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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Old Man and the Sea,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Old Man & the Sea (Br) (Pbk)(Oop) (Bloom's Notes) (Paperback)
This is story is about a fish, man and a boy. As Hemingway describes the experience that they had, I could not stop reading. This book was an exciting and well written book. As I kept on reading it felt like I was really there and I could just see the man and the boy coming in with a trail of blood in the water, the smell of fish and sharks still attacking it. This book is definitely one of my favorite books, I can't wait to read it aging and again.
By Claire
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Suspenseful,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Old Man & the Sea (Br) (Pbk)(Oop) (Bloom's Notes) (Paperback)
The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a great read for anyone; I definitely give this book four stars and two thumbs up. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat as Ernest Hemingway takes you out to the ocean while an old man battles to keep his prize fish. As the old Cuban fisherman sits in the sweltering heat of the sun fishing in his boat he feels a bite. The bite may seem like an ordinary bite to amatuers, but to the old man it feels like a prize that will take time and effort to catch. He had no idea what lay ahead of him, or what would happen when he got back to the shore. He struggles with this one fish for days upon days with only raw fish and dolphin to eat. He knows he has found a prize fish and he does not want to lose it. Once he finally catches the fish he has to navigate his way back home because the fish, which he finds out is a marlin, has pulled him so far out to sea he does not reconize anything around him. He determies the direction and sets off. On the way he battles sharks that are trying to reach his catch that was so big that he had to tie it to the edge of the boat. Whie he fights the sharks he must also catch little fish and dolphins to maintain his strength until he gets to his hut which now seems a long way away. I would recommend this book along with The Giver by Lois Lowry and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The Old Man and the Sea",
By
This review is from: Old Man & the Sea (Br) (Pbk)(Oop) (Bloom's Notes) (Paperback)
"The Old Man and the Sea" was my favorite from all the books I've read this year. It was written by Ernest Hemingway in in 1951. The story is called a novella because it is too long to be a short story, but too short to be called a novel. This book by Ernest Hemingway is so amazing though. Hemingway has the ability to write a story that makes your mind paint a picture. This book draws you in, and you feel like you're in the skiff with Santiago, rooting for the death of the marlin. Quoted from Zach Davisson, "This short novel is fierce, full of vibrant energy and humanity," and I would say that this is Hemingway's best work. At first the story seems like a standard "man against nature" tale, but unlike those kind of stories, this one has a more vivid battle, and a stronger point at the end. It is said that Hemingway's inspiration for the old man in the book, was the Cuban fisherman Gregorio Fuentes, who was also Hemingway's friend, but noe one really knows where Hemingway gets he extraoridnary ideas.
Although short, the book has a deep meaning. Sometimes people can just read a book without really seeing much of a point, but that only happens when people read the words, not the story. You have to know how to read right, in order to see the message in the book. One main theme I found while reading was to have courage in the face of defeat. Even though the Old man hadn't caught a fish in 84 days, he didn't give up. He continued to try and try. On day 85, he decides that, no matter what, he will not return with a catch. His waiting paid off though, because soon, he caught an enormous marlin. Santiago had to fight with the fish for three days before finally killing it. On the way back, the old man had more to worry about than just about keeping the fish tied to the boat. Sharks, hunger, and weakness tried to defeat the man, but he stayed strong. This book mainly portrays masculinity. Although the old man was very gentle, he knew when to use the power and strength that men have. He is so gentle though, that at one point in the book he wishes he "could feed the fish," and at another in the book he is "sorry for the fish that had nothing to eat." Later on in the story, he deeply grieves when the first shark mutilates the fish's beautiful body. Santiago has a very kind soul and loving heart too. He doesn't mind the fishermen who make fun of him, and he respects Manolin's father, even though he forbids the boy to fish with the old man and tells him to fish with someone else after forty fishless days with Santiago. The only time in the book when Santiago is violent, is when he killed the sharks which attacked his fish, but such actions, the only reason he did was to defend his "brother", the fish. Even in his dreams are gentle and pleasant. Santiago usually dreams of playful, not fierce, lions, and also, once of mating porpoises. I loved his easy-going, selfless, and thoughtful character, throughout the whole story. The reason that I loved "The Old Man and the Sea" is because this book inspired me the most. It made me think of how the old man's life is the kind of live anyone would want. Although he is poor and lonely, he loves everyone around him no matter how much they discourage him, and he believes in himself enough to set out goals that seems unreachable. He knows that he can succeed in practically anything. The old man has everything he needs in this world: determination and strength. Santiago's battle was a very hard one, but no matter how hard it got, he never gave up Mainly, this story portrayed hope. Santiago created hope when there was none. He was strong when his body was weak. Santiago himself has said, "Man is not made for defeat....A man can be destroyed but not defeated." The strength of his will is what keeps him going. It is all that holds his failing body together. Even though the old man's strength seemed a little over-exaggerated and unrealistic sometimes, the rest of the story has fixed that. The boy is a good example of a casual person, and the fish is just a casual fish. This book has many different interpretations. To one person, this could be a story of how a man was so determined that he never gave up, not matter how much suffering he had to go through. Another person may think of this story as just another story of symbolism, because the old man, no matter how aged and hurt, had strength and bravery throughout the whole story. While one person may this of this story as a story of success, another one might just label the old man as too desperate and obsessed, because he almost lost his life over catching a fish. To another person this story might portray that riches and wealth give nothing, and that a person can live a good life without any of that. To me, this story had a different meaning, but is similar to the first one. This story represents courage, trust, and love to me. It represents courage, because the old man had courage in times when most people fear. He had the courage to go out there, knowing he will succeed in his goals, and he rejected fear, doubt, and weakness. It represents trust, because the old man trusted himself. Sometimes, in a tough situation, people do things they normally wouldn't. Sometimes people say they would never do something, but at the end, they turn out to. Mothers who love their children, actually ate their children in times of starvation, and this is because of how their brain reacted. The old man knew that he could trust himself not to give up. He knew he would keep going no matter how back-breaking the work would be. He knew that he wouldn't betray himself and give up in the end, like many people do. It also represents love, because the old man loved his dream and hobby. Catching the marlin was his dream, and fishing was hobby. He loved the feeling of success, and self-respect, and so he loved the dream of catching the fish so much that he decided to go out and make it reality. I can really relate to this story, because many times, I suffer in order to get a reward at the end. Even though I don't actually get a reward, just like the old man didn't, I get respect, and it makes me feel better too. This story could have had a different ending, one that many people said they would have liked. Some think it would have been better if Santiago would have towed the enormous fish back to port and posed for a triumphal photograph, but instead his prize gets devoured by a school of sharks. Santiago returned home with little more than a skeleton, but that didn't mean anything to him. He was not fully defeated, and that made him feel proud. He didn't want credit or popularity, because he didn't care about any of those things. All he wanted was to finally succeed in catching a fish, and that's what happened. When he returned home, he went to bed and, dreamed about the lions. I recommend this book to everyone. It is such an encouraging and outstanding story, and I think that everyone should get a change to read it. If you've read it, but you didn't find it touching or meaningful, then you've missed the point. I never knew that a story a little over 120 pages could have so much meaning, and teach you such great things.
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