Farewell To Arms

Rating:
Summary: Big Disappointment
Review: A Farwell to Arms was the first book I read from Ernest Hemingway. It seemed like a book written for a male mind. The whole book was about love and war. It was hard for me to understand because it was dull and too easy to read. I thought Hemingway chose a horrible way to end the book. After all of the love that was built up between Frederick and Catherine I thought the end was a huge disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: Vivid Imaginations Look Here!
Review: In this book the reader is taken to another world where, even though details are sparce, the mind can beautifully develop characters, places, and actions. If you have to have every single description written out for you then I suggest that you do not read this book. Hemingway gives you a lovely story that has its own "flavor". The mind is left to play with his words and create a thrilling saga. You, as a person, will grow along with the characters. It is, all in all, a story of love, despair, and beauty.

Rating:
Summary: Close But No Cigar
Review: A FAREWELL TO ARMS is, in my opinion, a well written novel. It makes many twists and turns, which the writer uses to keep the ready on the edge of their seat. However, these twists and turns seem out of place. Books 1 and 3 rocked!, but books 2, 4, and 5 were quite dull. Also, if the novel had not ended with a dull book, then I would have rated it better. Back to the good side of the novel. I particularly enjoy the way Ernest Hemingway describes the war's use of women.

Rating:
Summary: You're kidding right?
Review: I am a high school student, and I just read "A Farewell To Arms" for my Honors English class. When I first heard about Hemingway, I thought he was supposed to be great. This book was very boring and slow. I thought the characters could have been better. The ending was tragic at the end. Plus, the end leaves you hanging and doesn't tell you what happens to Frederick. The two stars I gave him was because, it was a novel and I could never write one. I was very disappointed

Rating:
Summary: The More The Merrier
Review: As I read the first chapter I didn't imagine myself finishing the book. The repetitive descriptions were uninteresting. However, the more I read the book, the more I found myself enjoying Hemingway's work. I got caught up in finding the outcome of Frederick's love affair and the war. As always when reading a book you learn to look at certain thing at a different perspective.

Rating:
Summary: A Farewell to Legs
Review: As the first hemmingway piece I have read, AFTA was interesting and entertaining at some parts, banal and boring at others. Though it combines a captivating love story and the Great War in Europe, I found the novel leaving me alittle flat at parts. I enjoyed many of the characters int he novel, such as the super-stud Rinaldi and the young, confused priest. However, after Book 3 of the novel, we lose some of the more entertaining characters and are barraged with less-described figures. The dialogue in the story was also a bit distasteful in its simplicity, and I found myself confused at parts becasue I had read it too fast. But the simple text also allows the book to move a bit smoother at parts as well. Overall, AFTA was a relatively entertaining novel, despite its flaws. If you enjoyed it, I would suggest reading otehr Hemmingway pieces. If not, read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.

Rating:
Summary: Everything in One!
Review: Every person needs to read this novel by Ernest Hemingway. This book has everything. For all of the "action" people, there is a war. For all of the "romantics", there is a love story. And for all of the "others", there is everything else.

This book uniquely expresses life from the male point of view. Frederick Henry lets us into his life while he participates in World War I. We grow with the characters and start to experience their emotions.

This was the first Hemingway book I have read and I loved it. His style compelled my interests and it left me wondering what was going to happen next. Hemingway creates a suspense that lets our imaginations explore the situation.

I recommend this book to anyone. It was excellent and a good learning experience. Hemingway truly has a style of his own.

Rating:
Summary: Everything in One!
Review: Every person needs to read this Ernest Hemingway novel. This book has everything. For the "action" people, there is a war. For the "romantics", there is a love story. And for the "others", there is everything else.

This book uniquely expresses life from the male point of view. Frederick Henry lets us into his life while he participates in World War I. We grow with the characters and start to experience their emotions.

This was the first Hemingway book I have read and I loved it. His style compelled my interests and it left me wondering what was going to happen next. It created the suspense where your mind is open to explore the situation.

I recommend this book to anyone. It was excellent and a good learning experience. Hemingway truly has a style of his own.

Rating:
Summary: If you like war and women...
Review: Hemingway obviously does not understand the true essence of a woman. His portrayal of women in this novel is completely off course. In A Farewell to Arms, Catherine is a man's perfect woman. She is obedient and willing. The other women in the novel are harsh and hateful. Hemingway's women are either one of these ways or the other; however, most real women are a combination of both. He does allow Frederick's personality to change as the story progresses though. In the novel, the main male character is dynamic and the female character is static, while in real life women are the ones more apt to change and men stay the same. A Farewell to Arms is an unnatural love story blanketed by a war tale.

Despite my criticism, Hemingway is a very talented, accomplished writer. If you like war and women, definitely read this book. However, if you would rather read about life and experience or something at least partially relevant to real life and real people, do not waste your time with A Farewell to Arms.

Rating:
Summary: A Fairwell to Legs
Review: As the first Hemmingway text I have read, AFTA has been enjoyable and enteraining at some parts, redundant and boring at others. Though combining a captivating love story and the Great War, certain parts of the novel left me feeling alittle flat; particularly the long, miandering descriptions of the countryside and daily routines. Many characters were very interesting, such as the super-stud Renaldi, and the confused, young priest, but despite the fact that they are important characters early in the novel, Hemmingway doesn't go into great physical or psychological description of any of these important figures. Another interesting argument is the fact that though the book is written from a first person account, we still feel distant from Fredrick, the main character, in that he never gives direct descriptions of his thoughts or his emotions; only his actions are mentioned. i found myself a bit ditatched and often confused by the lack of description, but then again, it allowed the book to move a bit more smoothly. I particularly enjoyed the battle scenes, but even they seemed to lack action, in that Fredrick never truly sees combat, but instead nearly gets his leg lopped off my a AP mortar, which I found a bit distastful, and sneaks around what could either be Italian deserters or German Infantry, was suspensful until the anti-climactic escape, when the reader is expecting some real fighting to begin. In conclusion, AFTA is a novel I would recommend reading, adn if you enjoy, to read otehr Hemmingway works, and if not, read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.