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942 ratings, 3.65 average rating, 75 reviews
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published
December 10th 1997
(first published 1970)
by Scribner
binding
Paperback, 448 pages
isbn
0684837870
(isbn13: 9780684837871)
description
A LATER CLASSIC FROM AMERICA'S PREMIER FICTION WRITER
First published in 1970, nine years after Hemingway's death, this is the story of...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1178)
Oh how I wish Hemingway had lived to revise and compile this book. Published posthumously and with only minor attention given to copy editing by Papa's publisher and last wife, the book limns its main character in three parts: as an artist living in the Gulf before WWII, as a grief-stricken u-boat hunter in Cuba following the loss of his sons, and in a final hunt for German fugitives. The unifying theme is in line with the Hemingway code: man is powerless before the abyss, but can behave with ...more
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Read in February, 2008
The book is good. It's good but it's sad. It's a good, sad book about a good, sad man, and that's what Hemingway intended. He knew that writing a good book is a fine thing, because people will enjoy reading it.
I tell myself that he's right: reading a good book is a good thing. You can be glad that the book is good, and you can be glad that you are not a character in the book, because Hemingway books are sad books, and characters in Hemingway books do not have an easy time of it. But it's a g...more
I tell myself that he's right: reading a good book is a good thing. You can be glad that the book is good, and you can be glad that you are not a character in the book, because Hemingway books are sad books, and characters in Hemingway books do not have an easy time of it. But it's a g...more
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Read in February, 2006
**This review has spoilers in it**
Islands in the Stream is not one of Ernest Hemingway’s better books, unfortunately. But I won’t dock him any points because he never actually published it in his lifetime (he probably felt the same way). It definitely has a lot of the elements of a good Hemingway novel, but falls short in too many areas to be truly entertaining. That being said, I still enjoyed it.
The story centers around a drunkard named Thomas Hudson, a painter living on the tin...more
Islands in the Stream is not one of Ernest Hemingway’s better books, unfortunately. But I won’t dock him any points because he never actually published it in his lifetime (he probably felt the same way). It definitely has a lot of the elements of a good Hemingway novel, but falls short in too many areas to be truly entertaining. That being said, I still enjoyed it.
The story centers around a drunkard named Thomas Hudson, a painter living on the tin...more
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When I read Hemingway, the outside world ceases to exist. There are no words on a page, no awkward pauses to turn pages- after the first sentence, my mind opens up, and everything plays right in front of my eyes, it seems, like the pages before me were a screen onto which every excruciatingly vivid detail is projected.
This was possibly the best story I've ever read. Hemingway is a man's man, and a ladies' man at the same time; so much violence, cursing, fighting, drinking, spitting, sport fi...more
This was possibly the best story I've ever read. Hemingway is a man's man, and a ladies' man at the same time; so much violence, cursing, fighting, drinking, spitting, sport fi...more
Read in March, 2008
I think I liked this book primarily because I feel like the main character. It's a good book for thinking about loss. Or rather for not thinking about loss. Everyone says it's not one of his best, and while that may be true from an artistic standpoint, I find that where a reader meets the text can be far more important than any supposedly objective evaluations. It's still masterful writing, anyway. I like how it ends, too, and the idea that Thomas never understands the people who love him. ...more
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Read in September, 2008
I'm so not into Hemingway, but even though I don't like his work, I can appreciate what he does well when he does it. This isn't that work. It was published posthumously, but lacks much of the interesting, daring content of GARDEN OF EDEN. It feels like Hemingway as an old man, not sure what to do, so recharting some of the stuff he's already done. But it's less effective; Thomas Hudson's war failure, which is simply due to being outnumbered, is much less compelling than the AWOL characters in b...more
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Islands in the Stream is divided in to three parts which cover three different parts of the main character's adult life. What draws me to this book is that each of the three parts have a peak event which Hemingway takes several pages to describe. Its very tempting to tell you what these events are but once you read the book they are easy to pick out. These events are both grueling and beautiful. I somehow believe that these events could be presented as short stories. I have read islands in the s...more
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Read in January, 2007
Possibly my favorite book. Hemingway, who so often failed to be as good a novel writer as he could have been, achieves something unreal with "Islands in the Stream" probably because it consists of three long short stories--the genre of which he was master. It is unfinished, for sure (published post humously) and unpolished, but is incredibly powerful and would have been, if properly cared for, the quintessential Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea was written as the fourth part of th...more
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Tomas Hudson is an sulptor on an island near Cuba before WWII. He is twice divorced and the only thing that means a damn to him are his three boys, his work, and living in the islands. When his three boys come for a summer of fun, how can he know that's the last chance at happiness he has before the war ravages his life.
