3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Bad...., July 19 2004
The Sun Also Rises was my first sampling of Hemingway's novel length works. My verdict? Clearly, this is a first novel, but a very good one. The first half of the book is slow and not exactly compelling, and yet by the second half, it really takes off, and I found myself engrossed.
Basically, The Sun Also Rises is a portrait of the "lost generation", those who were so impacted by the war that their lives have no meaning in the traditional sense. They go about a series of meaningless activities that leave them feeling empty and unfulfilled. This premise is fairly existential and dark, and if that isn't your cup of tea, don't bother with the Sun Also Rises. That said, this novel does a great job of characterizing such members of said generation, and the style of the writing is attractively lucid and crisp, yet rich with symbolism. Despite the shaky start, I would reccomend reading this.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dreary, April 19 2004
This book is an account of several characters that are complete losers. The story never picks up, and the account of people getting drunk continually is uninteresting. Hemmingway makes use of a lot of dialogue that is sometimes hard to follow. The one bright spot of the book is the way that the author reveals the culture and landscape of Spain. He wrote in a way that made the Spanish atmosphere very vivid. I enjoyed Hemmingway's book, Old Man and the Sea much more than this book.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dated? A Literary Artifact?, Dec 11 2005
I was looking forward to reading this. (I have fond memories of Pamploma from 1963.) I had just finished A Moveable Feast and was interested in the spare style of Papa, but this book, despite all the fame it has, did little for me. I can accept his spare style, but nobody talks the way Hemingway writes, except the characters in his book. I think the interest of this book lies in its value as a literary artifact - but I doubt that anyone would publish it today (if it were written by an unknown author at any rate). The characters are not well drawn and I have little interest in them - eating and drinking all day may have had value for the lost generation , but those days are long gone (thank goodness). My father (born 1917) was a huge Hemingway fan, his son is not.
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