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Summary: Great adventure
Review: This is a great adventure story. I have read it many times over and have always been enthralled by this wonderful story. People of all ages will enjoy this book and others like it. Put it on your book list right away if you are looking for a good book with lots of adventure.
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Summary: The Old Man and the Sea
Review: The old man and the sea is a short but invigorating book. Its about an old man named Santiago and his habbits for fishing. He has been fishing all his life, but lately he's hit a bad luck streak. The olny one left that has any faith in him is a young boy. Read this book and enjoy a new look of life from a desprate man, and the enormous fish he tackles. Learn courage, and a sense of dignity and being humbled all at the same time, from this timeless classic written by Ernest Hemingway.
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Summary: A remarkable final outburst of genius
Review: When Hemingway wrote THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, he was no longer the writer he had been twenty years earlier. His talent was declining, he had over the past ten years written far more bad books than good ones, and was very much the worse for wear from the hard life he had lived. But somehow, he managed at this late stage in his life to produced one final masterpiece, and one of his very finest novels. The story is one of Hemingway's simplest. All of his books are simple on the surface. THE SUN ALSO RISES is very simply told, but it contains a wealth of psychological and interpersonal complexity beneath the simple narrative. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA is truly simple, 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. The tale that is told is so clearly told that a very young child can understand it. It is so marvelously told that an adult can marvel over it. When my daughter was six, I read this to her, and he loved it (even developing a child's fascination with Joe DiMaggio). Although the Nobel Prize is given to a writer for his or her work as a whole, and not just one book, it may well be that without this book Hemingway would not have won the Prize. His best work had appeared in the 1920s, and much of his work of the 1930s and virtually all of his work in the 1940s had been far, far below the quality of the early short stories, A FAREWELL TO ARMS, and THE SUN ALSO RISES. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA was his great comeback, and it is quite likely that it was the book that made the difference in his being chosen as the recipient of the award.
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Summary: Never Give Up
Review: When Santiago battles with the huge marlin he is fighting for his very existence and at the same time trying to give meaning and value to his life. Santiago represents all of us and he ultimately will win because he is willing to give the maximum effort.It is not possible to ask more of Santiago. Although he may become temporarily discouraged, Santiago is quick to revive and rejoin the struggle. I recommend this book because it is both uplifting and it deserves to be included in the ranks of great American literature.
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Summary: Get Ready To Witness An Epic Struggle
Review: THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA is a story mostly about an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago, his young apprentice whose name is Manolin and an enormous marlin. When Santiago and Manolin fail to catch any fish for forty straight days, Manolin is told by his parents to join a luckier crew. As Santiago continues to fish alone, Manolin cares for Santiago by taking food to him at the end of each day. On the eighty-fifth day Santiago hooks the big marlin. He lets the fish pull him out of sight of land during an epic struggle which lasts for three days. Santiago eventually loses most of the marlin to attacking sharks. He returns to his village with only the skeleton and the head of the fish attached to his small boat. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA is a book which can be read and read again later in life with new insights. There is much to see in Santiago's battle with the fish and also in his mentoring relationship with Manolin. One of the biggest pleasures for me in reading this book is in the enjoyment I receive from savoring the unique writing style of Hemingway. It is heavily influenced by his early journalistic training. The novel is very short but deserves without a doubt to be considered an American classic.
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Summary: Without Reservation
Review: Santiago, the protagonist in this novel, is one of the most enduring characters I have ever encountered in any work of fiction. I appreciate above all his dedication to his craft as a fisherman and his interest in passing on to his youthful assistant everything of value that he himself has learned in life. In his lonely battle with the giant marlin Santiago epitomizes heroic courage and resilience. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA is an inspiring book and I recommend it highly without reservation.
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Summary: Hemingway's Santiago - Rocky's inspiration ?
