Rating: 
Summary: Possibly his best...
Review: "The Old Man and the Sea" is one of Hemmingway's simplest and most evocative books. It sets him apart from the majority of modern writers as a brilliant story teller. It is also commendable for its mood and subtlety. The novel is almost exclusively about the isolated life and thoughts of an old fisherman who unexpectedly finds himself pursuing the largest catch of his life. As the old man hooks his prey and follows it out to sea for several days, it becomes evident that his motive centers more around personal challenge and a kind of silent (dare we say "existential") heroism than commercial gain or notoriety. His recollections, thoughts and struggle have a peace and momentary savagery that is totally in keeping with the rhythm of the sea. I grew up on the ocean and spent a significant portion of my life living on boats. Speaking from my own experiences I can say that Hemmingway "got it" in this book. He captured the mood, rhythm and isolation of a sailor's thoughts with impeccable realism. Many of Hemingway's novels do not convey mood as successfully as this one. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" never fully convinces the reader of the desperate courage or its characters because the dialog is too canned. "A Farewell to Arms" begins with one of the greatest openings of any Twentieth Century novel and then dissolves into unremarkable turmoil and argument. Even "The Sun Also Rises" seems a little too self-conscious of the image it attempts to portray. But "The Old Man and the Sea" is flawless in its ability to draw us into its mood.
Rating:
Summary: A story with meaning
Review: This is my second favorite Hemingway book. The first being For Whom the Bell Tolls. However, this classic is timeless and crafty in that, its written just right. It's a book about life an its certain aspects that I will not mention to save the story for those of you that haven't read it. If you read the book and only notice the fish, then you've missed the point. Those of you who are intelligent, will not only enjoy the story for its double-plot, but love it for what it is.
Rating: 
Summary: new to hemingway ? - this is a good place to start ...
Review: if you are new to hemingway and would like something simple to get you started, this is as good a place as any. this short novella characterizes hemingway's sharp descript style. The Old Man And The Sea romantically tells the tale of a <you guessed it> old fisherman and his coming to terms with many issues. The old man sets to sea without the aid of his young friend and junior fisherman. once deep at sea, the old man hooks into a large fish, unlike any he's known. the story begins .. at 127 pages this is a quick read and worth the time invested.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story
Review: A fascinating tale of man and his conquest. A rather short book by most standards but packs a powerful punch. If you are looking for the ultimate pocket book, this is it. It will keep your attention. Ever wonder what it would be like to sail alone, read it and find out.
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Summary: Hemingway's swan song
Review: I have, I think, read everything that Hemingway ever had published. As a youngster he was my favorite fiction writer and has remained so, although I have read a great many books in the interim, some by great writers. Ernest Hemingway has had many detractors, but his writing speaks for itself. He needs no other champion. Of all his stories, "The Old Man and the Sea" is perhaps his best. In it, an old Cuban fisherman, Santiago, fishing by himself, catches a giant, magnificent marlin, after a terrible struggle, and makes it fast to his small boat. On the way home, however, it is eaten by the sharks, leaving only a skeleton. The story is, reputedly, autobiographical. The story itself is the great marlin, and the sharks are the critics, which have dogged Hemingway's declining career, panning such efforts as "Over the River and Into the Trees," and disparaging him generally as an aging has-been. With "The Old Man and the Sea," Hemingway proved, to them and himself, that he could still write magnificent prose. For it he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature--a prize at which he had previously scoffed, saying that no one who had ever received it had subsequently written anything worthwhile. Hemingway's literary style--his clipped, unadorned approach--has been often aped but never equaled. He was a true original, and most important; he was a sensitive observer of humanity and its follies. But, never an observer only; he was a participant. "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," if not autobiographical at least was based upon his own experience. He knew the people of whom he wrote. He had been a combatant and a journalist and a fisherman and a hunter: a man's man. Like all really notable writers of fiction, he had lived his stories. I suggest that you read his work for yourself, and disregard the slurs of the effete intellectual snobs who slyly claim that he was a latent homosexual, and contrive to belittle his genius. They are like the sharks he portrayed, who would destroy the great prize of his legacy. Heed them not. In spite of his tragic death, he was a peerless writer.<P<
Rating:
Summary: poor
Review: I hated the book "The Old Man and the Sea." It was about the way old fishermen used to fish marlin and it tells of an old fisherman that hooks a huge one and is pulled out to sea by it after it gives up he brings it in with sharks eating it as he goes. The man at the end is sleeping in his bed dreaming of loins. It boread me out of my mind. But it was very well written besides it being atotal bore
Rating:
Summary: Short and very, very sweet
Review: I see that many people have said that you have to dig deep to find a theme. Well, this is not true as the old man states at one point that "man was not made for defeat. Destruction, but not defeat." Sounds like a theme to me. It's also interesting that people say we have to dig to find things. Well, I don't think anything can really affect you if you don't have to think about it; if something is spoon-fed to you, what difference does it make in your mind and in your way of thought? Actually, Hemmingway didn't intend much of the symbolism in this book. He is quoted as saying "All I wanted was to make a real old man, a real boy, and a real fish, and a real shark. But if I made them good and true enough, they would mean many things." Well, Hemmingway made them good and true enough and they mean many things. If you want to experience something, read this book. It's short but it gets its point across very effectively. Oh, the only complaint I an possibly think of is Hemmingway's style which is like reading a newspaper, but it doesn't really hamper the work. Read it. You'll like it if you've got a brain in your head and you like to work it out.
