Rating: 
Summary: Modernist Propaganda: Selfish, Hedonistic, Irresponsible...
Review: The themes and the propaganda get a 3 -- of course,
the style and the influence get a 5.
I suppose everyone goes through a Hemingway "phase" --
fortunately not everyone gets locked into it like some
sort of inescapable, fanatic, static Twilight Zone.
So what's right here? Hemingway's novels are very
accessible -- very readable -- even for the person who
might hate novel reading. There are no paragraphs of
dense wording like Faulkner. There is the lean, spare
(would we insult the ancients to call it "Spartan"?)
prose -- there is the seductive ambience conveyed with
clever, clipped irony and innuendo. There is a sort
of fateful "justice" here in which some of the more
deserving characters get their come-uppance (at least
at the hands of the author playing "god" -- even if
it might not happen in real life).
What is wrong here? Lots. Maybe Faulkner was a
boozer too -- I don't know, I never met him, never
consorted with him. But if his Nobel Prize acceptance
speech is any indication of where his real values were,
then he stands hands and shoulders above Hemingway in
terms of themes and values. For Hemingway only shows
us forlorn, ironic, self-excusing modernist "brats"
who justify messing up their own and other people's
lives in the name of their supposed world-weariness,
psychological angst, and post-World War I disillusionment.
It would be one thing if the disillusionment and the
wasteland and the frenzied lifestyle to avoid looking
into the pit of their own apparent meaninglessness
and the meaninglessness of existence were the actual
depiction here -- but one gets the feeling that this
is only a very clever cover-up. A lifestyle and
self-adulation masquerading as a "credo" -- rather
than a heart-felt, true vision of nihilism and
what to do in the face of it.
There is an issue here of a man and an artist
afraid to face his "gentler" side (I refrain from
insulting women, which HE certainly did, by calling
it his "feminine" side). Now whether there is also
a fear here of facing up to some subliminal homosocial,
or homosexual impulses, and whether that is a reason
to take him to task as a writer and a person, that
is left up to you to decide. But that fear, and
the desire to let hints of it out, and yet condemn
it for the sake of himself and his readers and his
acceptability -- while lashing out at women and
the female as the great white "Bitc--s" is another
negative, in my view. Why lash out at women, if you
are afraid to "Know Thyself!"???
True, Hemingway was wounded, probably felt pain,
maybe even some grief -- but then look at what his later
life became after he became successful. Was his end
the end of a Stoic -- or the end of a weakened, no-longer
Number One idol, fallen from the "grace" of critical
and public adulation (like a has-been athlete who
is quickly forgotten)? Of course Hemingway won't
be forgotten -- he got the Nobel Prize, too. Funny,
no one seems to remember HIS speech.
Because of the sunlight, the clever irony, the
unforgettable characters, the trout fishing and
readability, this is my "favorite" among the
Hemingway novels. I also enjoy very much many of
his short stories, published as THE SHORT STORIES
OF ERNEST HEMINGWAY by Charles Scribner's Sons.
But locked into Hemingway idolatry? -- no way, "man"!
Rating:
Summary: Did I miss something?
Review: The characters had depth and the writing was clear, but I think I missed a plot or storyline. It moved along well, but unless you find a story about a bunch of spoiled post-adolescents tromping around Europe in the 1920's particularly interesting this one may leave you a little hungry. I already own A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls so sometime down the road I will give those a shot, but for now Hemingway has not impressed me. I'll take Steinbeck over Hemingway any given day.
Rating: 
Summary: What its like...
Review: Any man who had a women in front of him, ready to make love, but "couldn't," because of impotence or depression or both can certainelly understand the predictiment of Jake Barnes.. There is nothing to say but only to do, and he can not do it... This is the meta-tension which surrounds all of the events in this novel-Jake's inability to make love to Brett and his inability to face her in this "dysfunctional" state. The realism between a man and a women, Jake and Brett, who have nothing to say to each other untill after the lovemaking-which can not be done...well, it is really and frightingly accurate.This is a really serious novel and frightingly real. Hemmingway in the persona of Barnes is ambivilant. On the one hand he sees the misfortunes of his fellow ex-pats, on the other, he is, in his inflected state of being, understanding just what is going on around him and wishes that Cohn and the others could be as brave and as stoic (or as drunk) as him.. This novel is tough and hardened in its perspective but what else is Jake to do under the circumstances??
Rating:
Summary: Hemingway rules! Rargh!
