The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Sun Also Rises
Book Review: Hem's terse tale of resignation
Summary: 3 Stars
I first read this back in high school, with a teacher who was part of the generation that was raised on Hemingway. After reading this though, and taking another look at "A Moveable Feast", I had to conclude that "Papa's" work has not worn all that well. His incessant macho outlook is now definitely a thing of the past. The hyper-terse language that he uses, inspired by journalism and manly tough guys who knew better than to try to put their thoughts into words, is no longer as appealing to me either. There is no question that he still must be viewed as a great writer, and a vastly influential one, but one who does not really transcend his era.
This is the story of Jake Barnes, a decent guy who unfortunately got his balls shot off during World War I. He lives in Paris and works as a reporter. He hangs out with a bunch of English and American expats. They spend their time drinking in cafes, and running around Europe making scenes. There is a woman named Lady Brett Ashley who is a special friend of Jake. She is pretty much a rich slut, running around from man to man, dumping one, and grabbing another. She and Jake have a special feeling for each other, but they can't get down together because of Jake's injury. A number of men fall for her, and Jake watches with frustration as she screws and dumps an obnoxious, married boxer, a drunken bankrupt named Mike, and an up and coming young bullfighter. The book builds to a weeklong drunken bash in Pamplona, where they go for the huge festival attending the running of the bulls. There is a lot of interesting description of the events there, and then novel ends in a mood of resignation.
Hem was the master of "show don't tell." The only character whose head he lets us into is Jake, and even then, only a little bit here and there. The story is glamorous and interesting, but for me at least, the robotic prose gets tedious. What is interesting is how Jake proves that even somebody like him, who has lost his physical manhood, can still be a very fine man, a finer and better and more moral person than the losers and blowhards and louts and drunkards that he consorts with. I think Hemingway should still be taught in high school, but probably not this book. "A Farewell to Arms", or the short stories, or "The Old Man and the Sea" might be better.
Book Review: Hemingway at his best
Summary: 5 Stars
A timeless classic -- that still moves me, even now - years after my first reading!Book Review: Hemingway at his finest.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sun Also rises incorporates everything Hemingway is famous for: his terse prose, his disillusioned characters, an exotic backdrop. Having been taught this book by a Hemingway scholar, I've come to appreciate the novel so much more. Hemingway writes subtley, so each reread is like uncovering a hidden layer of the characters. All wonderfully complex, Jake Barnes narrates a web of disillusionment and confusion.Book Review: Hemingway is a great writer, what else?
Summary: 5 Stars
So... Hemingway writes good stuff. I like this novel more than A Farewell to Arms, and about the same as Garden of Eden (except that Garden of Eden has an unwritten ending).Book Review: Hemingway's Best But You're Better Off With Salter
Summary: 4 Stars
I've read the majority of Hemingway's books and this is the only one I return to. It has a great deal of atmosphere and always gives me a taste of what post-WWI life was like among a certain set of worldly adventurers. I feel like I'm along for the ride when Jake goes fishing or to the bullfights, and Hemingway makes me taste the cold beer Jake drinks in the heat of the day. At the end though, I feel a certain distaste for the maneater Brett and also Jake, because he's so taken with this ultimately shallow woman. Is this a great book: no, but "isn't it pretty to think so." It's just very good. I would recommend to anyone who likes Hemingway another American writer named James Salter who is celebrated but not nearly as much as Hemingway. For my money, Salter out-Hemingway's Hemingway.