Rating: 
Summary: Man Overboard
Review: I like the way that the old man entertained himself on the boat but it might have been more interesting if had sung showtunes and worn stilletto heels.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good depth and detail for a 100 page book!
Review: Hemingway¡¯s "The Old Man and the Sea" was the last of his novels that were published in his time, and was a literary success in relief of his previous "Across the River and Into the Trees." Some think that this piece was also somewhat of a vengeful intent upon the critics that were bent on him. "The Old Man and the Sea" is a story of the overpowering sea and the man that faced up to it. For 84 days, the old man Santiago hasn¡¯t been able to catch a thing. But bad luck and others¡¯ lack of faith in him, with the exception of his former apprentice, don¡¯t stop Santiago, who remembers his greatest catch back in 1985 and decides that things will improve greatly on the 85th day. He sails his skiff far into the Gulf Stream and that is where he feels the great marlin attach. Santiago tries to reel the marlin in, but it¡¯s too strong and so he hangs on and lets the marlin pull him across the open sea. For three days, Santiago hangs on to the line, despite cuts, pains, and no sleep. During this time, Santiago talks to himself to keep his mind fresh, and has discovered a deep bond with this huge fish, the catch of his life. ¡°Then he was sorry for the great fish that had nothing to eat and his determination to kill him never relaxed in his sorrow for him. How many people will he feed, he thought, but are they worthy? ¡He is much fish still and I saw that the hook was in the corner of his mouth.
The punishment of the hook, the punishment of hunger and not comprehending his adversary is everything¡¡± Finally on the third day, Santiago manages to pull the marlin close enough to kill it with his harpoon. But as Santiago turns back for his island, sharks sense the marlin¡¯s blood and attack the skiff. Santiago defends them both as best as he can, but new pods of sharks are always arriving. In the end, the marlin is so badly mutilated that santiago realizes that he has ruined them both by going too far and forcing the marlin¡¯s defeat. Santiago makes it back home, without any great catch, but a blissful dream of lions on a golden beach in Africa.
Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF THE MOST BORING BOOKS EVER
Review: I asked my classmates when I was in school to select the Hobbit as a reading assignment instead, but they insisted on The Old Man and the Sea because it was a few pages shorter and they were just a lazy bunch of semi-literates. I normally like the classics, whether 20th Century classics or Shakespear, Wilde, Dickens, Shelly, Lord Byron and so on. No one has to force me to read books by those authors. That is why I was surprised that I hated so much a book by such a highly regarded author, such as Hemmingway. The characters were just boring. I didn't care for teh old man or the kid. It seems that nothing really happens in the book. You could skip the entire middle part of it and end up with pretty much the same story. By the way, this is the only Hemmingway story that I have read so maybe he has some other better stuff. This book has, however, put me off him and I don't expect to pick up another by him for the foreseable future, unless I get a really good recommendation.
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Summary: So incredibly touching and poignant...
Review: Ernest Hemingway's simplistic writing is such a refreshing read after stuffy Dickensian-like novels. Not only is The Old Man and the Sea just an all-around fantastic novella, it is also one that creates a sense of understanding and companionship between the reader and the main character, the old man..hence the title. Every single moment of the book was captivating as one feels the mental and physical strain that the old man suffers. By the end, I had to bust out the kleenex because I was bawling so much. Such a beautiful story. I won't spoil it for you, please read it.
Rating:
Summary: Bad Book
Review: I was forced to read this novella for my eighth grade English class about a month ago. It was awful. I couldn't care about Santiago at all. I just couldn't. While Hemingway is quite good at describing nature and using imagery, I absolutely hate his writing. I never seem to care about his characters.
Go read a book with interesting people, like The Catcher in the Rye.
Rating:
Summary: The Old Man And The Sea
Review: The old man and the sea was an ok book. It's not the best I have ever read but it will do. It has inspiring messages like never giving up because if you belive you can achieve. And I belive that. the main character Santiago belived he can go out and catch a big fish and he did. But it showed that theres something out there always pushing you back from succeding. After he spent all that time at sea and caught the marlin well I'm not going to tell the whole story but its an ok book.
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Summary: More then just a story about an Old Man and a Sea!
Review: Hello, my name is Billy Blanks and i am a high school senior. I have read Old Man and the Sea countless times since i was forced to read it my freshman year(that was before i found out about a litle thing called cliffnotes). But any way back to the book. Old Man and the Sea is a great book for anyone who loves a great story or in my case just loves fishing. It is the best book ever, and i think everyone should read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Deconstructing Hemingway¿s Nobel-Prize winning classic
Review: I am not enthusiastic about this book but I respect it and I understand why it is considered a classic. The Nobel Prize for literature is more of a lifetime achievement award even though this book was specifically cited as follows: "For his powerful, style-forming mastery of the art of modern narration, as most recently evinced in 'The Old Man and the Sea.'"
