nicanical
A Farewell to Arms is set during World War I, and follows Lieutenant Frederic Henry: an American enlisted with the Italian army. Frederic grows jaded with the war, but finds solace in a love affair with English nurse Catherine Barkley.
Composed in Ernest Hemingway's iceberg style, the writing effortlessly conveys depth and detail while being easy to read. I also like that the chapters are relatively short and digestible.
The plot is simple. This is very much a character-driven story, but driven by its supporting characters. (Frederic is actually languid and disinterested much of the time). The supporting cast—surgeon Rinaldi, Frederic's comrades, and of course, Catherine—are believable and honest and draw you into the story. I especially enjoyed scenes where the soldiers banter. Hemingway cut too many tags though, sometimes it's unclear who is talking.
As a story featuring love and war, naturally something tragic has to happen (beyond the usual wartime suffering). I want to avoid spoilers, but it does happen. It happens at the end, and it's a capstone on all the ordeals Frederic endures—injury, loss, even almost being executed. But sadly, this was the weakest part for me: this is where the reader should feel the greatest sympathy for Frederic, and I felt very little. There's just so much drinking and ... I don't know what Frederic (and Catherine) expected.
A Farewell to Arms is set during World War I, and follows Lieutenant Frederic Henry: an American enlisted with the Italian army. Frederic grows jaded with the war, but finds solace in a love affair with English nurse Catherine Barkley.
Composed in Ernest Hemingway's iceberg style, the writing effortlessly conveys depth and detail while being easy to read. I also like that the chapters are relatively short and digestible.
The plot is simple. This is very much a character-driven story, but driven by its supporting characters. (Frederic is actually languid and disinterested much of the time). The supporting cast—surgeon Rinaldi, Frederic's comrades, and of course, Catherine—are believable and honest and draw you into the story. I especially enjoyed scenes where the soldiers banter. Hemingway cut too many tags though, sometimes it's unclear who is talking.
As a story featuring love and war, naturally something tragic has to happen (beyond the usual wartime suffering). I want to avoid spoilers, but it does happen. It happens at the end, and it's a capstone on all the ordeals Frederic endures—injury, loss, even almost being executed. But sadly, this was the weakest part for me: this is where the reader should feel the greatest sympathy for Frederic, and I felt very little. There's just so much drinking and ... I don't know what Frederic (and Catherine) expected.
