Rating: 
Summary: Dissapointing
Review: This book is dissapointing to most Hemmingway fans. It would have been much better had the rest of the book been more like the first and last chapters. Instead he produced a dry and uninspired book with little substance or story telling. The information on bullfighting and matadors is also currently very outdated. A different book could provide much more recent bullfighting information (allthough probably not as well written)
Rating: 
Summary: Death in the Afternoon
Review: This book is for those who love bullfighting, those who loathe bullfighting and those who would like a few writing tips from a master. I read this book while I was in Spain, but I did not see a fight until I had finished. Going to a bullfight without knowledge or someone to guide me would have been overwhelming. But seeing the details Hemingway descibes come to life made it that much more exciting. For those who object to bullfighting you have that right. But don't object without knowing the how's or why's of what goes on. The most eye-opening thing you will see at a fight is the crowd getting upset at a fighter who takes liberties with a bull. Hemingway descibes in detail the purpose for every action taken in the ring, which gives clearity to what looks like cruelty. And finally, Hemingway gives advice on writing no writer should ignore. "When you write, don't write characters...write people." If you are a writer, whether interested in bullfighting or not, you should read this book for the invaluable advice of a master. I can hardly think of a better way to spend an afternoon than hanging out with Papa Hemingway.
Rating:
Summary: Intro to the Art of Bullfighting
Review: This book is mostly well-written, although the last chapter is a bit up and down. Chapter 20 starts and ends well, but during the middle paragraphs Hemingway slips into a sloppy stream-of-consciousness style that is a bit irritating. The rest of the book is always informative and sometimes fascinating. I knew nothing of bullfighting before I read "Death in the Afternoon." But after reading Hemingway's detailed descriptions of the art (make no mistake, it is an art not a sport) of the "faena" I have become fascinated with it. If you are at all interested in bullfighting you must read this book. Though it is probably a bit out of date, "Death" takes you inside the hearts and minds of both the bulls and the matadors. Some have great courage, others have great cowardice, but all the bulls and most of the matadors will eventually die in the ring. This the tradgedy of the bullfight. But it is exactly these elements, danger and death, that make the bullfight both thrilling and beautiful. Unfortunately, the writing is not nearly as good as Hemingway's other venture into nonfiction: his memoir of his days in Paris, "A Moveable Feast." While "Death" is not a book you will want to read over and over, it is a very insightful look into both bullfighting and human nature.
Rating: 
Summary: The ABC of Bullfgihting
Review: This is the only book I found written in English that describes the Bullfighting with great detail. I do not consider it to be a great novel but it is closer to be a "text book". The art and technique of bullfighting is explained to you in a warm, friendly and casual way, just likes your grandfather or a close friend would.
Rating:
Summary: Poetic and Pathetic
Review: This work is poetic in the way all Hemingway is poetic--the simplicity of the prose understates the immense themes at work. His terse, athletic prose creates an air of energy around the bull-fight. The work is pathetic in the sense that the bull-fight is pathetic, eliciting emotion (pathos) and a severe kind of involvement in the moment for the reader. A wonderful read, but be warned that Hemingway's own aficion de corrida may seduce you as well. The nearly violent prose making the ritual of violence as grand and beautiful as possible.
Rating: 
Summary: The Art of Bullfighting & a Triumph of Writing.
Review: Though at the end of the book Hemingway states that his book is in no way intended to be an all inclusive book on bullfighting, it is considered by many to be "the" best book ever written on the subject. A literary triumph for those interested and those opposed to bullfighting, filled with details of what goes on before, during, and after the fights both from the matadors' and spectators' point of views. If you've never been to a bullfight, this book will put you ring-side to the artistry that is bullfighting. (It is easy to see why this book is so well esteemed, Hemmingway's writing is an art all its own and this book is his fiercest ever.)
Al fin del libro Hemingway dice que no lo debemos considerar el libro todo inclusivo de tauromaquia o corrida de toros, muchos lo consideran el libro definito en el tema. Un triunfo literario paro los interesados y los opuestos a las corridas, lleno de detalles de lo que susede antes, durante, y despues de las corridas en los ojos del matador y los espectadores. Si nunca ha ido a una corrida, este libro lo pondria pormedio del matador y el toro en el arte de la tauromaquia. (Es facil ver porque este libro es tan bien estimado, el estilo de Hemmingway es un arte enteramente suyo y este libro es su mas feroz.)
| 
