Rating: 
Summary: Hemingway's final, beautiful, simple masterpiece
Review: When Hemingway published THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, it had been sometime since he had last published anything that would stand as being among his best work. Like too many writers, too many years of hard living and very hard drinking had taken its toll. He had tasted success, and perhaps he was no longer as hungry as he had once been. But whatever the circumstances, he managed to resummon his considerable talents for one final masterpiece. The remarkable thing about THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA is that it tells a story so simple that a child can appreciate it (I read it to my daughter when she was seven years old, and she loved it--she wanted to know more about this mysterious and obviously great Joe DiMaggio) yet only an adult can fully appreciate. It also represents graphically Hemingway's own philosophy of life, a philosophy that even his own suicide couldn't completely negate. Hemingway was fascinated with Norse mythology, and the imagery of the gods and heroes of Valhalla struggling against an enemy against whom they were destined to fail fascinated him. Like them, he felt that the struggle was everything. The Old Man of the story similarly struggles to win with victory improbable. But in the end, his failure to bring his magnificent blue marlin to market pales beside the courage and fortitude he displays in his struggle. Everything about this simple tale is "just right." It is the right length for the story, has just the correct number of characters to keep it from feeling too sparse or too cluttered, just the precise, deft language needed to tell the tale. It partakes almost more of the folktale than the modern short novel. And in his depiction of The Old Man, Hemingway has created one of his greatest characters, simultaneously noble, simple, wise, and courageous.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational
Review: This is a story about a simple man, with simple ideas, with a simple life, with a simple, elemental encounter with the natural world: he catches a massive marlin that he battles unsuccessfully to bring to market. It is a tale of success in the midst of failure, of quiet stoicism and courage, and refusing to give in to the challenges the world throws at him. Most of all, it is a story about courage.
It is an excellent tale of how a man can overcome great tasks and survive terrible tragedies, while still having a will that is not defeated but rather presses on. The great task in this story is catching an extraordinary and noble fish.A story of an elderly fisherman who catches his greatest fish after days of bone-wearying battle only to lose it to sharks.
After heading out to sea, he realizes he is in for a greater challenge than expected. The old man, Santiago, encounters a battle with a great creature of nature and the elements. But, it doesn't end there. The struggle to get home after being beaten by the elements is the greatest challenge of them all. The old man shows his endurance and determination by remaining calm in the face of danger.Santiago of Hemmingway is the oldest fictional fighter I have read or heard of to date . That fact makes him at least one of the inspirations to all the writers or real life warriors to follow him .
Rating:
Summary: The Old Man and the Sea
Review: The Old Man and the Sea is one of my favorite books. I loved all the similis and comparisons he used in the book. The book was very inspiring reading about an old man that had the will to survive. This book was one of Ernest Hemingways best books in my eyes and I suggest this book for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: the old man and the sea
Review: Santiago is an old Cuban fisherman. In the book He has the battle of his life with a ferocious marlin. He is a very poor man and he has not had much luck with fishing in the past 84 days but with the help of a little boy named Manolin, he gets through the tough days of his life. His 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 novel catch the attention of the reader as soon as they start the book. 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. He is a good protagonist and a good character to read about. It helps to teach us to not let the little things bother us as much. The characters and their actions when dealing with controversy can be related to real life situations. For instance, the old man ignores all the laughing of 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 interest to readers.
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 fish or the antagonist. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes a good book. Because it is an easy read and has valuable life lessons that people can apply to every day life. Hemingway's original style and the characters in this book make it a very good book to read.
Rating:
Summary: A great epic
Review: As books about Florida go, this is even better than "The South Beach Diet."
Rating:
Summary: A simple and profound allegory
Review: This powerful book defined the essence of Hemmingway's style, and captures his prose at it's best. Life is a struggle. Our measure in life is how we face up to this struggle, despite our imperfections. In the end, it is our strength and courage in adversity that matters more than the outcome. This is what I got out of the Old Man and the Sea. On the surface it is about the story of the fish that almost got away, and the struggle to bring it to shore. By another author, and with weaker prose, the book would have been a non-event. Brought to life by Hemingway, the book is a compact masterpiece, bringing you into the boat and struggle with the Old Man himself. It is tough to judge what makes a book Nobelworthy. I certainly find most in that genre unapproachable. This book did speak to me, and I encourage you to let it speak to you. In terms of impact, it stylistically encouraged those books beyond it to be tighter in style and impact. The allegorical style was most recently copied in the Life of Pi.
Rating:
Summary: Simple Story, well told
Review: Benson, AZ, October 9, 2003, The Old Man and the Sea tells a very simple story about an old fisherman and a young boy trying to bring in a very large fish. This book has some of the most beautiful prose that Hemingway ever wrote. The fish can also be seen as metaphor for 'art.' I don't want to ruin the ending, but it's a sad story in many ways. It reminds me of a quote from the Mexican film, Amores Perros: 'You want to make God laugh -- tell him your plans.' Also recommended: The Losers' Club by Richard Perez
Rating: 
Summary: Too much art, not enough story
Review: When I read a book, I want to read a good story. The author seems to take great strides in telling a fish tale that could symbolize many things in life. This could symbolize man's battle and relationship with nature, man's determination, the shortcoming of men in realizing their dreams, and even the life of Christ. If you want to read a book with many level of symbolism, pick up this book. If you are like me, and you are more interested in a good story, there are many others that I would suggest picking up. If you are into both symbolism and story, pick up some George Orwell or the Bible. I think you will get more out of both.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, the humanity!
Review: Okay, so I was forced, by way of caring about my grades at the point, into reading this book for freshman HS English class. Ten years and some 3,500 showers later, I still can't get the stink of this fish off me. I promise you, I still have fits when I see it on bookstore shelves. The only redeeming quality about this book is Unca Ernie's name on the cover (although, being in the middle of "The Sun Also Rises" at the moment, I'm not sure that qualifies as redeeming, at that). Sure, it's different, it's simple, it's simply brimming over with symbolism. But in my opinion, this is the sort of symbolism writers use when they don't really have anything to say. Yeah, Jesus, the cross, whatever-- we know the story, thanks. You can only read so much about how the moon is the brother of the fish and the lion is the brother of the man and the lion is also the brother of the moon and therefore the man is the brother of the fish and therefore Donnie Osmond is the brother of Marie Osmond before you want to stick your head through a plate glass window and slice your jugular open on a shard. As a matter of fact, I have a suspicion that shame over writing this book is the reason Hemingway killed himself. I speak three languages, and none of them have negative words strong enough for how I feel about this book. Would I be writing a review ten years after the fact if I didn't have strong feelings? As a last note, I do not tell friends to avoid this book, I encourage them to read it (but just checking it out at the library, don't give the sods anymore money!), because the utter badness of this book truly has to be experienced to be believed.
Rating:
Summary: I figured it out!
Review: I'm 28 and hadn't read this book since high school, or possibly junior high. The day before yesterday a friend lent me "Blue Road to Atlantis", and as I got towards the end (OK, it took me awhile to figure it out), something started to click, something was familiar. I know this story from a long time ago....."Blue Road to Atlantis" is "The Old Man and the Sea" told from the perspective of a remora who has lived his whole life with the great marlin that Santiago catches. Tomorrow I am going to the library to pick up a copy of TOMATS to refresh my memory and help me see BRTA from a different perspective. Read both!!! Even if you didn't like TOMATS, you will like "Blue Road to Atlantis", I promise.
|
