Customer Reviews

A Farewell to Arms (Cliffs Notes)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First of all, let me say that I am a Kindle lover. Having said that, lets look at the pricing here. I can pay $12.99 for the Kindle edition, or I can pay $9.60 and get an actual book? Let me think... Honestly, if Kindle and e-books are ever going to last, they have to price the e-book version CHEAPER than the physical book format. I would never pay more for an e-book than I would for the physical copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, my first Hemingway but definitely not my last. As a septuagenarian college student majoring in English (Writing), the first person past tense narrative was of particular interest to me. Writing a first person narrative successfully is extremely difficult and I learned quite a lot from reading this one, for example, the exquisite balance between detail and action. I felt I was standing next to Frederick Henry as he told his story.

But what I found most intriguing was the insight into the early 20th Century privileged class visiting Europe during the most horrific war of their time. What must it be like, I wondered, to live in Frederick's place. He does not use his wealth to eschew danger, but it certainly makes it possible for him to navigate through this complex and complicated experience. I was amused to realize and contrast the differences between his reality in 1915-17 Europe and our expectations now in the 21st Century.

Of course, I cannot review a book without singing the praises of Kindle for PC. Aside from all it's wonderful features, I found a new thing to rave about. I also bought a literary analysis of "A Farewell To Arms" and found it both easy and useful to read the chapter summations up to my place in the book before going on with the novel, especially when some time had elapsed between readings. After I finished the novel, I read the character analyses and the write ups about the plot devices. It was almost as good as a class or book-club discussion. By using bookmarks, I find it easier to navigate through a Kindle e-book than the old fashioned paper ones. Not only are e-books more durable, think of all the trees who remain happy firmly rooted to their precious Earth!

By the way, that $9.99 version referred to by another reviewer is not available in the United States. I felt this book was well worth the price I paid for it.

Simply a great novel by one of the worlds best writers ever. A definite classic from world war one. Strongly recommended.

This is my second Hemingway book I've read after "The Sun also Rises". I had seen where this was a highly regarded novel, and a "Classic." I must say I beg to differ. This one was mildly better, but still not very enjoyable. It takes place during WW I and follows the life of an ambulance driver (which Hemingway actually was). The book picks up in the second half when the main character flees the army, but the ending was so depressing, I don't think I'll be reading any more Hemingway any time soon.

See the title for what I think of A Farewell to Arms. There are 2 Kindle A Farewell to Arms, and they look exactly alike, except this one costs $12.99 and has two previous reviews (one rates it 3 stars and the other rates it 2 stars), and the other one costs $9.99 and has 401 ratings with an average rating of 4 stars. Bye.

I bought this book because I read somewhere that it's considered a "great American novel". While I haven't completed it ... I have to say I'm a bit indifferent about it. It's OK. So, I'd give it the label "OK American novel". My review is greatly influenced by Hemingway's annoying use of paragraph-long, run-on sentences. In many cases, they don't even make sense. By the time a get to the end of these sentences, I've lost track of what he's talking about. It almost made me give up on the book during the first chapter.

I know this book is a classic, but I did not enjoy it. Though I liked Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, Farewell to Arms seemed rather boring. It gives a realistic and fairly hopeless view of war, revealing of Hemingway's own experiences. The soldier and the nurse's love affair is also autobiographical, but somehow has an unrealistic quality. Maybe I just don't like the nurse's characther, disregarding her own identity. The action is pretty slow and though the ending is foreshadowed, it felt more like a chopping off of a story than a closing. Overall, some interesting themes and classic messages about human nature, but a slow and terse writing style.

Quick and short synopsis to the book's story. Read the book first and get a friend who has read it or someone with a good argumentative view to bounce the ideas in Cliffs Notes with you.