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What are readers saying about Old Man and the Sea?
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-07-28 11:14:29.
(Language: English)
 
Though the style is simple and accessible to all, this book is undoubtedly a masterpiece. Hemingway has shown through this fiction the never-ending struggle of an old man ,Santiago, in his own element which is the sea and its unpredictable dwellers. His work has, once more, taught me that a masterpiece is not necessarily one that abounds in complicated vocabulary but most importantly, one that conveys a philosophy, a message to the readers.
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Sankar posted a review at 2010-12-06 10:08:46.
(Language: English)
Old Man and the Sea is Hemingway's last novel.It is also very short.Though apparently it is about an old Cuban fisherman it has many layers of meaning.Children can read it as an adventure story.A serious reader can find solace whenever he feels depressed.It is about courage and dignity of human life. Hemingway tells us what is important is doing the right thing in the right way,not realizing the goal always.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-01-18 08:38:04.
(Language: English)
Amazing!!! I absolutely loved this book. Hooray for libraries, and hooray for Ernest Hemingway! The old man just stole my heart. He had so much respect for the fish... and for the universe. "Then he was sorry for the fish that had nothing to eat, and his determination to kill him never relaxed in his sorrow for him. How many people will he feed, he thought. But are they worthy to eat him? No, of course not. There is no one worthy of eating him, from the manner of his behavior and his great dignity."
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-20 09:50:25.
(Language: English)
Also I would like to add that user "Jonathan Jette"'s review is unnecessarily condescending. I full well understood the symbolism but nonetheless it is an unavoidably boring read. But I agree that it is a nourishing and liberating book. I must say it was a sweet little book, but kinda boring. I mean, if I were sitting out at sea for 4 days I'd be pretty bored. Though I can say that it portrays very vividly what it seems like it must be like to be an old man. The way this guy thinks reminds me a lot of my grandpa, whom I have lived with for the past 5 years. He has had a few strokes and often talks about his extremities as if they have a mind of their own, and often laments their full use. ...That goes without saying, of course, that while I didn't get much out of it personally, I do of course appreciate the symbolism. Also I like the painting on the cover of my copy much better than the one pictured here.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-14 08:35:15.
(Language: English)
When I read this at highschool, I felt it like chowing a piece of tasteless food. The ending drove me crazy : "so much patience to read untill the end, and that' it?" I really expected that he had written Man and the Sea II, a continuation of the ending of Man and the Sea.Years have passed since then and, to my curiousity, I remember the old man's buttle on the sea, his enduring nature and the ending, associating them with LIFE.How many nights we spend haveing to eat raw fish that is not sashimi and stay awake? How those sleepless nights can end up when we get older? In real life, you may be able to return to your shore with The Fish of your dreams, enjoy admiration of your little boy, leaving your name as an extraordinary fisherman after your death. However, you can also lose everything in last minute and that happend to him. And was he unhappy, depressed, devastated because he lost the fish? He was only so exausted. There is no desparation. The life was not exatly the way he wanted to be, but he was satisfied. Satisfied because he had his chance, near his end and after years of nothing, and he took it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-16 12:51:44.
(Language: English)
 
I've never been able to appreciate Hemingway (am now prepared to have all my library cards revoked). I was thinking "Old Man" would at least have the benefit of being a quick read. Quick, that is, if you don't develop temporary narcolepsy. There is some beauty to be had in his nanocosms (considerably smaller than microcosms), but the moments are so dense they collapse under their own weight. Read it for historic literary context, but don't expect a life-changing, Nobel-worthy experience.
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Emily posted a review at 2009-01-09 05:58:30.
(Language: English)
I feel kind of bad about giving a 3.5 to a piece of classic literature written by Hemingway of all people, but despite the beauty of this story I think it's popularity is a little overblown. Not to sound like a whiney high school student instead of an adult, but really, it is pretty much a story about a guy trying to catch a fish. That aside, I can see why people do like it (and I did like it). Hemingway's writing is beautiful. It's relatively simple, but the words are well-chosen. The Old Man, his protagonist, is someone for whom we come to really feel. And for me, it was the description of the sea that really had me going. I don't know if I can all-out praise it, but it probably is one of those books that should be read at least once in a lifetime.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-27 12:54:37.
(Language: English)
I enjoyed this story very much. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read that does not drag itself out whatsoever. This short novel is fierce, full of vibrant energy and humanity, all the while being a slave to the realities of finite power, of the inability to struggle against something greater than you. This story won Hemingway the Nobel Prize and there is no doubt as to why. The simplicity of the story mixed with the complexity of the character development and the symbolism that is shown, defines what is necessary to create a successful work. A must read!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-02 08:32:28.
