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Summary: Interesting, beatiful novel
Review: I liked this short novel. The description of the situations goes into details without being boring, but interesting to the reader instead. Spanish expressions are mixed with English text in some parts of the novel, but you could easily infer their meaning thanks to the "flow" of the story. Moreover, Spanish-like English is also used with or without warning: Call a fish "he"; the sea is "she" for those who love her, and "he" for those who see him as a rival. A dictionary might not be useful because some words are spelled as they are said colloquially, like "salao" for "salado" (unlucky). Get no frights, and be no bored. Enjoy this novel.
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Summary: Timeless Tale Makes Anyone of any Age Think About Life!
Review: I read today that the actual "Old Man" who EH based this story on died yesterday in Havana at age 104!! So I looked thru some of my Hem Collection, including THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA. It is a beautifully written true to life story in every way, more so to me now than when I first read it, I think in 9th grade a long time ago. It is a story of the nobility of life,yes again, the famous "grace under pressure". Just thinking about it you can imagine being alone on a small fishing boat out there plugging away, catching the great fish, and then losing him to the carnivores beneath the surface. But still keeping your dignity after the whole expedition is thru..The Old Man's obituary in the recent paper fits right into Hemingway's immortal tale. They were friends for life!!
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Summary: Adventure on the sea with Hemingway
Review: I found this book whilst browsing through a library looking for a suitable book to introduce me to Ernest Hemingway. I could not have chosen a better book to get me started. The book, whilst short in length, creates stunning imagery and a real sense of exitement and adventure. To follow the tale of the old fisherman and his duel with a massive marlin give the reader a real insight into the Old Man's predicament. The story's style makes the reader feel as though he too his sitting on the small boat with the Old Man. I would thoroughly recommend this book to any person wishing to expose themselves to one of the greatest American writers of all time. A tale that any man worth his salt would not want to miss.
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Summary: Just an onther 5 because I can not give it a 10.
Review: Although this book doesn't need another review, I have to write one. This book is excellent. The tape is also excellent. Every time I an in a boat, fishing, or in the Caribbean, I think of this book. It is one of the best of all time.
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Summary: The Old Struggle
Review: The Old Man and the Sea is the classic tale of a man's struggle against the one obstacle which never seems to take care of itself: the pursuit of happiness. In the novel, we are taken through a three day journey with an old man named Santiago as he tries to capture a fish for the first time in 83 days. The novel shoes excellent symbolism, along with Santiago's struggles with himself, and the fish he has hooked. The Old Man and the Sea is a quick easy read, and although some might not enjoy it, the novel present itself as a classic, and turns out to be close to that.
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Summary: Optimism
Review: This is a short little book primarily about optimism and never giving up. In a nutshell, an Old Man who hasn't caught a fish for many moons suddenly has snared himself a fine piece of fish that isn't going to be brought in easily. Lots of insomnia, bloody and cramping hands, letting line in and out, and beating off sharks who want to claim the fish as their own. I did find the language, lack of plot, aimlessness, and general lack of substance to be a disappointment (I guess we're never to admit that about a "classic", but I'm honest), hence the 3 stars; however, a few things DID impress me, such as how the old man never gave up no matter how bad the outlook, how he maintained a sense of survival - a sort of one-foot-in-front-of-the-next attitude, and how he always corrected his negative self-talk. Even in the end of the book, despite disappointment, the man had a peaceful existence. He wasn't dismayed. He simply went to sleep. These qualities in and of themselves make the book a definite worthwhile read.
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Summary: A very special story
Review: This is one of those rare stories that is so far above and beyond other novels that it can only be regarded as the work of a genius. Regarded, rightfully, as a classic, Hemingway's story has also been heavily criticised for its obvious parallels with biblical events and also for being overly-autobiographical. Of course, it's easy to pick apart any work of art. I cannot bring myself to criticise the book on any level as I enjoyed it so much. I realised early in the book that Hemingway had written alot of his own personality (and then-personal circumstances) into the lead character, Santiago, an old fisherman who longs to catch that one big fish before it is too late. What makes the story so wonderful is the way Hemingway involves the reader in Santiago's struggle. Rarely have I felt so excited while reading a book - the author makes the reader feel as if it is they who are in the small boat, dragged out to sea by a huge marlin, and eager to return home safe with the prize catch. I would recommend this book to children, as an easy to read adventure, and to adults as a multi-faceted, must-read classic.
