Rating: 
Summary: classic
Review: The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's classic novels or novella or story, whatever you want to call it. Many consider it to be his finest work (it played a big part in his winning of the Nobel Prize). I put it with his finest work, like A Farewell to Arms, though his best work is found in The Complete Short Stories, The Sun Also Rises, and The Garden of Eden.The novella carries a tone of depression and tiredness and a feeling of religiousity. Many have pointed out the Christ-image of the story, and make no mistake, it is there. The story divides itself into three parts of the narrative. Before he goes to sea, the battle with the fish (which is the bulk of the narrative) and the fight with the sharks--where much of the Christ symbolism kicks in. The novella is written in the type of prose we have come to associate with Hemingway: that of the tough, terse declarative prose. This is truly a classic. What I wish most about this novella is that it was included in The Complete Short Stories, where it truly belongs. With the greats. To truly appreciate it read it as the ending of The Complete Short Stories.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate metaphor
Review: Hemingway was a ferocious man who ate up life
faster than he could find it. One result of
that enormous appetite was this book. He lived
so that he could write and his unfortunate death by his
own hand robs us of the great literature that might
have been. That said, he did leave us with great
works like "For Whom The Bell Tolls" "Death in the Afternoon"
and this book,"Old Man and the Sea." Here's my reading list of books that everyone should read: Old Man and the Sea
Great Gatsby
To Kill a Mockingbird
Bark of the Dogwood
Catch 22
Of Mice and Men
Beloved
Rating:
Summary: A true classic
Review: Santiago is a poor fisherman who lives alone and has finally lost all will to live. Every day is the same dull, monotonous routine. His wife has died; his only comfort is a boy who is now forbidden to fish with him. It seems like Santiago has no reason to continue living. Little does he know that this is soon to change. Due to his determination in holding onto a gargantuan fish, Santiago is plunged into the adventure of his life-but will it give his days meaning? Through his brief tale of Santiago's strength, Hemmingway proves himself to be a master at his art and leaves you desperate for more.
The Old Man and the Sea is an amazing story. When I read the synopsis, I expected this book to be an easy, boring read, yet it wasn't. Although Hemmingway's masterpiece is short, it is powerful. Hemmingway creates a thrilling fast-paced snapshot of one man's determination, strength, and love for life that traps you in the tale like a fish in Santiago's net. The intense portrayal of Santiago's feelings, emotions and senses is so vivid that the story and characters come alive. Suddenly Santiago is no longer a character in a story; he is a friend whose ultimate fate you care about. I highly recommend this fabulous, suspenseful book to anyone. Hemmingway weaves his tale so well that at the end you feel it was too short. Even weeks after reading this book, you are left pondering the old man's changed life and destiny. The Old Man and the Sea is a true classic.
Rating:
Summary: A guidebook to the natural world
Review: After over 500 reviews, what else can be said. Not much perhaps, but the one thing that struck me about this book was Hemingway's grasp of the natural world. Of course, Hemingway was addicted to the outdoorsman's life - but his narrative and descriptions show such incredible attention. Not only to detail, but more importantly to the details that count. This old man is in tune with nature's brutality and beauty, and his thoughts - which are really Hemingway's - are a guide to life.
Rating: 
Summary: The Old Man And The Sea
Review: An old man spent eighty-five days to catch a large marlin fish, while other people spent only a few days to fish tons. Though he sleeps in a single room hut and he couldn¡¦t catch a fish, moreover he has been isolated by other people and he has been experiencing tough luck to survival, he will always have the endurance to live his life. Though the condition has been negative, he still thinks positively and can cope with the stress with confidence. He finally caught a marlin that was eighteen feet long on the eighty-fifth day, yet the bloody smell of the dead marlin attracted ferocious sharks, and unfortunately the marlin became a meatless skeleton when the old man finally got home.