Review: The Sun Also Rises is one of the few works of literature that shook me to the core, along with Remarque's Three Comrades, Gorky's autobiography, and Chekhov's The Lady With The Dog. I read a page and I was hooked. Bam, just like that. I read the thing in a day. In several hours, actually. And then I went and devoured the rest of the man's literary oeuvre. It's just that great. All the greater because when you really look at it, there's no dramatic action going on here - just some people talking, then going to Spain to see the bullfights. But don't let that fool you - boring this book ain't. Jake Barnes, like most of the characters, is a veteran of World War I. A very unfortunate wound left physical love a complete impossibility for him, and thus he is left gnashing his teeth watching the woman he loves run around with all sorts of men. The Jewish Robert Cohn, who learned boxing in college in order to conquer his feelings of inferiority, happens to become smitten with her as well. Somehow, they and some of their friends and acquaintances end up going to Spain to experience the Fiesta, and while their experience starts the same giddy, frenzied, hedonistic way as for most people, it ends quite differently, when the book's darker undercurrents come to light. Insert scenes of cafe life, fishing, reminiscences, conversations with friends, watching the bullfights, some absolutely brutal humor, and lots and lots of liquor, and you've got yourself Hemingway's first masterpiece. Every element of every great Hemingway book can be seen here - plenty of vivid descriptions; moments of strange, elegiac melancholy; the human spirit fighting against the world; loneliness, isolation, and endurance. They're all here. For some reason, this book seems to draw accusations of anti-Semitism. And all I've to say on that topic is: What? Anti-Semitism? Here? Please, what is this you speak of? Sure, Cohn's a Jew. And sure, the characters aren't too fond of him. And yet, Hemingway presents him in a very, very sympathetic light. Sure, we're rooting for Jake Barnes because he's smarmy and witty and cool, but when we see Cohn break down in tears in his hotel room because ..., he was naive enough to _believe_ Brett loved him, how can you possibly say Hemingway had any anti-Semitic sentiments on his mind? No, no, no, and a thousand times no. This is not a book about Jews, or Americans, or Britishers. This is a book about _people_, about young people searching for substance in a world that has none, trying to build up some sort of semblance of a normal life after having been through war. This is a book about people who feel life has passed them all by, and who have nothing to really look forward to. This book is filled with the genuine bitter loneliness of people who see nothing ahead of them. The sense of hopeless longing for something better permeates every page. The Sun Also Rises is the sound of people trying to find a purpose for themselves in an increasingly shallow world. And lest that not convince you to read it, it happens to rock .... Rarely have I read more bitingly acerbic insults and comebacks, wry and cynical remarks, and deadly accurate observations. Actually, rarely have I ever felt so drawn in to the world of a book as much as here. I identified with Jake Barnes and Bill Gorton and that Englishman they met while fishing and with the boozing Mike and with Cohn. I understood their copious drinking and verbal barb-flinging because I was struck by the moments of absolutely believable fragile vulnerability that lay underneath the surface. The subtle gestures, the shifts in tone, the tough, terse prose all added to the various effects when necessary. When I was done, the book left an indelible stamp on my mind. And what higher recommendation could anyone possibly give a book than that?
Rating:
Summary: True at First Read
Review: Over the years this is a book that continues to draw me back. I can re-read it at various stages of my life and still find that the struggles of Jake Barnes and pals seem fresh and identifiable with modern life. Beyond Hemingway's legendary ability for discriptive prose which brings the country to life, in this book at least, he also shines that talent on the human emotions and frailty of character to which we all at some point succumb.
Rating:
Summary: Really great
Review: I was lucky enough to find this book at goodwill for 79 cents. I wasn't going to get it at first, but then I looked inside the front cover. The following message was written,
"Sam, I am sorry we did not spend more time together. Ciest la vie, Ernest Hemingway" It was a copy from the late fifties. So It very well could be signed by him. And if it is whoever got rid of it is silly. If it is not his signature, oh well it is still a great book.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Story
Review: Set on Paris' Left Bank, and then in Pamplona Spain, the story surrounds the narrator Jake Barnes and Brett Asley. Jake is an American journalist who has been severely wounded in the war, while Brett Ashley is an English aristocrat, flamboyant and so irresistible.
It is the year of 1920 and the post World War 1 expatriates cling to each other to find solace, as they alleviate the tragedy and depression of the war with Pernod and Champagne sessions and gourmet meals.
The potpourri of characters consist of the Jewish boxer and tennis player Robert Cohn, who has a thirst for travel like all of his cronies; Billy Gorton the novelist; Michael Campbell Brett's fiance; beautiful Brett the brilliant chatterbox who steals the show at every given chance; and of course Jake, so cruelly wounded where no one can see.