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Summary: A Masterpiece of Poignancy
Review: Although Hemingway is still regarded as the figurehead of everything that machismo and the American concept of rugged individualism is, was, and ever could be, this book is a surprisingly poignant and realistic look at the heretofore unseen, inner world of such seemingly superhuman men. This book is also a tender and moving review, a very real summing up, of what Hemingway perhaps once was - or wanted to be. It could also be considered the ultimate fish story with an unexpected, surprisingly triumphant twist to the "one-that-got-away" ending. Here, Hemingway explores the true concept of a winner, and unmasks defeat. As his hero shows us, being victorious is standing strong to the bitter end, and defeat cannot exist where the spirit has not been broken. Too, Hemingway shows us that tender youth need not be synonymous with vulnerability, and we can only wonder if the young lad - so devoted in his love and care of the Old Fisherman - does not represent a shadow of Hemingway in his younger years, his other self concealed behind the granite sense of self-existence that Hemingway passed on to a whole generation. Above all, however, this is the story of a quest - of how far man can and will go to achieve his goals, and, despite having his grand prize ripped bitterly from him, of being able to come to terms with such occurrences and find rest and pride not in the prize itself, but in having taken every step of the long, hard journey that led to that goal. Here, Hemmingway comes full-circle, melding the essence of rugged manhood with the physical, emotional, and psychological vulnerability, not to mention the values and ethics, which make such strength human. In my opinion, it is the poignant highlight of his career, and this book is more Hemingway as a human than any of his previous works. Masterfully and movingly written, this work has more than esthetic value to it, however. Read it and dare yourself to be every inch as human as its heroes, and you will be all the richer for the experience. - Benjamin Gene Gardner
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Summary: Simplistic, powerful, emotional, essential
Review: The Old Man and the Sea got me hooked on reading again after I abandoned books for other less intrigueing passtimes. The style with which Hemingway writes is simple; there are no words that are too complicated for even young readers to understand. That the book is so lush with detail and full of emotion despite its simplicity is credit to Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea captivates not with physical action but with mental and emotional combat. For the first 1/3 of the book the reader is introduced to Santiago, the unlucky fisherman whose only friend is a "boy" who has jumped ship to fish with a luckier crew of fishermen. Also, Santiago sets off to find his catch and the reader is fixated, along with Santiago, on finding a fish and changing his luck. The reader sticks by Santiago because he is us: not always perfect, not always the best, but the better for his dedication to his goals.
When Santiago hooks the Marlin the joy is short lived as the reader questions whether this old man has the stamina left for such a battle. When the fish is finally subdued the question is whether Santiago can make it back to land since the fish has towed him so far away. The sharks come and ravage the fish and Santiago returns to port with nothing but bones and a story. Though his catch is destroyed, Santiago is a hero to the other fishermen in the village and he goes on dreaming about the lions on the beach. Santiago's struggle is our struggle: with life, death, faith, lonliness, and the demons within. We identify with Santiago because we struggele with these beasts too. Sometimes they are too big, but the only way to defeat them is to face them. Hemingway created an enduring work of great depth, but it is wrapped up in a nice little package.
Rating:
Summary: A great Book
Review: The Old Man and the Sea, by Earnest Hemingway was a good book overall. The things I liked about this book was that the whole book was exciting. Basically every part of the story wants to make you continue reading it. The author describes the characters in great detail in this book. In describing the "Old man", he says, "his eyes were as blue as the sky and his face was as pale as a ghost. Some of the dislikes I had in this book was that for basically the whole story the old man is in the boat. Also, when the old man sees the big fish he keeps trying to catch it for a long time. Another dislike is that the old man almost dies trying to catch the fish. Overall, this book is excellent and I would recommend it to any type of reader.
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