The book tells the story that is so familiar that I won't bother to repeat its details here. The original true story which Hemingway described in a journalism piece available in "Byline: Ernest Hemingway" was a brief account of a Cuban fisherman who hooked an enormous billfish in his little boat and got pulled out into the open ocean. The fish is attacked and partly devoured by sharks. A large fishing boat rescues the unnamed fisherman; he is delirious, having gone for days without food or water. The fish is brought back to the dock in Cuba: there's a picture of the huge and still formidable half eaten fish hanging by the tail. Hemingway fictionalized this story almost two decades later to make it a symbolic parable about man's struggle against nature and against his own frailty. The old man, Santiago, holds on by sheer willpower, at one point he says to the fish, let me kill you or you can kill me, I don't care which. In addition to speaking to the fish and to the sharks that attack at the end of his voyage, Santiago also spends time talking to his injured left hand, an obvious reference to the looming Communist revolution in Cuba. The fish and the old man Santiago represent the huddled masses of Cuba yearning to breathe free. The sharks that attack represent, variously, worldwide mercantile Capitalism, jingoistic American gunboat diplomacy and the oppressive authoritarian Bautista regime under which poor Santiago is starving to death. Santiago is able to beat down attacks by the first two but the last succeeds in picking clean the marlin's carcass. Thus, Hemingway shows that Cuban revolution had not yet developed sufficient strength in 1952 to overcome the brutal Bautista dictatorship.
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Summary: OLD MAN AND THE SEA REVIEW
Review: How can a book with excellent characterization be an uninteresting novel with no realistic thoughts or adventures? The author does not clearly explain mandatory parts in the book that are truly needed to make the book a success. I would not recommend this book to anyone that wants to read an exciting and realistic book that is very descriptive and relays the thoughts of the protagonist. The main character in this novel is not exposed to a consistent amount of realistic conditions or events that would in reality take place. For instance, the protagonist goes out and is pulled around by a fish for four days. Santiago should go out and take control of the fish, so he can go home and be rewarded for his great catch. Santiago does not show that he deserves the fish. He should be strong and wise about his actions. Furthermore, Santiago goes out unprepared, with just his boat, not expecting anything. Santiago does not sleep for hours, thus causing severe exhaustion, which lowers the overall possibility of catching the fish. When Santiago's hand cramps, the only thing he does is talk to it, and he does not try reviving it by other conventional methods. The problems that persist and the treacheries that he overcomes does not allow an overall clear understanding of the plot, theme, or other critical elements that arise in the conflict of the story. This book does not reflect the author's overall knowledge about the subject of this novel. Truly, Santiago goes out and catches a fish that he then follows through the water. The very large fish does not allow more action to enter the story. The author does not reflect the major thoughts or actions put our by the protagonist (Santiago) which makes the story dull and uninteresting. Likewise, the characters do not add much action to the story. The protagonist does not have any extremely exciting experiences or battles that could twist the ending, and thus the plot is very predictable. The parts in this story that are not extremely boring do not add up to much, because the author does not use many metaphors to relate the story to any actual experiences. The plot and characters make the story dull because they do not add any suspense to the story. This book should not be read by anyone. This truly shows Hemmingway's weakness as a writer. The protagonist does not prove to have any common sense at all and he may be going insane. This book proved to be an overall failure because it did not add up to my expectations as a reader.
Rating:
Summary: The Old Man and the Sea
Review: It would be easy to think that "The Old Man and the Sea" is boring, and you would be right. The book tries to portray some good themes, but lacks enthusiasm and a page turning plot. Most of the plot is predictable and lacking of life like characters. This book is one of the worst I have ever read.
The story has some good themes, such as survival and persistence, but needs work on the plot and the tone. The plot was basic, following a strict pattern that would be expected of lesser authors. There were hardly any twists in the plot to excite the reader. This is due to the poor foreshadowing, "he hadn't caught a fish in 85 days..." the entire story was predictable. The only turn in the plot came at the end near what might have been considered the climax, when the sharks played a big role in the ending. There is a very monotone feeling about the book. None of the characters show much emotion. Even for a senile old man, he should have at least shown some emotion at being dragged out to sea. During the entire story, there was no sense of urgency. The story seemed more focused on delivering the message then telling a colorful story. In general, "The Old Man and the Sea," needed more work on developing emotional characters and creating a plot that would keep the reader interested.
Ernest Hemingway didn't seem to put any research into his story. Some of the actions aren't very realistic. Holding onto a 17 foot fish in a dingy is not possible. I have gone fishing for large fish before, and fighting a four foot fish for an hour can make even the strongest man give up. There is no way a decrepit old man could keep a 17 foot marlin on his line for even 15 minutes. He would be pulled into the water. The whole tone wasn't very realistic. The only time there is any enthusiasm in the story is when the sharks attack the fish. Sharks the size described would be able to put a hole in the side of the book. A person could get more action fishing on a lake. This book lacks in realism and anyone who has gone deep sea fishing can easily see that.
"The Old Man and the Sea" is a quick read but not even worth the time. If you're just after themes, this book might appeal to you, but if you want anything more, look elsewhere. Anyone who has signed on for a charter boat can tell Hemingway didn't put much thought into the technicalities of the book.
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