Reviews of every major Hemingway novel. My favorite is The Sun Also Rises. The best place to start is The Old Man and the Sea. Subscribe for more book recommendations!
My prized possession is a beautiful edition of The Sun also Rises bought and stamped in Shakespeare and Co in Paris that whole experience was surreal. A Farewell to Arms probably steals the trophy for me his style got me so invested in the characters and oh boy … that ending !
I’m about half way through For Whom The Bell tolls and it’s story just captures me. I love everything about it, and In my personal opinion it a definite step up from Old Man and the Sea, the only other hemming way novel I’ve read
think your channel is really underappreciated - you really hit the sweet spot between short- and long-form content and the discourse your videos facilitate is always interesting. keep up the good work!
To Have and Have Not and Across the River and into The Trees are skippable. The Sun Also Rises is also my favorite novel, but favorite book is Complete Stories, Finca Vigia Edition. There's a story that Somerset Maugham once made a negative comment about Hemingway, so he burst into an editor's office in a rage and demanded to know what Maugham said. The editor responded that Maugham said that you should stick to short stories. Hemingway grinned and said to tell Maugham that they should have lunch. Point being, Hemingway was a better short story writer than novelist and knew it.
In 2020 I finally read Hemingway again, like most American High School Students, I was forced to read The Old Man and the Sea in about oh...2008, didn't care for it. Then I grew up, went to college, matured some more and wanted to try reading more classics in 2020, started with In Our Time, thought it was good. Then when the pandemic hit and we're all trapped at home, I binged a ton of Hemingway, both in book for and a couple of his short story collections as audiobooks while driving that were read by Stacy Keach (10/10 recommend). So, being now 32 and binged a ton of Hemingway from 2020-2022, my verdict of the novels I've read The Sun Also Rises: 10/10, this book just clicked after living through the trauma of 2020 like oh this all makes sense why all these people who lived a great trauma like WW1 are all the way they are. A Farewell to Arms: 10/10, such a powerful book that really captures the soul of a man who lived through a war. To Have and To Have Not: 5/10, you can skip this one For Whom the Bell Tolls: 10/10, this was my number 2 book of 2020, Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell was number 1, This book is just so good Across the River and into the Trees: 8/10, I know this one gets a bum rap as not being good but what made this one work in my eyes was reading Hemingway biographies before this one and his other work and you go, oh this is Hemingway coping with the fact he is now old and lived through 2 world wars and his love of Italy and yet the world has moved on and he hasn't The Old Man and the Sea: 8/10, now that I was 30, the book was a lot better and made more sense Islands in the Stream: 9/10, Very underrated book and really shows Hemingway's love of the Caribbean and yet the tragedy of war and how do you cope when the light goes out of your life. I also read: In Our Time, Men without Women, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Nick Adams Stories. A Moveable Feast, Green Hills of Africa, True at First Light (this one stank), and The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway in 3 volumes by Simon and Schuster Audio
I had to read The old man and the sea in high school too, I hated it, I thought it was boring and depressing lol. That was 20 yrs ago though. I think I will give it another shot. I've always heard that it's this great American classic.
For some reason I like to read books in the order that the writer wrote them, if they are independent novels. A moveable feast is fantastic, read it multiple times. In novels you missed; The torrents of spring, Green hills of Africa, True at first light, Islands in the stream, Across the river and into the trees and The Garden of Eden! Best wishes to you and your channel.
this is was super helpful! i had started reading a farewell to arms and was finding it somewhat lackluster in ways, so watching this video really made me want to stick through, if not just to get to the others faster!
I got into Hemingway last year when I was studying in Prague, and before my first train trip to Hungary had decided to pick up "A farewell to arms". It instantly caught my attention and I was hooked and read it along with "The Old Man and the Sea" and "The Sun Also Rises" within weeks. Something about the stories really stuck with me and I took a lot out of them. I recently finished "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and I agree that there were sections that could get long and tedious (especially the cave conversation scene that you mentioned). However I thought it did a great job at developing the characters and even making you feel invested in the Republican cause. I'd say that it may be my favorite, but perhaps that is just recency bias.
