Rating: 
Summary: Classic Hemingway
Review: The Old Man and The Sea is perhaps one of Ernest Hemingway's finest achievements. Here you will find the lean descriptive prose that made him one of the finest writer's of the twentieth century.It tells the story of a fisherman who is down on his luck, but whose spirit is strong as the tropical winds that have tanned his skin and the sun that has made weak his eyes. He is devoted to the sea and knows all of its wildness and subtle moods. He goes out alone one day without his sidekick boy companion, because the boy's family has forbidden him to help his teacher for he has bad luck. He hooks a Marlin, a huge mythical Marlin, the kind that fishermen only dream of catching. And the fish drags him out deeper and deeper into the ocean, farther than he's ever traveled. The battle is fierce and his hands are even bloodied as he ties himself to the rope and the fish in a struggle that is somehow symbolic of man's eternal quest to gain control over natural forces. I would say more, however, Hemingway has done such a fine job that I suggest you read and read this wonderful tale. The ending is of course classic Hemingway. And it was for this book that Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for literature.
Rating: 
Summary: The unrecommendable short story
Review: For many, the thought of Ernest Hemmingway brings to mind a great author and a great read. For me, it is another story. I find his writing extremely boring and predictable. To think that this book, The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize makes the thought of writing a great read very simple. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemmingway is a very bland and boring read without enough excitement to keep the reader captivated.
The plot of the story begins with persistence and results in defeat. For example, Santiago is an old man, yet a very persistent one staying out at sea for over eighty-five days without the luck of catching a fish. From this, Santiago learns that only sometimes does persistence pay off. Going out to sea everyday with the hope of being lucky, I think Santiago deserves to catch an award winning fish. Furthermore, this man vs. fate conflict arises when Santiago goes out to sea to catch another fish. Excited by his success, he heads home reaching the only thing that unknowingly stands in his way-fate. Fate is very different for everyone, but cruel to Santiago. He must feel that his luck came back to haunt him as fate begins to set in. While Santiago tries so hard to accomplish his goal, he loses control of the fate that he regretfully must overcome.
Santiago is very persistent and I can relate in many ways, but I still see the book as a lack of originality in a short story. For instance, Santiago works so hard for those eighty-five days to catch a fish and never gives up, but is still let down. I have been in many situations where there was a need for persistence and I know how he felt when he was let down. Many people of every day life need persistence when competing against another as Santiago was with fate. Furthermore, this book is simple and without detail. The repetition left me bored and I did not want to turn the page because I knew it was only going to get worse. Toward the end of the book, I felt it was too predictable and I felt there was no need to read the ending; for I already knew what would happen. Being able to relate somewhat to parts of the story made it better, yet it still lacked the complex plot and intense detail that I would have expected, knowing that it won the Pulitzer Prize.
As Ernest Hemmingway's short story, The Old Man and the Sea leaves others excited and completely captivated, I sat there and as I turned the last page, I closed the book with enthusiasm; not the enthusiasm one would think when finished with a book. I was extremely relieved that at last, the end was here. I already knew how it would end and felt it was incredibly boring for a writer who has given himself such a great name. I would definitely not recommend this book to any readers who needs detail and enthusiasm to turn the page.
Rating: 
Summary: The Old Man and the Sea: English 11 Book Review
Review: Well, to start off, I first picked up this book because of the short amount of reading involved and the large print. After the first twenty pages or so I lost interest and the book sat in my room for weeks. After the book was given time to collect dust, my mom later told me that it was my Grandpa's favorite book; he passed away before I was born. So, after hearing that, I had second thoughts about reading this book. I tried to apply myself and really get into the book, but found it to be dull, but it had a good message to it also.
The main character, Santiago, has had a streak of bad luck on his fishing skiff. The old man has been fishing with a young boy by the name of Manolin and this boy is later forced away by his parents to a more lucky ship to fish on. The boy is devoted to the old man and comes to visit him early in the morning to help prepare the ship before going off to another boat. The old man goes out for another day of unsuccessful fishing and comes back to see the boy on the docks. The boy brings the old man his coffee, newspaper, and scores of the baseball games from the day. They sit and talk about the old man's baseball hero, Joe DiMaggio, and end the day. The following day, the old man wakes up early and prepares the boat for a big trip out far past the warm waters of the Cuban coast. The spends the day tossing his nets without success in bringing in any fish losing all hope of bringing in a catch worthy of selling in the local marketplace. Right when the old man goes to pull in his nets, he caught the biggest Marlin he has ever seen. He fights with the giant fish for three days and three nights holding the rope with his bare hands giving slack so the fish doesn't pull the boat below water. Finally, the fish admits defeat and the old man is able to bring the fish to the side of the boat. With his hands bloodied and scared, he starts for home. After I finished this book, I have come to see why my Grandpa liked it so much. It depicts the determination that the old man gives in his job even after being unsuccessful for eighty-four days. The will that he has to get up in the morning and keep trying is the point to this story; never give up. When he returns home, he finds the boy there waiting for him, but the old man has nothing to show for his days out at sea but a large skeleton of the Marlin. The boy is impressed by the skeleton of the fish and wants to hear the story of the old man's fight with the fish. They sit and the old man begins to talk about his Marlin and as he continues, more and more people gather to hear the story and walk down to his boat to see the skeleton for themselves. This gives the old man hope after seeing that he can be a great fisherman and can be successful.
