For Whom the Bell Tolls

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Summary: Beautifully tragic story of love and war...
Review: Hemingway's story of Robert Jordan, an American college instructor fighting for the Spanish republic, is a beautiful story of desperate love and the death of an ideal.

Robert Jordan has been assigned the task of blowing up a bridge behind Fascist lines in support of a Republican offensive. He is sent to a guerrilla camp in the mountains behind the lines, where he meets those who are to help him with this task. He also meets and falls in love with Maria, a young Spanish woman who was brutalized by the fascists, and rescued by the band in a previous raid.

Hemingway details the nature of the war in the way that only he can, using his stark prose to depict the decay of the idealism that characterized the beginning of the Spanish Republic. This is particularly evident in the character named Pablo, a once-fervent fighter for the Republic who has lost hope in the cause and just wants to be left alone in the hills. Each character has his own idea of the Republic and why they are fighting, which is as truthful a depiction of the Republican cause as could be hoped for.

There were three parts of this book which really stood out for me. The first was Pilar's account of the execution of the fascists in her village. Pablo's ruthlessness, along with the growing terror of the people who go from reluctant participants to bloodthirsty mob, is terrifying in its escalation and horrible finish. Second is the final stand of El Sordo, who accepts his fate, but draws a little pleasure and satisfaction in his efforts. Third is the final battle in Chapter forty-three. Hemingway doesn't overdramatize things, he realizes that things are dramatic enough, and the straight-forward presentation of the battle as things go well and then get worse carries much more impact as a result. The stark, straight-forward writing makes these events come to life as tragic circumstances not only for the dead, but for those who survive as well.

I would suggest that any reader do a little research into the Spanish Civil War before reading this book, as a little knowledge of the circumstances and people of the war (like Marty and La Pasionaria) will enrich the story immensely.

This book is very compelling reading, as Robert Jordan struggles with love and duty, while both fearing and accepting his dangerous assignment. In the abstract, this book is about the death of the ideal in Spain, the corruption and dissent which led to the demise of the Republic. Hemingway conveys these ideas in a way that only Hemingway can, weaving a fabric of sadness and beauty amid hopeless circumstances.

Rating:
Summary: While not the best Hemingway...
Review: ...this book aims to please those readers of Spanish novels with American themes. Give this a read.

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Summary: Oft tedious tome---
Review: I love almost all of Hemingway's novels, but this one was a daunting effort. Line by line, or a paragraph at a time, the writing is Hemingway at his best. Yet, inexplicably, I found that as one chapter segued interminably to the next, the story and style became muddled and could not sustain my interest. There is much, however, that is worth the time...themes of monogamous love, war/conscience, life/death. The heart wrenching finale illustrates the notorious he-man's mastery to convey softer, "feminine" sensitivity. Definitely not the one to kick off a reader's Hemingway exposure.

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Summary: Deep In the Mountains
Review: For Whom the Bell Tolls, written by the well respected and one of the greatest authors of all times, Earnest Hemingway, is based on Hemingway's experience in the Spanish Civil War during 1937, when he went to cover it for the North American Newspaper Alliance. He has written many other spectacularly historic books like The Sun Also Rises, Farewell to Arms, and numerous other accounts of his real adventures covering other major historic events in American history. Hemingway's characteristic laconic, terse and fluid prose and dialogue shine radiantly throughout this book giving off his unique style of writing. There are layers and layers of emotion, passion, and personal pain. You are transported to the mountains of Spain with Jordan and a band of Spanish guerilla fighters. His description of the characters is so incredibly real, that the reader feels as though you could find their names in a history book.
For Whom the Bell Tolls begins and ends in a pine-scented forest, somewhere in Spain all in sixty-eight hour period, in which he meets up with the guerilla group, falls in love with a Spanish girl named Maria, and blows up a key bridge behind enemy lines. The year is 1937 and the Spanish Civil War is in full swing. Robert Jordan, a demolition expert attached to the International Brigades lies "flat on the brown, pine-needled floor of the forest, his chin on his folded arms, and high overhead the wind blew in the tops of the pine trees." (1) The sylvan setting, however, is at sharp odds with the reason Jordan is there: he has come to blow up a bridge on behalf of the antifascist guerrilla forces. He hopes he'll be able to rely on their local leader, Pablo, to help carry out the mission, but upon meeting him, Jordan has his doubts: "I don't like that sadness, he thought. That sadness is bad. That's the sadness they get before they quit or before they betray. That is the sadness that comes before the sell-out." (85) For Pablo, it seems, has had enough of the war. He has amassed for himself a small herd of horses and wants only to stay quietly in the hills and attract as little attention as possible. Jordan's arrival--and his mission--have seriously alarmed him. Hemingway touches on, among other things, love, loyalty, sacrifice for the greater good, rape, suicide, altruism, and social injustice.
For Whom the Bell Tolls is an excellent book, which breaks down the tragedies of war and the emotional struggles that come along with it. Hemingway is definitely the best author of his era, with a different approach to a story idea. The reading makes it hard to go through the book, but the story line keeps the reader connected with the book. I enjoyed Hemingway's unique style and hope to read more of his books with pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: Great, Even being a casual reader
Review: First off, I am not a literature expert and do not claim to know all the finer details present in this book. What I do know is that as an engineer, I enjoy reading, especially classics, and this book has given me confidence in Hemingway as one of the best authors in American literature.