I cannot get into Hemingway novels. The only book I like is A Movable Feast which of course isn't a novel. His writing style is not only simplistic but it reads like a diary or journal. No excitment or tension. Just facts and observations. I have The Sun Also Rises but can't get past Chapter 5. I know he is a great author but I just don't see it.
I feel u on that. I read A Farewell to Arms and was just like “this is so dull”. But then I got my heartbroken and read The Sun Also Rises and then I somehow got it
You’ve motivated me to pick up a copy of the old Man and the Sea. For me, it’s hard to find time to read. You should do a video on the art of finding time to read. Thanks for everything you do.
Garden of Eden was a surprisingly good imo. Probably tied for my favorite book of his. Farewell to arms was devastatingly good. For whom the bell tolls felt entirely too long and the characters not all the way realized
I haven’t read any Hemingway before and I picked up my first book of his which was the sun also rises I’m currently on chapter 3 and I’m quite enjoying it currently. I really agree with it being funny so far.
Excellent video my friend. Have you read The Garden of Eden by Hemingway? It was published posthumously and has some fantastic scenes and commentary in it. Whilst it does suffer from pacing issues at times due to the editors doing it without Hemingway, he still manages to create a devastating love triangle and tackles themes that were way ahead of his time. One of the best authors to ever live - rest in peace.
I just finished watching Midnight in Paris because of this video. Really great film! Makes me want to grab A Moveable Feast, obviously keeping in mind that the movie's portrayal of Hemingway is naturally skewed by a fan of his book.
I read the old man and the sea, a farewell to arms, to have and have not and winner take nothing ( short story collection ) and I have to say that i absolutely like hemingway as a writer
I started with the old man in the sea and i really his empathetic nature towards fish is something that intrigued me altogether and kept me hooked till end.
Thanks for the video. I recently reread The Sun Also Rises. It had been probably 30 years since I first read it, and I was curious to see what I would think about it after so many years. I recall enjoying it at the time, but not being overly ecstatic. Interestingly, I felt pretty much the same way on the reread. Yes, I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't put it on a list of my ten favorite novels; in fact, I wouldn't put it on a list of my twenty favorite novels. I think the bottom line for me is that, ultimately, I'm just not a huge fan of Hemingway's style of writing; his "Iceberg theory" of writing basically leaves me cold (pun intended). While I certainly don't discount his significant impact and influence on American literature, I'm ultimately not a major fan. Now, with that said, I plan to read For Whom the Bell Tolls in the coming weeks. I've never read that novel. Will it give me a different opinion on Hemingway? We'll see...
Thank you for being so honest, I thought I was the only one in your camp. I can't possibly see any value in Hemingway--I think he's terribly over rated. I cared not for a single character in The Sun Also Rises, nor for the boring script; I can't imagine any publisher ever considering For Whom The Bell Tolls worthy of ever reaching print in that format--its ridiculous. Just give me that great story in clear, descriptive prose please.
PS be prepared for a crooked journey for"Bells" because he has adopted the weirdest style you've ever encountered--and tedious is a vast understatement--I am just finishing it for the second time--I have tried to like it but I just read too many great descriptive , wonderful books full of extraordinary literary prose , that this guy just doesn't match up.
I am sorry. I am so amazed that people really like For Whom The Bell tolls or , actually , anything by Hemingway. Please explain to me why you enjoy reading this book--the literary style is so ridiculous, I can't imagine any publisher going near it. I am just finishing it now for the second time, trying desperately to give him a second chance--but ... man what is he doing? Please explain that thee and thou and repetition and skipping to 2nd person? what? if you truly love it , explain it. thanks.
I will try Faulkner. Is the Sound and the Fury a good place to start? I have heard he is a difficult read. Are you familiar with Carlos Ruiz Zafon. (Shadow of the Wind 4 books) also Michael Ondaatje? I have read all the so-called "classics" Dickens, Steinbeck and I love those styles. I am reading Middlemarch and finding it tedious.Thank you for your comment.
