The Old Man And The Sea (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) [School & Library Binding]

Ernest Hemingway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1995

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Story of an old fisherman's struggle against natural obstacles that hinder the catch of a huge marlin.

Product Details

• School & Library Binding: 127 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0808519328
• ISBN-13: 978-0808519324
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Sea Adventures

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful book with lots of ideas to come back to, March 17, 2000

By 

alex mauro (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Old Man and the Sea (Bloom's Notes) (Library Binding)

i think a lot of the people reviewing this book have missed the point. It is true that there is not much of a plot but the book is not about plot. If you want a page turner go to an airport and look at the bestseller list. Through this book Hemingway displays his views and feelings on masculinity. It has been said, and been well reported, that Hemingway is deeply macho and believes in this whole rum-drinking world. But in the old man... I feel that Hemingway shows a masculinity with a human face. In the book the old man and the boy talk of the baseball greats. When they come to John J. McGraw, they say that "he was rough and harsh-spoken and difficult when he was drinking." Here Hemingway is showing that machismo which is coarse or totally insensitive is not a worthy charectaristic. Although Dimaggio is strong and plays through a bone spur and the old man is resolute in over coming every difficulty to kil the Marlin, both these charectors are give a sensitive edge. The old man talks about humility and wonders about the consequences of having this emotion. He decides that this feeling loses no pride. Ultimately I feel that feelings and the fight that man has to go through are the over whelming messages of the book.

The old man... also has beautiful images and throws up lots of questions aboutrole models and determination. I read in one of the reviews that the reviewer wanted snatiago to let the fish go and go back to land! That is totally missing the point. We have to look at santiago and his qualities. Take the arm wrestle he didn't just 'give-up'. All of us can do with some of his determination to be resloute, fear no sacrifice and surmount every difficulty to win victory.

All in all i feel this is a fantasti book that uses some wonderful images. the language, which has caused such a chasm between the reviewers, I feel is beautiful. It is so beautifully simple that hemingway himself considered it the best he had ever and would ever write.

I would like to recommend One hundred years of solitude by gabriel garcia marquez, graham greene, a confedaracy of dunces by john kennedy toole

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Old Man and the Sea" Converted Me to Hemingway, February 14, 2011

By 

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What should ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Old Man And The Sea (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

I first read Ernest Hemingway as a young college student and missed the depth in his simplicity. Reading him again has turned my opinion around. I urge you to read this book.

In "The Old Man and the Sea," he shows the story is not in the language per se, but in the complexity found in the subtle reality of life.

Of course, "Old Man," is not subtle in the classic sense. What I mean is that Hemingway doesn't labor the book with fantastic descriptions detailing the intricacies of the sea, or of being a fisherman. Instead, he delves into the mind of the old man, shows the fatherly love he has for a young boy, and the quest for his legacy.

A quick read, I finished it in three or so hours. I was captured by the smell of the salt and the slippery feel of fish squirming in a net. I felt the thirst of a long night fighting a huge fish, and the burn of a fishing line running through my hands. I missed the young boy's company late on the boat, and also wished he were to help me fish. How Hemingway did do this to me?

As a Midwesterner, I have barely seen the sea, and have never really fished. It is a great book. Read it for the drama, the language, the psychology, the suspense. It is romance in the sense an old western novel is a romance. By all means, read it.

I fully recommend "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway.

Anthony Trendl
http://anthonytrendl.com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Old Man and the Sea", July 15, 2006

By 

Elina Oliferovskiy (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Old Man and the Sea (Bloom's Notes) (Library Binding)

"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.