The Old Man and The Sea

Rating:
Summary: A little gem
Review: This is a beautiful little book. It is my first taste of Hemingway and was a pleasing surprise. It is the simple story of an 85 year old fisherman. He has lost his luck, his young helper and his respect. He goes out to sea, alone, and encounters a huge Marlin. The rest of the story is about what happens. The language is economical and clear. The developing relationship between the old man and the great fish is gripping. The ending sends shivers down the spine.

It has been said that Ernest Hemingway is at his best with short stories. This is more of a novella but a great example of concise writing. I would not normally be drawn to a story about a man and a fish but am so glad that I did not miss this one.

Rating:
Summary: An Uplifting Story That Gives You Hope
Review: Santiago, a fisherman, has gone 85 days without catching anything, not even a tadpole. But he knows that his luck is about to change. For last time, he went for 87 days without catching a single thing, and came back with a huge fish. This time, he believes his luck will be the best ever. So, come early morning, before the sun has risen, Santiago hops aboard a tiny fishing boat with his supplies, and sets out towards the middle of the sea. He fishes for hours without even the tiniest bite, until he feels something. Not a small something, but a great, big, giant something, tugging on the end of his line. So begins the fight betwen the old man and the sea. Santiago spends all day and night trying to reel the fish in, to no avail. When the fish finally does calm down, the sharks begin surrounding him, and Santiago is forced to try and make his way back to shore, before they have the chance to grab him or his fish.

As an avid reader, my mother thought I would be interested in trying Hemingway's THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, so she bought it for me for Christmas. Until now, I didn't have time to read the short novella, but I am happy that I finally had the chance to do so, as I enjoyed Hemingway's lyrical writing very much. The characters found within the pages of THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA are enjoyable, and bring the story to life. Santiago is a brave old man, who is determined to battle the sea, in the hopes that he will have the strength to bring home one of the largest fish ever; while "the boy" is kind, and does anything in his power to make Santiago feel good about himself. Readers who enjoy novels/novellas that give you hope, and lift your spirits will be pleased with Hemingway's THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Rating:
Summary: Book Review
Review: Review #1


Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Collier Books, 1952, 127.
The Old Man and the Sea is an exciting and adventurous book about an old man going on a fishing trip to try to catch the perfect fish. The old man is a professional fisherman who makes a poor living catching fish. So he sets his sail and goes out to sea. The way the old man catches his fish is by holding a long piece of rope with a hook and a piece of bate on the end of it. So while sailing he hooks up a huge Marlin that will make him rich. But the problem is that a group of macho sharks are going after his fish. The old man has to struggle with life threatening situations like starvation, dehydration, and the pain of holding on to the rope that will cut through anything. Will he bring in the fish in time before the sharks tear all of its flesh off? Will he get rich? "The shark closed fast astern and when he hit the fish the old man saw his mouth open and his strange eyes and the clicking chop of the teeth as he drove forward in the meat just above the tail." This book is for readers who like fishing and excitement through the whole book.


Rating:
Summary: It depends on what type of person you are
Review: This is a book that not everybody will like. It is extremely slow, and it is kind of uneventful, but thats like saying "amazon is a site" Yes, at first, that is what it appears to be, but once you go deeper into it, you will find that it is way more than one might think. The Old Man and the Sea shows the dramatic story of an old man, and in it, you really get to know him, and he is such an interesting person. Hemmingway is such a talented writer, and this is a classic for a reason.

Rating:
Summary: Much more than just a tragic adventure story.
Review: This story is an adventure story that happens to end tragically, but it is more than that. It is also written in a deceivingly simple style, but the novel itself is as near perfection as any. On a deeper level the book is a fable of the unconquerable spirit of man, and it is also a religious parable that utilizes Christian symbols and metaphors. The book has only two characters - Santiago, a Cuban fisherman and Manolin, a young Cuban boy devoted to Santiago. Hemingway's realism is very strong in this book, and his pragmatic view of life comes through loud and clear. It's not a very long book, but it is a masterpiece. I also saw Spencer Tracy in the film adaptation of this book, and I thought that movie captured the essence of Hemingway's genius.

Rating:
Summary: Poor Old Man
Review: Hemingway's novella "The Old Man and the Sea" is about a fisherman, an old man at peace with nature, but hard on his luck. He hasn't caught a fish in 84 days, his beloved boy apprentice has been sent away and he is a figure of pity among his Cuban townsfolk. This 85th day, the old man is sure his luck will change, and it does. He hooks an enourmous marlin, and struggles with it for days, determined to land it. Either he'll catch this fine creature, or he'll die in the attempt. Which way will it go?

Despite admiring the concept, I didn't actually like "The Old Man and The Sea" very much. Maybe it's because I'm not as old as the fisherman yet to relate to his struggles. Maybe it's because I'm not too fond of fishing, and don't appreciate the practical and technical details. Maybe it's because I don't like baseball, let alone with the passion that the people in this book have. Whatever the reason, I struggled reading it as much as the old man struggled with his marlin.

For such a short book, it really dragged on for me. Do we really need to know every single turn the fish makes, and every time the old man picks up a line or reels it in? Often, Hemingway seems to be repeating himself, the fisherman goes through a few of his actions several times, and it doesn't make for entertaining reading. His thoughts, too, go round in circles sometimes. Liking his right hand more than his fallible left, admiring the animals, his brothers of the sea, longing for his boy apprenctice's help, dreaming of his African childhood and his endless shuffle of plans and strategy, over and over again. It emphasises the themes of the book, sure, but it really bored me to hear these thoughts so many, many times. There's a lot of thinking, internal dialogue and such, but very little actually physically happens in this book, which I also found frustrating. There are subtexts to be looked at in the meantime, yes, and the descriptions of the ocean and its creatures was fine, but shouldn't they be the icing on the cake of a good story, not the actual purpose? I don't know, it just felt like it could have been a lot shorter.

Maybe it's just me.


Rating:
Summary: The old man and the sea review
Review: The old man and the sea was probably one of the best books that I read this year. I would recommend this book to anyone. Although this book is not as fast paced as some other books out today, it still has some very good qualities. One quality that I thought was good as a young person was that it was an easy read. Also the book has less than 150 pages and does not contain a wide range of vocabulary. However the book being short and not containing a wide range of vocabulary doesn't mean you can't learn anything from it. This book contains some very valuable life lessons and philosophy.