They honeymoon far away from the battlefields, consuming the best food and wine, without having been married first. She gets pregnant, proving, as if it could be doubted, that he is all man. She and the baby die, so he doesn't have to get a regular job and a house and life insurance and a More...
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Apr 12, 2007
Amy
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04.12.07
Well now I've finished it. I won't give any spoilers, but the end of the book left me full of pity for an author with such a transparently broken heart. I just wanted to hold him and tell him that everything would be all right.
04.10.07
I'm not sure what I think of this book yet, but I'm being convinced as it goes along. I like how Hemingway "shows" instead of "tells". For example, he'll give you the simple dialogue of a conversation, no expl More...
Well now I've finished it. I won't give any spoilers, but the end of the book left me full of pity for an author with such a transparently broken heart. I just wanted to hold him and tell him that everything would be all right.
04.10.07
I'm not sure what I think of this book yet, but I'm being convinced as it goes along. I like how Hemingway "shows" instead of "tells". For example, he'll give you the simple dialogue of a conversation, no expl More...
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Jan 29, 2012
Janosch
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Once again I am reminded that life is fragile. Once again we, the reader, is confronted with a story to stimulate our brain and make us thoughtful. It is hard to describe this plot.(briefly: First World War, American soldier stationed in Italy ) Hemmingway has a really good writing style and I felt like being absorbed in it. At some points the story seems a bit thin. The beginning is amazing and the author skillfully creates a wartime atmosphere. I did not get the point of the end and in my humb
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