@@celticpridedrums I Love Steinbeck! I've tried Shadow of the wind but to be honest, I didn't give it a fair try, probably not the right mindset. If you were to read Faulkner, I would say start with Light in August. To me it was a beautiful book and if you like that one you could move on to some of his more known (and more difficult) works. Enjoy reading 😊
I just abandoned A Farewell to Arms after 44ps, the writing wasn't too good, both Jünger - Storms of Steel and esp.Remarque - All Quiet on the Western Front were much better. (I did enjoy The Old Man and the Sea, though).
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This is such a well-informed, clear-cut video. I’m already hyped to get further into his work and this augmented my excitement.
My prized possession is a beautiful edition of The Sun also Rises bought and stamped in Shakespeare and Co in Paris that whole experience was surreal. A Farewell to Arms probably steals the trophy for me his style got me so invested in the characters and oh boy … that ending !
I’m about half way through For Whom The Bell tolls and it’s story just captures me. I love everything about it, and In my personal opinion it a definite step up from Old Man and the Sea, the only other hemming way novel I’ve read
think your channel is really underappreciated - you really hit the sweet spot between short- and long-form content and the discourse your videos facilitate is always interesting. keep up the good work!
Thank you! Appreciate this more than you know 🙏🏻
Keep at it William. You are my favorite BookTube channel. Thank you 👍🏼
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
All Quiet on the Western Front is also a WWI novel and competes for my favorite novel of all time.
For whom the bell tolls is still sitting heavy on me a few days after I’ve finished. Excellent book. A few slow parts but wow I loved it
I just got the impression that he was being paid by the word. I gave it a 4/10
To Have and Have Not and Across the River and into The Trees are skippable. The Sun Also Rises is also my favorite novel, but favorite book is Complete Stories, Finca Vigia Edition. There's a story that Somerset Maugham once made a negative comment about Hemingway, so he burst into an editor's office in a rage and demanded to know what Maugham said. The editor responded that Maugham said that you should stick to short stories. Hemingway grinned and said to tell Maugham that they should have lunch. Point being, Hemingway was a better short story writer than novelist and knew it.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and A Clean, Well-Lighted Place from Hemingway’s The Short Stories are my personal favourites.
I recently read (and reviewed) Hemingways Four Stories from the Spanish Civil War. I enjoyed it so much that I bought some more Hemingway books.
Great channel! I love the short but informative format. I enjoy it more than reading blogs on what books to check out next.
Awesome! This is one of the main reasons I’ve chosen to speak instead of write about books. Glad you’re getting something out of the videos
In 2020 I finally read Hemingway again, like most American High School Students, I was forced to read The Old Man and the Sea in about oh...2008, didn't care for it. Then I grew up, went to college, matured some more and wanted to try reading more classics in 2020, started with In Our Time, thought it was good. Then when the pandemic hit and we're all trapped at home, I binged a ton of Hemingway, both in book for and a couple of his short story collections as audiobooks while driving that were read by Stacy Keach (10/10 recommend).
So, being now 32 and binged a ton of Hemingway from 2020-2022, my verdict of the novels I've read
The Sun Also Rises: 10/10, this book just clicked after living through the trauma of 2020 like oh this all makes sense why all these people who lived a great trauma like WW1 are all the way they are.
A Farewell to Arms: 10/10, such a powerful book that really captures the soul of a man who lived through a war.
To Have and To Have Not: 5/10, you can skip this one
For Whom the Bell Tolls: 10/10, this was my number 2 book of 2020, Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell was number 1, This book is just so good
Across the River and into the Trees: 8/10, I know this one gets a bum rap as not being good but what made this one work in my eyes was reading Hemingway biographies before this one and his other work and you go, oh this is Hemingway coping with the fact he is now old and lived through 2 world wars and his love of Italy and yet the world has moved on and he hasn't
The Old Man and the Sea: 8/10, now that I was 30, the book was a lot better and made more sense
Islands in the Stream: 9/10, Very underrated book and really shows Hemingway's love of the Caribbean and yet the tragedy of war and how do you cope when the light goes out of your life.