One of my favorite Hemingway stories (and that's saying quite a lot). The story carries me along with tight prose and vivid scenes. It is, in my opinion, one of the great war...more
One of my favorite Hemingway stories (and that's saying quite a lot). The story carries me along with tight prose and vivid scenes. It is, in my opinion, one of the great war...more
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A posthumous novel; its somewhat unwieldy structure betrays Hemingway's too-early departure from the text. Yet Islands still contains some superlative moments:
"Happiness is often presented as being very dull but, he thought, lying awake, that is because dull people are sometimes very happy and intelligent people can and do go around making themselves and everyone else miserable. He had never found happiness dull. It always seemed more exciting than any other thing and capable o...more
"Happiness is often presented as being very dull but, he thought, lying awake, that is because dull people are sometimes very happy and intelligent people can and do go around making themselves and everyone else miserable. He had never found happiness dull. It always seemed more exciting than any other thing and capable o...more
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Read in January, 2000
Not a strong feeling either way for this Hemingway tale, the main character is as strong a character as any. There are parts of the book so well imagined and realized that it is powerful and interesting, but it also meanders a bit. If, like myself, the reader enjoys Hemingway's style it is a good book otherwise I think there are much better stories from the master; also I understand that he never finished it and thus there is much to ponder on what it would have truly been had he not tragically ...more
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Read in May, 2005
One either happens to like Hemingway or not - I do. Islands in the Stream has moments that resonate long after the book is finished - I can't remember the charachters or plot clearly but there's phrases and paragraphs that have become imbeded in my "let me tell you something" about life file. He knew what was good and he knew what was bad and he was never hesitant to assert it. If that's what you like about Hemingway, then read this book because theres plenty to ponder after the nov...more
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Read in October, 2008
When I found myself skimming thru the final section, I realized that the book had nothing left in it for me. I really enjoyed the first section, began to lose interest in the second, and forced myself to finish. I simply didn't care anymore what happened to Thomas Hudson. (That may indeed be the point of the story, but still doesn't improve the read any for me.) Anyway, I found the supporting cast of characters far more interesting and would have enjoyed a book about some of them much more. ...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Only those who really like Hemingway
This book was really hard to get through. Parts were interesting but some just seemed to go on forever. The last section was definately the best and while each of the three sections could probably stand alone as a short story to understand some of what he is talking about you need to read the first two. I would probably not recommend this book to anyone. Someone told me while I was reading it that it was probably Hemingway's worst novel.
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2 comments
recommends it for:
anyone who seeks ot understand the human condition.
Far and away his very best work. Published after his death, but with a clarity and insight into people, places and history that is unsurpassed. H. really captures it all in this novel. It is long and worth every minute. It should not be rushed. Take the time to picture the setting and the people and all that he conveys in their thoughts and feelings. It is the culmination of all H. has written. He is really amazing.
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You know, there should be a law about fourth wives lovingly editing, then publishing the stuff a man left behind. You gotta figure Hemingway wasn't pleased with it, or he definitely would have done so himself. It is not as if he left unexpectedly and forgot to put this one out there. I just re-read most of it and put it down. A hero of mine, but this is not really a good book.
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Read in June, 2008
I like Hemingway, but never really understood the fascination with his persona - the big sea fisher, the heavy drinker, the man of war. This book - published after his death - really encapsulates all three of those lifestyles in a sometimes powerful, sometimes not way. Definitely a great read from his later period, but probably better for the parts than the sum of the whole.
Another in the list of books I am told I should have read long ago in school but managed to avoid. I had certainly read Hemingway but not this novel. Compared to other Hemingway novels, this one is large and spans a longer period in time. If the point of fiction is to try and help the reader to identify with the plight of others, this one works pretty well.
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This was a super three piece from ernie. I feel like the ultimate idea in this book was families, and the different kinds of relationships one can have with others to make up a family. My shining moment in this book was during the way too short second section, beginning when he sees her step out of a limousine and walk towards him at the bar....
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Read in May, 2007
I am a huge Hemingway fan and enjoyed this book very much. However, you can tell that it did not go through the editing process, especially the portion about Cuba. The first and last portions of the book are incredible. They are really short stories in themselves.
Strongly recommended to people that have read other Hemingway novels.
Strongly recommended to people that have read other Hemingway novels.
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