My first and only experience with Hemingway before was "The Old Man and the Sea" in high school. Part of the problem may have been in high school, but I was honestly not impressed. However, since that time I watched the movie "In Love and War", I have found Hemingway more interesting, but still didn't have time to read him until I found "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I think this book is just fantastic. The detail that goes into this narrative makes the book hard to put down and very full of meaning.

The conflict that the hero, Robert Jordan, goes through internally, externally, and mentally form the basis of what has to be one of the best character studies I've seen in a novel. I also find the historical perspective quite fascinating as a person who enjoys history and culture. The Spanish Civil War is something that is overlooked in our education, and I find that even the fictional account here gives insight into the larger issues faced, even if the story is focused on the inner conflict of the main character.

This book really shows the inferiority of modern novels and will definitely drive me to continue to read Hemingway. The only question is what next. I can't imagine anything being better than "For Whom the Bell Tolls". My only complaint is in the style of the ending. While it serves an interesting purpose, I don't feel it quite lives up to the quality of the rest of the book, but the concept is fantastic.

Rating:
Summary: As compelling as it is entertaining
Review: There never has, and never will be, another writer with the lucidity and inestimable genius of Hemingway. Hemingway's characteristic laconic, terse, and fluid prose and dialogue shine radiantly throughout this book for the ages. Seeing our country in the midst of the war on terrorism and a growing divisiveness amongst Americans, I feel, regardless of one's stance on war, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a great book to pick up right now.

To stereotype and routinely categorize this great work as nothing more than a "war book" is to do it a grave injustice. Hemingway touches on, among other things, love, loyalty, sacrifice for the greater good, rape, suicide, altruism, and social injustice. For Whom the Bell Tolls manifests itself as a book that speaks to the reader in many indescribable ways. Hemingway's character development is masterful and unparalleled in literature. We come to know not only our intrepid protagonist Robert Jordan, moreover we come to know the inner thoughts and feelings of Anselmo, Maria, Pablo, Pilar, and Lieutenant Berrendo as Hemingway ingeniously flips from 3rd to 1st person narrative and then back to 3rd perdson on the drop of a dime.

Perhaps the only negative of the book is the annoying censoring of curse words throughout the text such as, "I obscenity in the milk of science." Ironically, Hemingway's hero Robert Jordan fights for the Communist Republic(which of course mandated censorship), and his own book ends up censored. Go figure. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this powerful tour de force and recommend it highly.

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Summary: Spanish American war
Review: The political passions that drove Spain to the brink and over the brink of national insanity have almost been forgotten now, but Hemingway's great novel of those times remains. Both fascism and communism have been consigned to the ash heap of history, but we still get here some sense of how the people of that nation were clawing at each other for barely understood reasons. Hemingway's handling of his material is almost beyond praise; it's a genuinely great novel, and a full workout of his trademark and massively influential prose style. The only flaw is the character of Maria and the instantaneous love affair the author cooks up between this refugee and the American interloper Robert Jordan. Amidst the dramatic and desperate events of the story it just doesn't ring true. I would rate this Hemingway's second best novel, after "The Sun Also Rises."

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Summary: The Bell Tolls for All
Review: For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway is a wonderful tale of a young American who has come to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Robert Jordan has come to fight for the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War against the Fascists from being a Spanish professor in America. As an explosives expert, he is assigned the task to destroy an enemy bridge for an important offensive attack by the Republicans. He travels behind the lines and meets up with a Guerrilla band lead by a war weary veteran, Pablo, who is troubled by his bloody past. Also present at the camp is an escaped prisoner named Maria in which Robert falls in love with. Over the 3 days that Robert is present at the camp, he, as well as the guerrilla band, battle toil with fears concerning blowing the bridge. Pablo and his bold wife Pilar can both feel the tragedy that is certain to come at the bridge, but unlike Pilar, Pablo is not devoted to the cause and tries disable the mission before changing his mind and coming back. This, along with Robert's growing emotions towards Maria and his own struggles over death pose the real conflict throughout the story. For Whom the Bell Tolls is an amazing love story as well as a war novel telling the story of the anguish of war. This book will forever symbolize the grimness of war.  

Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: My third Hemingway book. I had been intimidated by it for a while (mostly by reputation), tackling his smaller, less dense works instead. Finally I picked it up and never regretted it. It took me a while to get through the middle section, but once I got through that I couldn't put it down. While on vacation in Chicago, I even took it with me and read while at a bar with friends. Every book I've read since pales in comparison.

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Summary: For Hemingway, the bell still tolls.....
Review: If you're a Hemingway fan, then you should not miss this book. There's a reason why many people feel this is his best novel. The scenery, character development, plot and overall picture in words make this a masterpiece. With the Spanish civil war as his launching point he makes great strides in making the reader feel the grip of ANY war past or present. What you get here is a lot of his philosophy on war, life, love and death. A theme with which he was more than passively familiar having had several near-death experiences until he finally took his own life. Compared to many of his other works, the ending is also somewhat of a fresh surprise. The John Donne quote cited in the fly leaf speaks volumes about the current troubles in the world today. Like all great literature, despite being written more than sixty years ago, this book still feels fresh and new.