I also read: In Our Time, Men without Women, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Nick Adams Stories. A Moveable Feast, Green Hills of Africa, True at First Light (this one stank), and The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway in 3 volumes by Simon and Schuster Audio
I had to read The old man and the sea in high school too, I hated it, I thought it was boring and depressing lol. That was 20 yrs ago though. I think I will give it another shot. I've always heard that it's this great American classic.
Been watching plenty of your "shorts" here on TH-cam. Finally saw a full video. Keep up the good work!
I loved The Sun Also Rises. I don't know why it is so underrated
For some reason I like to read books in the order that the writer wrote them, if they are independent novels. A moveable feast is fantastic, read it multiple times. In novels you missed; The torrents of spring, Green hills of Africa, True at first light, Islands in the stream, Across the river and into the trees and The Garden of Eden! Best wishes to you and your channel.
this is was super helpful! i had started reading a farewell to arms and was finding it somewhat lackluster in ways, so watching this video really made me want to stick through, if not just to get to the others faster!
I got into Hemingway last year when I was studying in Prague, and before my first train trip to Hungary had decided to pick up "A farewell to arms". It instantly caught my attention and I was hooked and read it along with "The Old Man and the Sea" and "The Sun Also Rises" within weeks. Something about the stories really stuck with me and I took a lot out of them. I recently finished "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and I agree that there were sections that could get long and tedious (especially the cave conversation scene that you mentioned). However I thought it did a great job at developing the characters and even making you feel invested in the Republican cause. I'd say that it may be my favorite, but perhaps that is just recency bias.
Super thoughtful note-thanks for sharing it 🙏🏻
I cannot get into Hemingway novels. The only book I like is A Movable Feast which of course isn't a novel. His writing style is not only simplistic but it reads like a diary or journal. No excitment or tension. Just facts and observations. I have The Sun Also Rises but can't get past Chapter 5. I know he is a great author but I just don't see it.
Yes. That’s Hemingway.
agreed, the camp is slowly growing, yea!!
You are not alone. Never understood the hype.
You are just too addicted to fluff.
Read farewell to arms. The ending is gut wrenching
I feel u on that. I read A Farewell to Arms and was just like “this is so dull”. But then I got my heartbroken and read The Sun Also Rises and then I somehow got it
Ernest Hemingway is my favorite writer🥰
such a great video. the sun also rises is one of my favorites novel, and ernset is one of my favorites writers, Moveable Feast was also amazing
You’ve motivated me to pick up a copy of the old Man and the Sea. For me, it’s hard to find time to read. You should do a video on the art of finding time to read. Thanks for everything you do.
It definitely is an art. Thanks for keeping up with the channel! Glad you picked up this novel. It’s a good one.
Garden of Eden was a surprisingly good imo. Probably tied for my favorite book of his. Farewell to arms was devastatingly good. For whom the bell tolls felt entirely too long and the characters not all the way realized
I haven’t read any Hemingway before and I picked up my first book of his which was the sun also rises I’m currently on chapter 3 and I’m quite enjoying it currently. I really agree with it being funny so far.
Love your videos mate, keep up the great work!
Excellent video my friend. Have you read The Garden of Eden by Hemingway? It was published posthumously and has some fantastic scenes and commentary in it. Whilst it does suffer from pacing issues at times due to the editors doing it without Hemingway, he still manages to create a devastating love triangle and tackles themes that were way ahead of his time. One of the best authors to ever live - rest in peace.
Thanks! Haven’t read it but I’m sure I will at some point
I just finished watching Midnight in Paris because of this video. Really great film! Makes me want to grab A Moveable Feast, obviously keeping in mind that the movie's portrayal of Hemingway is naturally skewed by a fan of his book.
