The Sun Also Rises

A near pefect book.

I began to like Hemingway with the Old Man and the Sea but I began to love Papa Hemingway with this text.

This book was a 20th century novel. Very depressing. Existential, right? I did not enjoy it. Not a satisfying worldveiw of the wretchedness and glory of man. Reminded me of Camus' The Stranger. I wrote a song about that book. "Under the sun oh under the sun it is very hot and I like it a lot in my little cell it is well it is well it is very very well in my little cell. But you can see outside!...more

This book was a 20th century novel. Very depressing. Existential, right? I did not enjoy it. Not a satisfying worldveiw of the wretchedness and glory of man. Reminded me of Camus' The Stranger. I wrote a song about that book. "Under the sun oh under the sun it is very hot and I like it a lot in my little cell it is well it is well it is very very well in my little cell. But you can see outside! You can see outside! You can see the stars through the bars of your cell! It is well, it is well with my soul."   hide

The point of this story was? Was I supposed to develop some empathy for our perpetually drunk and immature characters? Was I supposed to lament the fact that one man was effectively emasculated in WWI and he and the rest of his friends were still suffering from it years later? Am I to read of their drunken brawls, arguments, and fights to better understand them? If the answers to these questions...more

The point of this story was? Was I supposed to develop some empathy for our perpetually drunk and immature characters? Was I supposed to lament the fact that one man was effectively emasculated in WWI and he and the rest of his friends were still suffering from it years later? Am I to read of their drunken brawls, arguments, and fights to better understand them? If the answers to these questions were yes, I have seriously missed the message of this book. There were no real themes in the novel, merely drinking, arguing, drinking, and being an ex-patriot. Hemingway may have been making an autobiographical novel here, but if so, his life must have been very messed up. The only things I did like from this novel were the bullfighting and the fishing trip. Other than that, the dialogue was bad, and the plot stank. It should not be a required text for high schoolers. Just because it is short does not mean that it enriches anyone's life with the reading of it.   hide

I do not know if there was any point to the story but if there was it had to be that life has no meaning. The characters in the book struggle so intensely to find something that will make them feel alive with purpose, but all they do is drink and party. The book besides radiating a since of dread also was unable to keep up with my train of though. The book was simply a waste of my time. The only...more

I do not know if there was any point to the story but if there was it had to be that life has no meaning. The characters in the book struggle so intensely to find something that will make them feel alive with purpose, but all they do is drink and party. The book besides radiating a since of dread also was unable to keep up with my train of though. The book was simply a waste of my time. The only thing it did teach me is and that i am glad i learn is what type of person i want to avoid in life.   hide

Took me a couple of reads to get the full impact. Initially seems to be about fishing, drinking, bull fighting, a love triangle, an impossible love, and a tragic sadness, but then you realize that it's about FISHING, DRINKING, BULL FIGHTING, A LOVE TRIANGLE, AN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE, TRAGEDY, LISTLISNESS AND ULTIMATE SADNESS! The dialogue is great, so matter of fact and flippant. the drunken...more

Took me a couple of reads to get the full impact. Initially seems to be about fishing, drinking, bull fighting, a love triangle, an impossible love, and a tragic sadness, but then you realize that it's about FISHING, DRINKING, BULL FIGHTING, A LOVE TRIANGLE, AN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE, TRAGEDY, LISTLISNESS AND ULTIMATE SADNESS! The dialogue is great, so matter of fact and flippant. the drunken scenes with Bill and Michael are so great, the old chaps. They really know how to be rude in a hilarious but awful way. Favorite line, when Cohn and Jake go downstairs for a drink: Cohn: "this is a good place" "There's a lot of liquor", Jake agreed. That pretty much says it all! If you like Hemingway, try Fitzgerald. the Great Gatsby, the Beautiful and the Dammned.   hide

I remember reading this book for the first time when I was 12 years old...Yes, I know Hemingway can be wording, but it was exactly that which made me fall in love with this book. The vivid descriptions...I can close my eyes even now & picture the bull fighting scene...the sounds, visual art, and even what it might have smelled like in spain! This book was the first book that made me realize...more

I remember reading this book for the first time when I was 12 years old...Yes, I know Hemingway can be wording, but it was exactly that which made me fall in love with this book. The vivid descriptions...I can close my eyes even now & picture the bull fighting scene...the sounds, visual art, and even what it might have smelled like in spain! This book was the first book that made me realize that I would have to travel the world one day!!   hide

A fantastic semi-autobiographical depiction of the expatriates in Europe Hemingway kept his company with. Jake Barnes is a classic anti-hero, and Brett Ashley is a classic love interest character.

This is the book that, quite literally, changed my life. It is defiant and charismatic, and the author's voice is so potent, you can feel the literature inside of you as you page through. Hemingway's style may not appeal to all tastes; he has an affinity for concise phrases within impressively detailed description. Regardless of personal taste, the story itself, much like the time period it was...more

This is the book that, quite literally, changed my life. It is defiant and charismatic, and the author's voice is so potent, you can feel the literature inside of you as you page through. Hemingway's style may not appeal to all tastes; he has an affinity for concise phrases within impressively detailed description. Regardless of personal taste, the story itself, much like the time period it was written in, is a congestion of hopefullnes tempered with hopelessness that is nothing short of breathtaking.   hide