(Language: English)
This is indeed a very strange book........ only half way through.....its a story of an old man with a lot of confidence in himself....he defeated a very strong Negro in hand game..which continued for nearly 24 hrs... but almost all the story has been told while he is after a big fish in a remote place in sea... the old man keeps on talking with fish...with his hand....with his food.....indeed a very strange story.... Let me see...what turns out of this acclaimed book at the end...
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-20 10:05:00.
(Language: English)
Why does everyone talk about this book like it's freaking MEDICINE or something?! "questionable parties, petty phone calls, noisy movies, and third break up of the week" is practically the life Hemingway led himself!! This books is anything but boring!! I mean I guess if you read it in a cathedral sitting all prissy with your legs crossed pursing your lips telling yourself what a wonderful person you are for enduring such a "terriblely dull but important book"... you are tricking yourself into thinking its dull! Read it while you're drunk! Read it while you're on the phone breaking up with your fifteenth girlfriend! READ IT AS A HUMAN BEING!!! Hemingway would hate to think he was pandering to boring academics. This book is VIOLENT, BRASH and IRREVERANT! Don't anyone DARE try and reduce it to some motherfucking textbook!!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-11 04:54:06.
(Language: English)
"Then he was sorry for the great fish that had nothing to eat and his determination to kill him never relaxed in his sorrow for him. How many people will he feed, he thought. But are they worthy to eat him? No, of course not. There is no one worthy of eating him form the manner of his behaviour and his great dignity" For a time in the '80's when people asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I would say I wanted to write. And when they asked about what, I would say like this guy. It's interesting to go back and revisit old favorites. I get something completely different each time around.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-02 10:26:55.
(Language: English)
No offense to Ernest Hemingway, but I found it quite boring, and contrary to what one reviewer remarked, it is silly to associate not enoying this book with a reader's assumed "questionable parties, petty phone calls, noisy movies and the third break-up of the week" or "drinking booze and ?having a blast?"...I am proof that it is indeed possible for an intelligent person, far from said mentality, state-of-mind, or lifestyle, to dislike this book...I personally have never been a fan of books that involve animals as a major part of the main plot (as I usually prefer nonfiction)- that includes fish. I understand the point of the book, and probably would have preferred the same message delivered in a different package, though I appreciate it for what it is.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-29 11:26:44.
(Language: English)
Story begins with an old man and a boy who has befriended him. The boy helps the old man as much as his is able because he can longer work on his boat as his parents won\'t allow it because they bring in very little fish. The man goes out farther than the other boats one day. He finally catches this huge fish which is what the story is about. How he caught the fish, what determination he had not only in the catching of the fish but also the struggle to come home with it. I liked it because you could feel the determination the man had during each little battle that he had to endure to bring home this huge fish. And, even when all was lost as far as salvaging the meat, he still brought home the carcus. Everyone could see the size of it so they must have known the struggle he went through in order to bring home somthing like that after 3 days out in the sea. The devoted boy saw to all his needs and you could see how the the man depended on the boy and how devoted the boy was to the man. Was shorter than I had thought it would be. Liked the religous aspect.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-08 10:29:28.
(Language: English)
***SPOILER ALERT***This novel depicts the struggle an old Cuban fisherman has with a massive fish while out in his dory. He has had no luck for many weeks and has been abandoned by his boy his boy helper because of this ill fortune. On the day in question he prepares as usually and goes out. He looks what her knows will be a large fish and the tussle ensues. The fisherman allows the fish and the tussle ensues. The fisherman allows the fish to take as much line as he wants over the rest of the day and into the night. The man's hand becomes cramped and injured he must east raw fish and remain awake all night. Through the next day the fish starts to weaken and finally begins to circle. In this time the old man questions himself and his abilities, puts himself in the position of the fish and thinks about the baseball scores he is missing. It is not until the third day that he is able to finally harpoon the fish when it leaps from the water near his boat. He lashes the fish to the back of the boat and set his sail to return to the island. Shortly thereafter he is set upon by a series of sharks that end up consuming all of the fish and taking all of the fisherman's equipment as he kills each one. The boat and the man arrive in Havana with just the spine left. The fish would have been one of the largest ever caught but the man's career is over. The young boy continues to pledge allegiance to him.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-21 06:11:40.