Thanks dude! Will follow your advice
your channel is very underrated
Just finished To Whom The Bell Tolls. Thanks for the recommendations.
I read the old man and the sea, a farewell to arms, to have and have not and winner take nothing ( short story collection ) and I have to say that i absolutely like hemingway as a writer
I started with the old man in the sea and i really his empathetic nature towards fish is something that intrigued me altogether and kept me hooked till end.
pun intended? xD
Very cool! Thanks for that overview =)
I've read TSAR twice. Love it.
Hemingway is my favorite author but no competition for a ww1 novel? All quiet on the western front was amazing
Thanks for the video. I recently reread The Sun Also Rises. It had been probably 30 years since I first read it, and I was curious to see what I would think about it after so many years. I recall enjoying it at the time, but not being overly ecstatic. Interestingly, I felt pretty much the same way on the reread. Yes, I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't put it on a list of my ten favorite novels; in fact, I wouldn't put it on a list of my twenty favorite novels. I think the bottom line for me is that, ultimately, I'm just not a huge fan of Hemingway's style of writing; his "Iceberg theory" of writing basically leaves me cold (pun intended). While I certainly don't discount his significant impact and influence on American literature, I'm ultimately not a major fan. Now, with that said, I plan to read For Whom the Bell Tolls in the coming weeks. I've never read that novel. Will it give me a different opinion on Hemingway? We'll see...
Thank you for being so honest, I thought I was the only one in your camp. I can't possibly see any value in Hemingway--I think he's terribly over rated. I cared not for a single character in The Sun Also Rises, nor for the boring script; I can't imagine any publisher ever considering For Whom The Bell Tolls worthy of ever reaching print in that format--its ridiculous. Just give me that great story in clear, descriptive prose please.
PS be prepared for a crooked journey for"Bells" because he has adopted the weirdest style you've ever encountered--and tedious is a vast understatement--I am just finishing it for the second time--I have tried to like it but I just read too many great descriptive , wonderful books full of extraordinary literary prose , that this guy just doesn't match up.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro is a great Hemmingway short story that's worth a read.
One of Americas best writers
Currently reading a farewell to arms and for whom the bell tolls mainly first edition library facsimiles
Thanks, very interesting! 😊
The Sun Also Rises is one of the best books of all time!
Yes
What would be your best advice to a new writer? What books do you recommend?
I am sorry. I am so amazed that people really like For Whom The Bell tolls or , actually , anything by Hemingway. Please explain to me why you enjoy reading this book--the literary style is so ridiculous, I can't imagine any publisher going near it. I am just finishing it now for the second time, trying desperately to give him a second chance--but ... man what is he doing? Please explain that thee and thou and repetition and skipping to 2nd person? what? if you truly love it , explain it. thanks.
What kind of books do you enjoy reading? I’ve been reading Faulkner and apparently (so I’ve read) if you dislike Hemingway, you might enjoy Faulkner.
I will try Faulkner. Is the Sound and the Fury a good place to start? I have heard he is a difficult read. Are you familiar with Carlos Ruiz Zafon. (Shadow of the Wind 4 books) also Michael Ondaatje? I have read all the so-called "classics" Dickens, Steinbeck and I love those styles. I am reading Middlemarch and finding it tedious.Thank you for your comment.
@@celticpridedrums I Love Steinbeck! I've tried Shadow of the wind but to be honest, I didn't give it a fair try, probably not the right mindset. If you were to read Faulkner, I would say start with Light in August. To me it was a beautiful book and if you like that one you could move on to some of his more known (and more difficult) works. Enjoy reading 😊
Islands in the Stream?
I just abandoned A Farewell to Arms after 44ps, the writing wasn't too good, both Jünger - Storms of Steel and esp.Remarque - All Quiet on the Western Front were much better. (I did enjoy The Old Man and the Sea, though).
favorite hemingway: the prisoner of Azkaban
least favorite Hemingway: New Moon
Just finished for whom the bell tolls🫤 Quite possibly the worst book I’ve read all year