Rating: 
Summary: Why Read?
Review: Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, has the battle of his life with a ferocious marlin in the book, The Old Man and the Sea. He is a very poor man and is very unlucky with fishing but with the help of the little boy, Manolin, he gets through the days of his life. Santiago's adventure with the giant fish begins eighty five days after his last catch. The Old Man and the Sea is an appealing and an enjoyable book because Ernest Hemingway is an excellent writer. The events and actions of this book create interest for the readers. For example, Santiago was not angry with the other fishermen when they made fun of him. He is a good man and is so wise that being made fun of does not bother him. A good protagonist is always a good character to read about. Moreover, the characters and their actions can be related to real life situations. For instance, the old man ignores all the laughing made by the younger fishermen because he cannot catch any fish. This is like a student dealing with bullies and humiliation at school. These are some points that Ernest Hemingway made to arouse interest to readers. Hemingway has a very unique writing style. For example, in the book it says, "Most of the boats were silent except for the dip of the oars." He has a very soothing way of writing. This is also easy enough for kids to understand. Also, Hemingway does not use clutter in his sentences which makes him different from the rest. For instance, he writes sentences like, "Only I have no luck anymore;" which is very direct. Many writers tend to use clutter to sound professional or important. Hemingway's style and voice is calming and intense in all the right places. I think The Old Man and the Sea is a great book to read. My favorite part of the book was the climax when Santiago defeats the antagonist. If I could change something in this book, I would change some of the rising action so it is more gripping. I would recommend this book to adults and teenagers. Although a grade school student could read and understand this book, they would not value the moral of the story. Hemingway's original style and the characters in this book make it an interesting and wonderful book to read.
Rating:
Summary: The Old Man and the Sea
Review: Molly Jones
English, Delgado
March 11,2002 The Old Man and the Sea The Old man and the Sea was a very adventurous and exciting novel. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and also the Noble Prize in literature in 1954. I'd say that this is Ernest Hemingway's greatest novel yet. There are also many amazing features that await hungry readers. Hemingway's style for The Old Man and the Sea has very desirable qualities.
His writing style and choice of words are remarkably incredible. For example, "He had come from the deep down in the water as the dark cloud of blood had settled and dispersed in the mile deep sea" (100). I have never read something so edging in my life. His choice of words and sentence style is so amazingly unspeakable. For instance, "The flow was less strong and as he rubbed the side of his hand against the planking of the skiff, particles of phosphorous floating off and drifted slowly astern" (79).
This describes exactly what is happening and he uses specific words to explain it more. Some authors say the same words redundantly which leaves the reader bored and miserable, but not Hemingway. Hemingway's style in unforgettable and exciting with loads of detail and well fitted word choices.
With some of the characters they are either alike or different (which makes it rather intriguing). For example, "The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck" (9). His description for the characters is breathless. He makes sure that everyone knows exactly what they look like and how they act. For instance, "It racked back and as the fish swam just below the surface the old man could see his huge bulk and purple stripes that banded him" (90). This describes what he saw as the fish swam below the surface of the water. It gives an incredible amount of detail with his own touches of vision. No one has ever described characters like Ernest Hemingway, it's like he knows everything about them, like he already knew them in life.
Ernest Hemingway is very talented in writing action packed novels. His word choices are extremely well thought out which makes it very interesting. I know that I have enjoyed reading The Old Man and the Sea and hope to read more of his novels before my life reaches an end.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: This is one of my absolute favorite books. Hemingway's writing is beautiful and very unique. As you follow the fisherman on his journey to catch the fish, you feel like you are there with him, and you really feel like you get to know him. As Santiago, the fisherman, thinks and talks to himself, you learn how remarkable he is and how an old man like him could stay with a fish that large. There have been some comparisons to Moby Dick, but while that is about a derranged captain's search for revenge, this is about an old man's quest for one more victory against a formidable foe. In three days you witness defeat and triumph, and in the end you wonder if the fisherman has ended his bad luck, or is in fact still salao (the worst form of unlucky). This book is short, beautiful, and emotional. It is the only book I have read more than once - and I know I will be reading it again and again in the future. If you haven't yet read this, you should definately give it a try.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Sea Tale
Review: "The Old Man And The Sea" is a classic tale of man versus nature. Set in Cuba during the age of "The Great DiMaggio", the Old Man's quest after the fish is reminiscent of Captain Ahab's pursuit of the whale. The epic struggle between the great fish, the sea and the Old Man inspires our imagination. Hemingway entertains the reader with vivid descriptions and streams of consciousness which pain mental pictures of the Old Man's world. The reader is placed right in the skiff where he can see the Old Man struggle with the lines, smell the sea, hear the waves, feel the swells and share his respect for the foe. Throughout this book we savor the images, enjoy the action and admire the courage. This is truly a classic masterpiece by a word magician.