Hemingway had use the way of switching between reality and the old man¡¦s thought to show a person¡¦s psychological world. The old man kept on being challenged with difficulties and attacks from the brutal sharks. He suffered to fight against super natural force of nature and non-stop frustration and setbacks, but his confidence has always been there whatsoever and he always harbors hope in mind.
The old man is a symbol of man¡¦s indomitable spirit. The spacious ocean gives a sense of an endless feeling of loneliness, distance, and hopelessness. Hemingway wrote this short novel in a simple style that a primary student can understand in terms of language, however he communicated his perspective regarding the meaning of life in depth.
Though life is tough, just like how the old man fought against the gigantic marlin that was larger than the boat, we should always try our best to face the obstacles and find a way to solve the problems instead of escaping away from the difficulties. This refers to the old man in the book where he did not give up fighting to catch the marlin for the sake of survival. The old man seemed to be defeated when the marlin is eaten all up by the sharks, however he had made a success for he had fought against packs of sharks, and people had learned the spirit of dauntlessness from the old man.
Rating:
Summary: Great first read of Hemingway
Review: Those who haven't read Hemingway, this novel is a great way to start. It is short but you get an idea of how much Hemingway's novels make you think about life after you finish it. Is it worthwhile to be greedy? What makes a person good and what makes him bad? What is the definition of son and father? etc. You can find all kinds of questions running through the book that makes you think.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Survival Book
Review: Can you imagine being stuck in the middle of the ocean for 84 days with nothing
to eat but raw dolphin and flying fish? Consider fighting a battle with a marlin that
weighed more than 1,500 lbs. and measured up to 18 ft in length. Now you can with this
award winning novel by Ernest Hemingway.
The novel The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a wonderful book.
It takes place in a small fisher village on the Gulf Stream. Santiago is a very kind,
thoughtful, loving, generous old man; an old man alone in a skiff fighting a great
marlin with a harpoon, a club and his life. He has some unwelcome company also. I'll try
not to give away what the company was but it sure loved the way the great marlin tasted,
and possibly the way Santiago tasted as well.
The book is wonderful no doubt but has some poorly written spots. The book is
wonderful but what are the chances that a man could survive for 84 days. Other than that
this novel is full of characteristics like hope when he was near to his home, and
endurance when he was stuck in the ocean and all hope was almost lost.
Rating:
Summary: The biggest metaphor yet
Review: Having always been a fan of Hemingway, and having read this book at least three times (most recently, last week), I have to say that each time I finish it, I'm still amazed at the genius of this man. The writing is so economical and wonderful--full of atmosphere and style. This is one of three books that I truly couldn't live without. The others are Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, and Jackson McCrae's Bark of the Dogwood. All three of these are excellent and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: CheekChops
Review: This book is really good and very adventurous. I liked it because it was exciting and about fishing. I liked it because I go fishing. They used freaky tools. The fish he caught dissapered by the time he got back. He did it all for nothing. The author wrote the book very good.
Rating:
Summary: Mike's Review
Review: The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's best pieces. This book has been so well written that a fourth grader could read and comprehend this glorious book. The Old Man and the Sea is a fantastic story about an old Cuban fisherman who has years of bad luck and his enormous catch. This basic plot alone can not make a great novel. However, Hemingway found a stimulating way to add detail without overwording his ideas. This is a very important part about his style of writing that i like because of the ability to read a simple plot book without fighting to keep your eyes open. What i like also about Hemingway's writing style is how modern day society still relates to the society in his books. For example, the old man's will to catch the fish: even while the fishing line is cutting his bear hands, has no food to eat, harch weather conditions, and isolation from other people. This can be related to people that are willing to give up spending time going out to study day in and day out for a test so they can go to the best college. I believe what I enjoyed most about reading this book is that he was ok with sleeping in a one-room hut, that he was ok not catching fish in a long time, and that he was ok that people completely disregarded him. The las thin I liked about this book is the way Hemingway switches betwwen reality, the old man's thinking, and the old man's subcontinents. All in all I think this is a great book for anyone to read.
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