The book is marvellously entertaining as they leave the cafes of Paris for a sojourn to Spain to take in the famous bullfighting, and to enjoy a change of scenery. They continue their pleasure-seeking but then there is some strain and tension amongst certain parties which will inevitably lead to dissappointments.
This is a beautiful story and an ideal read for the beach or to take on a vacation. I gave it five stars. Don't miss it!!! Nutface
January 16th, 2002
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting in it's Way, but not all that terrific (IMHO)!!!
Review: Over about the past 30 years, I have trekked thru just about all the Hemingway oevrue, including the usually panned posthumous works. Yes, there are some great moments here, especially the very last line, if you can get that far. The journeys thru Spain, the bullfights, the semi-deadened characters, some beautiful set pieces make this worthwhile, but in the end it becomes practicaly one drunken/eating escapade after the other.Sure the writing at times is beautiful. As someone else says here,and I agree, THE GREAT GATSBY is better written,more timeless, and about America then and now. As for 1920's expatriots in Paris, Hem's much later collection, A MOVABLE FEAST is, I think ,far superior,witty and amusing, and you can tell simply by the title, not desolate like this one. Still, SUN ALSO RISES has a lot to say,believable characters, and characterizations,despite the seemingly neverending alcoholic binges. It's just not the great writer's best.Perhaps that's to be expected, given that he wrote this at about age 26!!
Rating:
Summary: A Farewell to Hope
Review: Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises is a poignant, touching story of a group of post-World War I expatriates living lives of excess in Paris. The hero, Jake Barnes, is condemned to a life of celibacy because of a war injury. Brett Ashley, the woman he loves, goes from one sexual encounter to another. Mike, her fiancé, is a hard-drinking Scotsman who is financially and emotionally bankrupt. They all seem to drink to forget, but they cant escape their many problems and are doomed to fail. The bright, sunny setting of the fiesta in Pamplona, Spain, the cafes of Paris, and trout fishing in a mountain stream contrasts the characters' feelings of depression, hopelessness, and loneliness. The action pivots around the bullfight, symbolic of Jake's situation. No matter how strong and powerful the bull is, everyone knows he will not survive the onslaught of the matador. This book is a slow paced novel with an emphasis on character development, tone, and theme. Hemingway's words are spare and lean, using powerful verbs without loading descriptions down with too many adjectives. This powerful, well-written novel gives the reader insight to what is often referred to as the "lost generation," those who survived the "war to end all wars" but came back broken physically, emotionally, spiritually. If someone can get past the slow beginning to this book, they will be rewarded with a simply told tragedy that is deeply symbolic and deeply moving.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely breathtaking!
Review: I am quite surprised by some of the negative reviews. But I suppose Hemingway is not for everyone. I am certainly glad that I bought the book and read it. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time! And I read a few books each week. The book is a masterpiece, in my opinion. And I will read it again after a few months, and definitely get more out of it during the second reading. It is that type of book, if you know what I mean. There is a lot of depth in the story, in the dialogues, in the characters that is easy to miss if you simply read the book on the surface. I highly recommend this book! I personally bought this book based on one of the reviews I read. I simply remember that the reviewer had written that after reading the book, he continued to still think about the characters and reflect upon the story. It amazed me to consider that a book could be so intriguing. So, I bought it and just finished it. The book is amazing. Normally I read fast-paced mystery or suspense novels. But it was more difficult for me to put this book down, and there was certainly no suspenseful plot! Mr. Hemingway's characters were brilliantly portrayed. They really come to life on each page. I wish I could tell you all of the wonderful things, but it would be better for you to buy the book and discover them for yourself. Mr. Hemingway distinctively reveals each character while not taking away from the odd comradeship among the expatriates. I am an American who has lived in Europe for the last 9 years. So, I am very acquainted with the lifestyle among expatriates. And I think he very accurately described it, even though it was so many years ago. I especially like how he shows the instant comradeship among expatriates (even as they meet for the first time), and yet how they can still lack any serious or deeply intimate exchanges. It is very realistic. Perhaps that is the best description of the book: it is very realistic, while intriguing. Many expatriates I know living in Europe bounce around from bar to bar, or cafe to cafe, drinking probably more than normal. Keep the story in the context of expatriates living in Europe. If you try to associate it with normal American life, it will not make very much sense. It is the reason why the good qualities and the defects of certain characters really stand out. Everything seems to be accentuated when you are living in another culture. Also, Mr. Hemingway really amazed me at his eye and ear for detail. I never once got the impression that I was overloaded with detail. In fact, I was amazed at how much detail he could put within a few sentences. I think all of my senses were activated through his descriptive writing. Long story short: I highly recommend this book!
|
