For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (ISBN:0684803356)

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		For Whom the Bell Tolls
	
				(537 reviews)			
(30158 Readers)

			Ernest Hemingway		
	
In 1937 Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the...more
 In 1937 Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from "the good fight," For Whom the Bell Tolls. The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain, it tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. In his portrayal of Jordan's love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo's last stand, in his brilliant travesty of La Pasionaria and his unwillingness to believe in blind faith, Hemingway surpasses his achievement in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms to create a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving, and wise. "If the function of a writer is to reveal reality," Maxwell Perkins wrote Hemingway after reading the manuscript, "no one ever so completely performed it." Greater in power, broader in scope, and more intensely emotional than any of the author's previous works, it stands as one of the best war novels of all time.   less

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							Deepanan Acharya
						
							few weeks ago						
Hemingway was my favourite from the start of my reading life. Long time ago when I first read the book, I was quite moved and the feeling remained. When I read it now, I am not only a reader, my mind constantly analyzed the writing and identified the flab and irregularities. After I finished still I liked the book, the scenes and the characters are vividly created that only a specially gifted...more
 Hemingway was my favourite from the start of my reading life. Long time ago when I first read the book, I was quite moved and the feeling remained. When I read it now, I am not only a reader, my mind constantly analyzed the writing and identified the flab and irregularities. After I finished still I liked the book, the scenes and the characters are vividly created that only a specially gifted writer can create. I understood the beauty and power of ending and appreciated the intelligence of Hemingway. The ending is not an ordinary tragic finish at all. It drives home the true spirit of life as a never ending quest to live, never accepting defeat. This strong belief and force of life is the hallmark of Hemingway which came out in his writings time and again. This work is special because it also created the intense love. Eternal love in the face of death is powerful. Yes, the body matter contains enough material and layers for you to read the book again and again and each time discover new meanings.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
One thing not to do: finish reading such a powerfool book at 3 AM and go to sleep. I don't know what I was dreaming of, but I woke up with heroic dialogues in my head. 
I do not like Hemingways harshness, this "there's only one way - the right way" approach. In this book he shows us the right way to believe, the right way to fight, to love and to die. So don't read it if you do not have a strong...more
 One thing not to do: finish reading such a powerfool book at 3 AM and go to sleep. I don't know what I was dreaming of, but I woke up with heroic dialogues in my head. 
I do not like Hemingways harshness, this "there's only one way - the right way" approach. In this book he shows us the right way to believe, the right way to fight, to love and to die. So don't read it if you do not have a strong ideas of your own of how should you do all that :)
Nevertheless , this is a masterpiece.
When you read it, keep in mind, that the book was out after the war described in it was lost. So the people there that hope to win the war are tragically wrong. Moreover, the world war is yet to come right after that.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
"the man walked up the hill."  "the man walked to the river."  Robert Jordan and Maria.  Actually it was a good book.

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							sulu
						
							few weeks ago						
A fight between fascists and communists/socialists.... What could be a better backdrop for a tale of virtual hopelessness and despair. The most striking element is the way various characters are presented with different levels of dedication to their 'cause'. Another neat thing is that while the book is quite long and not an easy read, you realize at the end that only two days have passed....more
 A fight between fascists and communists/socialists.... What could be a better backdrop for a tale of virtual hopelessness and despair. The most striking element is the way various characters are presented with different levels of dedication to their 'cause'. Another neat thing is that while the book is quite long and not an easy read, you realize at the end that only two days have passed. The balance of pressure/anticipation and moments of carefree casualness is striking.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
For Whom the Bell Tolls has a little for everyone.  A war novel, with love, intrigue, and a bit of philosophy mixed in.  It traces roughly three days in Robert Jordon’s life.  Beginning and ending the same way, on the “pine-needled floor of the forest”.  It traces an individual’s involvement in something he believes in deeply.  It details an individual’s life in three days of...more
 For Whom the Bell Tolls has a little for everyone.  A war novel, with love, intrigue, and a bit of philosophy mixed in.  It traces roughly three days in Robert Jordon’s life.  Beginning and ending the same way, on the “pine-needled floor of the forest”.  It traces an individual’s involvement in something he believes in deeply.  It details an individual’s life in three days of conflict, finally determining that, “Maybe I have had all my life in three days”.  In those three days, Robert Jordan will question his purpose for fighting in this war (the Spanish civil war), his previously unquestioned commitment for those he’s fighting for, his unprecedented love for an individual (Maria), and his need to prove himself to those who went before him (his grandfather).  In the end, Robert Jordan does his job as best he can, despite the circumstances.  Concluding, “The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.”   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
A fight between fascists and communists/socialists....  What could be a better backdrop for a tale of virtual hopelessness and despair.  The most striking element is the way various characters are presented with different levels of dedication to their 'cause'.  Another neat thing is that while the book is quite long and not an easy read, you realize at the end that only two days have...more
 A fight between fascists and communists/socialists....  What could be a better backdrop for a tale of virtual hopelessness and despair.  The most striking element is the way various characters are presented with different levels of dedication to their 'cause'.  Another neat thing is that while the book is quite long and not an easy read, you realize at the end that only two days have passed.  The balance of pressure/anticipation and moments of carefree casualness is striking.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Compelling and richly descriptive, Hemingway reveals a complex psychology of war. Nearly every character exists as both combatant and unwitting victim, many of them archetypal, and through them Hemingway succeeds in creating a feeling of a war that is pervasive and all-consuming, though not understood.His use of run-on comma-spliced descriptive paragraphs got more effective toward the end, I...more
 Compelling and richly descriptive, Hemingway reveals a complex psychology of war. Nearly every character exists as both combatant and unwitting victim, many of them archetypal, and through them Hemingway succeeds in creating a feeling of a war that is pervasive and all-consuming, though not understood.His use of run-on comma-spliced descriptive paragraphs got more effective toward the end, I thought, when the taut pacing and frequent scene breaks could support it better. Earlier descriptive passages felt somewhat laborious and distracting.I think "Old Man and the Sea" and "The Sun Also Rises" are stronger overall works, but I did enjoy reading this one, too.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Tradução Portuguesa

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Some people enjoy Hemingway's unique style;others do not. I belong to the latter group. I do not doubt his craftsmanship, but his dependence on dialogue made the novel feel more like a stage play or screenplay. More than this, I seriously question some of Hemingway's attitudes towards manhood--primarily that men need to prove themselves, either by shooting animals, shooting people in battle, or...more
 Some people enjoy Hemingway's unique style;others do not. I belong to the latter group. I do not doubt his craftsmanship, but his dependence on dialogue made the novel feel more like a stage play or screenplay. More than this, I seriously question some of Hemingway's attitudes towards manhood--primarily that men need to prove themselves, either by shooting animals, shooting people in battle, or participating in bullfights. It's sad that someone would be so hung up on antiquated, romantic ideas like that. His disappointment about the evolving nature of manhood pervades this novel.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I don't think I've ever read any book like this before: A revelation.

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