Rating:
Summary: The Old Man and the Sea
Review: I gave this book, The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemmingway, four stars because I thought it was a pretty good book for us to read in school. At first I thought it might have been boring because it is all about one man and 3 days of his life trying to catch a fish, but it was very intense and exciting mostly the whole book. Hemmingway did an excellent job making a fishing trip exciting. His writing was extremely detailed throughout the whole book which made it very easy to read. He shows this when he is describing the old man in the beginning of the book and says "The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea where on his cheeks" (9-10).
Not only was the description very detailed, the characters were developed very well. I really liked how there was only two main characters in this book because that is all he needed to get the message across to his readers. He shows how developed the characters are when the boy, Manolin, say to Santiago "You must get well fast for there is much that I can learn and you can teach me everything" (126). This shows what the boy's relationship with the old man is like; they are close and really respect each other. He also showed the character development of Santiago when he says "I can do it as long as he can...", the he he is talking about is the marlin shark that he is trying to reel in (53). He is showing how devoted he really is to what he does for a living and how he feels about life in general. Originally I thought that the plot was going to be kind-of boring because it was just about one fishing trip over three days but it ended up being very exciting. I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted to read a well written, exciting, short book.
Rating:
Summary: The Old Man and the Sea
Review: I gave the book The Old Man and the Sea four stars. I gave it four stars because though I enjoyed the book, I found it boring at times and sometimes hard to follow. Although the book was sometimes boring it had great detail that made you feel as though you were right there with the old man trying to pull in the huge marlin fish. In using such vivid description he put you into the story feeling the sorrow the same sorrow for the old man that the boy felt.
I suppose I found the book boring at times because I sometimes felt as though I was reading about things that had no relevance to the story. Which in turn also made it hard to follow and I would get confused. But, I kept reading because the determination of the man to catch a fish kept my interest to see if he really would get that big one he was waiting for. Hemmingway makes you become emotionally invested in the story. "No one should be alone in their old age....But it is unavoidable" (pg. 48) When the old man says this you feel bad for him and you hope never to become that way.
The old man possess much determination he shows this by never giving up. "Fish...I'll stay with you until I am dead." (pg.52) The old man says this during his chase of the big marlin. When he says this you can hear the determination in his voice and you know he will get this fish or die.
I would recommend this book for others because although there were some parts that were boring are hard to follow it was a good book and I thought it had a great lesson behind it. Never give up. I think this lesson is proved when Hemmingway writes " But man is not made for defeat... a man can be destroyed but not defeated" (pg. 103).
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Summary: grant yansura's review
Review: The Old Man And The Sea was a great book that took me on a long journey through out the struggles of Santiago a Cuban fisherman that has naught had a catch in 84 days. The old man seemed to be very wise and would not give up. The old man had a friend named Manolin. Their friendship stays strong throughout the story.
Santiago is a good man and Manolin is forbidden by his parents to work further with Santiago because he is bad luck. Their friendship goes on though and Manolin helps providing Santiago with food clothes and bait. The old man seems to have had a successful past with fishing this is told with his badly scarred hands and many wrinkles. Santiago is optimistic and does not give up on fishing and instead decides to go deeper into the ocean to catch fish.
Santiago sets out early in the morning and sets out towards the deep sea to catch tuna. Hemingway describes the ocean with sensory details, telling how the ocean smells as Santiago leaves the land, how the ocean looked filled with see weed and how the fish sounded as they flew out of the water. I had a very good picture in my head of the ocean that Santiago was sailing into. Santiago seems very peaceful and respectful as he waits for the fish to bite, referring to the ocean as a female unlike most fisherman that would think of the ocean as masculine and capable of destruction.
The old mans wait is over as he feels a fish nibble on his line. Santiago waits awhile as the fish keeps nibbling. This part of the book was boring because Santiago was just thinking about his friendship with Manolin and Joe Dimaggio. The struggle of catching this Marlin goes on through the night and into the next day. Santiago starts experiencing more problems that made me think he was going to give up. Hunger, sleep deprivation and pain in his hand had all made me think his struggle would soon be over and he would give up on this large fish. Santiago had finally won the battle and had caught the marlin. This made me feel like the struggle was all over but he still had not won.
Santiago had started his journey back to land. Many sharks had attempted to eat the fish and the first one was successful in taking much of Santiago's catch. I showed he really wanted this catch because he had tried everything to catch this fish and to defend it against sharks. Santiago was a good man and felt sorry for the fish and was regretting that he had ventured out so far into the ocean. I felt frustrated for Santiago in the end because he was such a hard working old man and had some bad luck.
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