(Language: English)
I can't read Ernest Hemingway because of this book. I've heard that his other stuff is completely different, and I've *tried* to read it, but every time I see his name all I can think is, "The Old Man and the Sea... aaaaah..." and then my brain starts to implode again. Honestly, I've read a lot of classic literature, and I agree that most of it is very deserving of that title. This book, however, should be locked into a back room and kept off of all classroom reading lists from now until the end of the world. True, it's boring, but I've read good boring. This isn't even good boring. It's just mind-numbing. The symbolism was contrived by the critics (Hemingway himself is quoted as saying "All the symbolism that people say is shit"), the storyline is basically nonexistent, and when all is said and done, the ending is completely unsatisfactory. A story doesn't have to end happily, but it should at least end in such a way that you can sit back and go, "Yeah, that makes sense, and that's exactly how it was supposed to happen." Nuh-uh, that's not here. My advice to high school or college students who wind up with this book in their hands: tear through it in one sitting (in fact, its short length is the only good thing that can really be said of it) and then go read something worthwhile, like The Brothers Karamazov, The Great Gatsby, The Odyssey, some Faulkner or Shakespeare. And don't try to argue with your teacher when they tell you "the fish is a SYMBOL! A SYMBOOOOOL!" - just smile, nod, write it on your exam paper, and then move on with your life. That's really the best way to survive this painful little book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-23 06:53:49.
(Language: English)
As a kid I was never a strong reader. That changed in seventh grade with this book. Hemingway's uniquely direct treatment of his characters gives his readers the kind of freedom they need to interpret the text in a meaningful way. His carefully crafted language is beautiful, succinct, and accessible for anyone unfamiliar with his work. The Old Man and the Sea spoke to me at 12 years-old in the same way it speaks to me today. It is the classic story about moral victory, but it goes deeper than that. It is as much about the journey of man, man's struggle and connection with nature, aging, and the struggle within himself. The greatest book in the world, in my view. It inspired me to become a teacher of English, but, most importantly, gave me a newfound appreciation for reading. Ernest, I am forever indebted to your brilliance!
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-04 02:35:33.
(Language: English)
A classic, of course. I love the way Hemingway sucks the reader into the story. In this way, the story reads as if it is a roll of film for a movie in the reader's mind more than anything. You feel the crashing of the waves, the play of light on water. The old man dreams of lions on the beach, and I want nothing more than to be right there with him, content with the sounds of grumbling and waves. However, I do NOT like Hemingway's sentence structure. It drives me nuts. His word choice is also rather plain at times, and very far from poetic. I complain when a writer has all fluff and no action, but I think I also dislike it when it's the other way around. There needs to be balance, and the beauty of a sentence should not be underestimated. Combine Hemingway's action and atmosphere with Poe's psychoanalysis, Bradbury's point and purpose, and Thoreau's words and sentences, and there's the writer of the books I will never be able to put down. But I'm not exactly an expert in this area, nor am I much of a writer myself. I just love to read and I'm trying to understand. =P
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-20 02:07:03.
(Language: English)
For certain people, this book represents a boring piece of literature they are forced to read through in college. Between questionable parties, petty phone calls, noisy movies and the third break-up of the week, it is understandably a hard book to read. For other people, the ones that have grown out of drinking booze and ‘having a blast’, Hemingway’s novel can be a refreshing and nourishing experience. Through a straightforward storyline and a stripped writing style, one can find something lurking below. Something like a fish, ready for the catch but equally ready to fight for its life. In this book, Hemingway delivers a masterpiece. It’s not that hard to see, you just have to read the story of this old Cuban fisherman who goes out on his longest and hardest quest yet, a quest for his humanity. Appeasing and liberating. Most definitely one of the best books I've read. The simplicity of the structure and storyline is deceiving, to say the least. It prevents the hot-heads from perceiving the depth of Hemingway’s work. How hard is it to strip down the superfluous and preserve the essence? How hard is it to peer into our own soul? Still very appropriate today, with all the questions raised around our responsibilities towards the deterioration of the planet, this book poses a very disturbing question. Who’s more deserving? The fish or the human?
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-15 05:24:01.
(Language: English)
"man can be destroyed but not defeated" is the moral of the story! Well I heard of an laternate interpretation, metaphorically. If the Marlin is taken as nature, and if Santiago is trying to forcefully win it, he may temporarily tase success, but the wrath of nature represented the Sharks, destroy Santiago's goal ultimately. Finally nature as well as man is destroyed. I think a hint towards this exist in Santiago's words to the Marlin that they both went to far out. Nature can go "out to far" as to date it has not been comprehensible to man fully. But the man went out too far for his own good. Though not directly related it reminds me of Lord Gauthama Buddha's words to Arhat Mugalan when the latter tried to reach out to the end of space (any Buddhists there might realise the similarities).
