Sun Also Rises

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Summary: My inspiration for going to the running of the bulls
Review: this summer is this book. Many detractors of this book seem to indicate there is no point to the story that Hemingway tells - and these people are, unfortunately, missing the entire point. The landscapes and quiet reflections Hemingway describes, especially throughout his travels in Spain, are timeless and make the reader feel that the author is speaking directly to them, one of Hemingway's most endearing qualities. The specifics of the storyline are secondary to the emotion and attitudes toward life many of the characters display throughout the book. See you in Pamplona!

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Summary: Vivid Bullfighting Scenes, Moving Drinkfest
Review: A tremendously poignant foray into the adrift lives of Americans in Europe. I liked the vivid portrayal of bullfighting and the almost dizzying descriptions of drinkfests too numerous to recount. It took me five times over the past 20 years to finish this book: it was too fuzzy. But as I grow older, it is easier to appreciate the existential drift of many of Ernie's characters. Too bad we can't live lives like this anymore.... too bad the lost generation was found. One final note: more interesting ways to drink were defined in this book than any I have read in years.

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Summary: The Second Star is Only Because it Wasn't Incomprehensible
Review: This book had absolutely no message. At best it was a decent-flowing autobiographical narrative of a buch of meaningless stuff that happened one summer. There is some symbolism, but no message to give it any meaning. It left me wondering what all the praise could possibly be about. It also left me completely dissapointed.

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Summary: Join the Lost Generation for Some Memoriable Fun
Review: Enjoy the revelry of following along a group of Post-World-War-I Americans galavanting through Europe. Fishing, drinking, bullfighting, and fiestas all await you. Experience the fellowship and loneliness that is the Lost Generation.

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Summary: brevity is the soul of wit
Review: Hemingway's genius was firmly rooted in what was not written more than what was. One of the most truthful first-person accounts ever (and quite autobiographical at that), this is living prose. The narrator conveys what he wants us to know, not caring to ponderously examine every tidbit of his life to somehow reveal the 'truth'. Through this Hemingway more clearly defines his main character than he ever could through writing.

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Summary: Adventurous Read with travel, bull fighting, and mind games
Review: Hemingway makes you want to call up a bunch of buddies and hit sidewalk cafe after cafe ordering good food and drink. He makes these things seem like true life pleasures in the way he describes them. I can't say I did not like the book. There is no real plot, but the adventure Hemingway takes you on makes up for it. I disliked most of the characters which simply means that Hemingway did a great job making them real. Brett Ashley is the most despicable character I've ever read about. Her manipulation and mind games are painted so well by Hemingway that you want her to be real so you can tell her off. She really angered me. All this means is that if a character in a book can anger you, than the author has done his job making the character come to life. It took me awhile to come to terms that I liked this book. I first thought I hated it. When I saw myself constantly talking about the characters to friends, I realized that I really liked the book. I would suggest that it be read by everyone who wants to be wisked away to Spain during the running of the bulls, see a bull fight, and be taken to sidewalk cafes to drink and be merry. Great book! Short read. Read it!

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Summary: Worth reading? Perhaps....
Review: At best, I consider this book to be a typical of the post WWI authors- rather plotless, lost, simple story-telling. Very "He said, she said" kind of writing annoys me, although I am not denying that perhaps this novel is better than I think. If you have a couple of hours to waste, this will do nicely. C+.

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Summary: This book kept me entertained
Review: I am not much of a reader, in fact, I am a high school student. I read becasue I have to read. Even though I was not forced to read this book, I was however, pushed to read two of Ernest's novels. I enjoyed The Sun Also Rises although I agree with one review that states that "Lady" Brett was a whore. I firmly believe the story could not have had the same entertaining efffects without her in it. The Scribner version I read did not include the fact that the narrator, Jacob Barnes, was impotent. That fact alone brings a massive wave of clearity to why they acted the way they did around each other. This is a book to read when you simply want to be entertained.

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Summary: A story of a lost generation, regret , love, lust,&stregnth
Review: The Sun Also Rises is a story of a lost generation. It takes place in the post world war one era. The story follows the life, inner struggles, and loves of a group of thirty-somethings. It especially follows the story of Jake Barnes, an American veteran of the war who is now living in Paris as a journalist. Jake suffers from an injury due to the war. He is impotent. He returns to Paris after meeting his true love Brett Ashley in a hospital. Brett is a highly sexed woman. She loves Jake but is unable to have a relationship with him because of his injury. The story unfolds when the group go to Spain for a bull fighting festival. Tempers flare over Brett by Cohn(a weak character who obsesses over Brett) and Mike(Brett's fiance). The weeks in Spain are beautifully described using imagery. The non stop parties and drunken behaviors of the group are depicted very realistically. Hemingway does a beautiful job of making the reader feel what it is like to be in the story.experiencing all the trial s of each character. The story evolves until the end although it seems nothing is resolved. This story is really the story of individual strggle and finding inner peace. After I finished the story I did not like it or really felt it had any point. It was very tedious to get through because of all the imagery used. But, after a few minutes of thinking about it, I realized the point of the story and every aspect I had not understood while reading, all fell into place. Hemingway is a distinct writer and has a definate individual style. HIs style just takes a little getting used to.

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Summary: The Beauty of simplicity!
Review: What a jewel! Hemingway's style and prose is so refreshing. With every page I wanted to jump in and join the group of expatriates on there vacation. He capture the fine details and the pains of life with his brevity rather than relying on grandiose paragraphs and sentences. Sometimes beauty is found in simplicity, and this story is the perfect example. A must read and must own for anyone's personal collection.