The Sun Also Rises: The Hemingway Library Edition Paperback – February 16, 2016

What a brilliant writing!I was transported to the world from a 100 years ago; I felt like I was right there sitting in the Parisian cafe and drinking wine, burning in the Spanish sun, shivering from cold or nervousness, being part of fiesta, I felt as a part of Jake’s companionship.I could feel Jake’s pain and admired his loyalty and love.Tragic, beautiful story filled with remarkable details and unforgettable complex characters.I loved every page and cried many times.As someone said: a postcard from a very special era. Brilliant!!!

I think the best of Hemmingway’s Novels. The story draws you in and the tightness of his writing still conveys a group of images with little description. You come away with an appreciation for his style and an understanding of the period

F a v o r i t e b o o k a l l t i m e .

Jake Barnes was injured in WWI. His injury might have rendered him impotent. This could be the reason why he drinks so much. Jake drinks a lot of alcohol. So does his companion Lady Brett Ashley. She and Jake seem to love each other, but some obstacles are in their way. Alcohol. Money. His lack of confidence. Her fickleness. Lady Brett Ashley is in the process of getting a divorce so she can marry a bankrupt Scottish guy named Mike. Mike also enjoys drinking a lot of alcohol. Alcohol helps him suppress his jealousy when Brett has dalliances with Robert Cohn, a Jewish writer and a Princeton graduate who is a trained boxer, and a young Spanish toreador named Romero. Jake’s friend Bill also hangs around.They travel from Paris to Spain and back again. They mainly drink and eat a lot. They also mock each other frequently and overuse words like “daunting” and “ironical” in their conversations. They enjoy the fiesta in Pamplona. During the fiesta, they watch the running of the bulls and a few bullfights. During the bullfights, Lady Brett Ashley becomes smitten with the bullfighter Romero. They run off together, but it doesn’t last. This story is pretty much a soap opera set against the backdrop of post-WWI Europe.Because of its setting and its focus on what Gertrude Stein described as the “lost generation” of American expatriates living hedonistically in Europe after the Great War, this novel—Hemingway’s first—has been called one of the greatest works of American literature ever written. I do not necessarily agree, perhaps because of Hemingway’s trademark stark writing style and simple sentence structure, which I have attempted to reproduce in this review. It can get annoying, can’t it?

Hemingway has an uncanny ability to write with a spare style but still brings characters and scenery alive. When I’m reading him I feel I’m watching a classic ‘30’s or 40’s film, complete with snappy repartee and lots of feeling without dwelling too deeply on it. Look forward to reading another EH novel soon.

I think this is a great book about the post Great War Era. How many were lost and some were just trying to enjoy what life was offering. I appreciate Jake Barnes perspective a ton and will carry that with me

Still great after all these years

Romance , hiking , bull fight festival , always telling us what he is drinking, kind of early biographical novel. He takes you the places along with him. Very nice writing.