A story about love and war. Or the senselessness of war… and love. As at the end the main character Lieutenant Fred Henry loses both.
I’ve always heard rave reviews of Hemingway’s writing, and decided I would try to squeeze one of his novels into my reading list if I could find one. Eventually I found ‘A Farewell to Arms’. I was surprised to discover this book was first published in 1929, thinking Hemingway was more a contemporary, maybe just a generation older. However the paperback edition I found was even older than me, published in 1955 (only 35 cents cover price).
I’ve always heard rave reviews of Hemingway’s writing, and decided I would try to squeeze one of his novels into my reading list if I could find one. Eventually I found ‘A Farewell to Arms’. I was surprised to discover this book was first published in 1929, thinking Hemingway was more a contemporary, maybe just a generation older. However the paperback edition I found was even older than me, published in 1955 (only 35 cents cover price).
I researched a bit and this story really is a reflection of Ernest Hemingway’s experiences from World War I. Like the main character, he was an ambulance driver in the Italian army. He was seriously wounded in the legs, received medals, and while recovering a few months in a field hospital fell in love with a lovely nurse.
The story varies (I think) a bit from there, as a retreat, the loss of his ambulances, almost being shot for being at by the Italians during the retreat for being an officer, he gives up on the war, after only escaping during a moment of confusion by diving into the river.
It was interesting to read about all of the soldiers together talking about wishing the war was over, and debating the merits of just giving up to end it all. It was refreshing to see that even in WWI there was opposition to war and other than the leaders no one wanted to be there.
The narrative style was very interesting. At one point I noticed that I was reading a paragraph where at least five people were talking, yet I could make sense of it all and knew exactly who was saying what. I’m sure if I’d written a paragraph like that someone would crit that I’d lost my point of view. Also a lot of short sharp to the point sentences in dialogs.
I’m glad I read this book, and will be on the lookout for more Hemingway’s - even though I‘ve heard there‘s not much chance they are going to be any more cheerful.
Grade: C+
McDoogle
Your challenge: Sneak behind enemy lines. Defuse a bomb. Return to home base via the sea.
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