Review: As my friend , Dennis Littrell , once said regarding another review : What can I possibly say about this novella that hasn't already been said ? I can add the point of view of a reviewer that is fond of human spirit struggles' films that has finally met the father of all his admired heroes . In terms of firsts' rights , 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 . Thus far , my most acclaimed fighter is the cinematic Rocky Balboa (sometimes known as John Rambo) - the ultimate underdog . In the timeless "The old man and the sea" , the main character , Santiago , redefines the meaning of the word underdog : He is an old man , long past his prime , virtually moneyless , with no sidekick whatsoever to help him in his grand epic sail - except for his own inner strength , boldness , resolution and rich experience . Santiago goes out on a fishing cruise like he has done all his life , but this time is commited to prove himself and his townsfolk that he's still got what it takes to be a great fisherman , and at the same to keep himself alive and independent . Soon enough he catches the swordfish of the century , but alas , his boat is too small and the fish is too strong to be lifted while still alive and kicking . This point is the start of a long duel of the human spirit against the animal instincts . The struggle is a hard one , and at times bears similarities to the hardships Rocky goes through in the five releases of the silver screen series : -The same way the fish is stronger , probably younger and bigger than the fisherman , Rocky too has formidable opponents that are always bigger and stronger than him . -The thing that keeps Santiago on the race is the realization that this is his destiny , this is what he does best and it's better to die trying than to never try at all . Rocky Balboa sees things eye to eye with the fisherman . They are both fighters - one on the sea and one in the ring , both would never give up and won't let anybody dictate their actions . -The two have someone to think about in their darkest hours : Santiago has the boy and Joe DiMaggio whereas Rocky has his wife and later his son . The similarity ends as Rocky , at times , has his wife close to the ring supporting him and later his son , while Santiago has to imagine things and often mourn their physical absence . -Both characters would go through enormous physical and mental difficulties and will prove they can be overcome them . -One of the tactics Santiago and Rocky use is wearing down their rivals , trusting their inner strength and diligence (although almost dieing doing so) to keep them going - even for a short while after their adversary has already given up - to finally win the game . -As each individual hero looks back , the prize is not always a material one but more of a victory of the human spirit against all odds . They understand that being able to fight the fight and survive it worth everything and more than any monetary reward . -In the end both are respected and revered by the people surrounding them , are capable of extracting the most out of their status and accept the inevitable calmly . My final conclusion (that may be a little farfetched), and is drawn out of these similarities - especially given the high publicity and the abundance of this novella - is that Sylvester Stallone was influenced by Hemingway's Santiago to write the modern story of the hero Rocky . Who knows . . .
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Summary: Great book!
Review: This book is about an old man that is at sea for about 3 days. He is chasing a fish. It seems like it is more than 3 days in this book but if you read between the lines you will see it about about 3 days. I had to use this book for a school report. I figured that it would be another one of those boring books for school. But this is quite the contrary. This is a great book. It is unbelievable what the man in the book goes through. I recommend this book and give it 5 stars.
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Summary: You a good man Hemmingway
Review: Hemmingway's book,"The Old Man and the Sea," is a riveting tale about an aging fisherman's battle against growing old. The book is packed "to the gills," with symbolism comparable to daily life, daily struggles and events.
Santiago (the old man) hooks a marlin that is gargantuan, an enormous creature, worth an immeasurable lot when contrasted with his extreme poverty. Him and the fish do battle. Santiago spends the book finding himself, fighting himself in his mind, warring over failure and the impossibility of letting that happen.
I think this book, as a whole represents following one's dreams. Despite the looks of the onlookers, to follow through with it even if you don't end up with any results, its about how much you've grown getting there. An excellent book. I recommend it for any age group, for the younger readers the fascinating imagery is enough to satiate there imagainist fancies and for adults Hemmingway's novella over growing old, and the symbolism there of is worth its weight in gold.
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Summary: I rate The Old Man and The Sea 2 stars.
Review: An old man and his friend are fisherman. Without any luck for so long, Santiago catches a fish. He likes to be alone and talks to himself. I wound not recommend this book to anyone. It is very boring. The part I hated the most was when he was out to sea. I am not finished with this book, but my mind probably want change about it.
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