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Summary: Travis' Review
Review: If you like adventure, suspense, and excitement, then you should read "The Old Man and the Sea," by Ernest Hemingway. This book, The Old Man and the Sea, is a very great book. Even though is only one hundred twenty-seven pages, it still fully explains itself. It is a very easy read for sixth through eighth graders. The reason I say eighth graders too is because I am one. But not only they or I can read it, but everyone can. If you are an parent or adult, I recommend it for you to read it to your children. If you are a procrastinator, then a highly recommend it to you for a book report book. It has large words to a certain extent, but if it is a non-heard word, it will tell what is means. In this book Ernest Hemingway uses a lot of figurative language. It was published in 1954, and won a Nobel Prize for Literature. It is one of the best classical novels written by Ernest Hemingway. It describes everything in detail so it is easy for you to picture what it looks like. If you were to read this book you could maybe understand figurative language clearer. This book is basically about a eighty-five year old man that goes out to sea and all different things happen to him while he is out there. Because of what he did it made him famous and everyone respected him for that. I hope that you would enjoy this as much as I did. If you are a Christian, like me, I think will help you to be a Christian because the old man never gave up and always prayed and ask God for help. If you are not a Christian than it still would be a good book for you to read.
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Summary: Papa not at his height, but.....
Review: This is a simple tale, but not one told by anidiot. I first read it when I was 12-years-old and can't say it is anovel I want to return to, just as I don't particularly want to return to Steinbeck's The Red Pony. But I would maintain that it is a wonderful introduction to Hemingway for a young reader. I believe that papa had his best period of production in the twenties and thirties, (Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms). He also wrote his better short stories during that time (The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber [sic?]), but one can't dismiss this work entirely. The Old Man and the Sea reminds me of a Neruda poem, simple on the surface, yet reflecting larger themes. I'm sure you were all taught about microcosm vs. macrocosm in high-school English class, right? Well this is an example of the former, similar in some respects to Camus and Sartre and other existentialists. Santiago's struggle is similar to Camus' depiction in the Myth of Sysiphus. The old fisherman's struggle with his marlin is similar to Sysiphus' eternally rolling that stone uphill in Hades. It's something he is compelled to do by his very fibre and is thus comepletely resigned to. Yet choice is also involved, and thus we have an existentialist novel, produced from the simplest of stories. Ne-c'est-pas? We tend to dismiss this tale as a simplistic allegory, but should remember that this came out at the time when Sartre and Camus were producing their most important work. I don't think Hemingway was out-of-touch with the French literary movement of which he had always tried to remain a part.
Rating: 
Summary: ! WARNING! Hemingway Fans Only!
Review: OK book, well developed and deep symbolism. WARNING: this book may be extremely dull to those who seek action and suspenseful novels. This book doesn't exactly capture you, but tugs you along. I recommend this book only for: Hemingway fans, those who like symbolism in a novel (this one is perfect for u guys), speed readers (read it and you'll find out why), if you have to ( book report, required by a class). If your one of those people that is always reading, ex. once they finish a book they look for another good one, what I call a "relaxed leisure reader",this is not for you! Also one last thing, if u do read it, make it a "bed time book," so you can focus easier on the symbolism, details, etc.
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