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A Reader posted a review at 2012-11-15 04:44:54.
(Language: English)
I wouldn't say this is quite a classic, but I did enjoy reading it. The writing is quite simple, but profound and poetic. Hemingway's love of the ocean and all life contained within is apparent throughout, but it is also used well as a metaphor for mans fight for supremacy in the world against the forces of nature.
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Sarah posted a review at 2010-02-21 08:07:01.
(Language: English)
Wow. I mean, really. Wow. With The Old Man and the Sea, it is so easy to see why Hemmingway was awarded the Nobel Prize, and why he deserves all of his accolades. This short novel is fierce, full of vibrant energy and humanity, all the while being a slave to the realities of finite power, of the inability to struggle against something greater than yourself. Of course, this is the standard "man against nature" story, but it is told with such craft that even cliches ring true. Santiago is a fully-realized character. His strength of will is all that holds together his failing body. The great marlin that he struggles with is like a true fish, lacking personality or anthropomorphism, but just a powerful beast that does not want to die. There is no Moby Dick animosity, and the fish is under the water for the majority of the struggle. All of it, the sharks, the flying fish, the small boat and the ocean, each is what it is, lacking metaphor and saying that life itself is enough. No need to wax poetic.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-27 12:29:34.
(Language: English)
I hadn't read this book in over 40 years. I was reminded of it by the author of a blog I really like who said he read it once a year. I decided to read it recently while visiting the gulf coast in the beach house my dad use to rent when I was a boy for his summer vacation. The book is only 90 or so pages and didn't take long to read. But by the time I was done, I was as in love with the old man as the boy in the story is,and I was reminded why Hemingway is considered one of America's great writers. This book reminded me how differently humans live and how beautiful these different expressions of life are. It is easy to assume everyone lives like us and to try to force humanity into a certain mold. As someone has said, I am haunted by humans.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-19 04:41:12.
(Language: English)
Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Havana Hemmingway tells a story of an old man a young boy and a giant fish. This was the story that won Hemmingway the Nobel Prize for literature. The Old Man and the Sea recounts an epic battle between an old, experienced fisherman and a giant marlin said to be the largest catch of his life. You will celebrate the courage and raw guts of this old man, not only for the battle against the fish and the elements but also when he is recounting the many hardships of his life when he gone it alone, fierce, brave, courageous without even thinking about it. It’s a really short little book yet nothing is sacrificed in the narrative you really can get swept up in the world that Hemingway creates. It’s not the most comfortable of world’s ether. Hemingway forces you to remember and acknowledge the individual, his struggle for the most basic existence and the battle with nature for survival itself. It does though, and most importantly, makes you acknowledge the importance of the individual, who he matters to, the magnificence of his courage, skill, art and endurance and though his life is a hard and simple life it is a happy one and a fully lived one. This is one of my most favorite books and I find something new in it each time I read it, sometimes it’s a snapshot into a older harder time, other times it gives me hope to struggle on see things through, and to remember that no matter what life deals us we all have our dreams of lions our very own happy place we can go to.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-09-17 09:24:55.
(Language: English)
such subtlety.when it is raining bad things happen when it is sunny good things happen.Almost all his books are simple allegory with symbolism that barely conceils the venom he felt for his enemies whom he constantly portrays as jerks or villains in his books.seldom has a man with so little talent made a bigger carreer out of socializing with the rich&famous.to be fair some of his works like The sun also rises&for whom the bell tolls are quite good.but others like this & "the snows of Kilimanjaro" are just pedantic blunt symbolism and allegory at its worst.I think the rich often read his books just to see who he either fillets or lauds this time.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-17 01:43:05.
(Language: English)
This story is definitely a piece of art. As unimaginative as it appears, the author manages to hold the readers attention with only three main charcters (the old man, the sea, and the fish) and one supporting character (the boy). At first I found this story to be long and dull, but upon further inpection, I discovered a true piece of art. I call this "art" because of the imaginative discriptions used to describe or personify non-human beings. I challenge each reader to make there way through this story with two goals in mind: first, strive to understand each character's part in the story (with only 4, it shouldn't be hard) and second, take notes of the different ways Mr. Hemingway uses his imagination to give "human" characteristics to the sea and the fish. And in the end, I believe you will learn to truly appreciate this one of a kind piece of art.
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