Customer Reviews

A Farewell to Arms (Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Much has been said here on the plot and dialog. I'd like to add my opinion about two closely-related scenes: Henry's back and forth, back and forth internal dialog about "what if she dies?" and "she can't die!" is the most powerful writing I've ever seen; and Catherine's labor was the most realistic writing (and from a man, yet!) about this subject. These two scenes showed more about the characters than any narrative could ever do. For those of you who gave this book a low rating, wait till you're older and then go to the library and borrow the audio version of this book. You might change your mind. This is a haunting novel of real (and flawed) people trying to live and love during war time.

All I can say about this work is that if you are interested in or are seeking true love in this life then this book should definitely be part of your journey. After you have finished it you will know many of the reasons why I am making this statement. Hemingway wrote the ending 36 times and its power reflects his effort. It smites me to the core at every reading. I will carry what I learned from A Farewell to Arms in my heart forever.

I found this novel to be neither splendid nor awful. The only other book by Hemingway I'd read before this was The Old Man and the Sea, and, though there's much to appreciate in A Farewell to Arms, I'm not itching to open a third one.(That's with a complete works on my shelf). The best part about this gracefully written book is the cold feeling of desperation it creates. Lack of specifics about the conflict itself juxtaposed with incredibly detailed descriptions of physical space and random closeup moments almost suffocate the reader with the immediate, sudden, and senseless tragedy one faces in wartime. The matter-of-fact tone can at times be chilling. However, the consistently stilted dialogue is surely hard to swallow, and fights the believability of the characters. Overall the book feels padded with unneeded descriptions that don't promise plot, making it a very slow read. While the ending is fairly good, it's an uphill chore to get there. I can't recommend it unless you buy into hype and/or have an extra strong affinity for war novels.

i had enjoyed reading many works of Ernest Hemingway, and i think that "A Farewell to Arms" is a great peice of literature, and one that should be enjoyed by everybody. The way the words flow off the pages make this book great fun and simple to read. Hemingway's descriptions are so in depth that they give one the ability to see what is being done in the book, it also gives a great sense of involvement. I think that anybody who decides to pick up "A Farewell to Arms" will be very pleased with that desicion and become more intrested in the amazing works of Ernests Hemingway, This book will change your prespective on the way you think of life.

I am a high school student and I had to pick a book to do a report on.I decieded to read "A Farewell to Arms."My report is due tomorrow and so far I am only on page 171.The book moves so slow and it is very dry.The plot is interesting,but Hemingway needed to add more to it,in order to keep the readers attention.I personally would not have picked this book to read if I knew that it was going to be this dry and boring.

If I were to try a terse approach similar to Hemingway's prose I would write that this book is a classic story about love and war. Indeed, it is a page turner and one could assume that it influenced THE ENGLISH PATIENT in some small way.

Hemingway takes the reader on a journey and along the way he familiarizes them with the horror of war and the beauty of love. Hemingway transports the reader to Italy and to the depths of his mind in this very personal story. Scenes from the book leave life long impressions. For example, the random massacre of soldiers leaves an indelible etching in the readers mind. Scenes from the hospital remind the reader of what it is like to fall in love.

While Hemingway is much maligned, it is not always for good reason. This book certainly proves that he can write really well. Machismo or not, this book is a classic and that is why it is critically reviewed. Each sentence is picked apart, and while this slows down the beauty of Hemingway's prose, it does provide insight into a fabulous book.

Enjoy. It is hard to imagine someone not enjoying this beautiful piece of fiction.

As a Hemingway fan, imagine my surprise when I couldn't make it through this book. The characters were so completely unsympathetic that even Hemingway's writing couldn't save it.

I read this book because I had to, and in the end I enjoyed it very much. (...the wonder of school.) Seriously, though, Hemingway's writing is truly outstanding and I for one don't believe that he is too objectionable, as some apparantly feel in his treatment of women, to be widely appreciated. Other than that non-issue, the book is really outstanding in its plot, but even one who doesn't read much will greatly enjoy and appreciate the extraordinary "economy" of Hemingway's prose.

I read this book because I had to, and in the end I enjoyed it very much. (...the wonder of school.) Seriously, though, Hemingway's writing is truly outstanding and I for one don't believe that he is too objectionable, as some apparantly feel in his treatment of women, to be widely appreciated. Other than that non-issue, the book is really outstanding in its plot, but even one who doesn't read much will greatly enjoy and appreciate the extraordinary "economy" of Hemingway's prose.

This is a most remarkable book about the challenges of love and war. Hemmingway refuses to sugar coat war and shows it in a light that many Americans want to deny. His look at the war and at the interaction between the two makes this a marvelous work that will go down as one of the all time greatet American Classics