A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1929, is one of Hemingway's best-known works and a cornerstone of modern American literature. The novel is set during World War I and follows the story of Lieutenant Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver in the Italian army, who falls in love with Catherine Barkley, a British nurse. Hemingway drew from his own experiences as an ambulance driver on the Italian front, which infuses the novel with a powerful sense of realism. The novel explores themes of love and ...
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A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1929, is one of Hemingway's best-known works and a cornerstone of modern American literature. The novel is set during World War I and follows the story of Lieutenant Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver in the Italian army, who falls in love with Catherine Barkley, a British nurse. Hemingway drew from his own experiences as an ambulance driver on the Italian front, which infuses the novel with a powerful sense of realism. The novel explores themes of love and loss, the futility of war, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world. Frederic and Catherine's love affair unfolds against the backdrop of war's horrors, and Hemingway's sparse, direct style captures the tension between moments of tenderness and the violence surrounding them. As the couple's relationship deepens, Frederic's disillusionment with the war grows, and the narrative examines themes of fate, loyalty, and personal sacrifice. One of Hemingway's most memorable lines in the novel reflects his view of the world: "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places." This reflects the novel's underlying message about resilience amid suffering. The story also reflects Hemingway's characteristic "iceberg theory" style, where much of the emotional depth and context is implied rather than explicitly described, allowing readers to engage deeply with the text.
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It is a good experience to get into a book worth reading. This is one of them. Also, the subject of war and the people involved and occasionally uninvolved in it is timeless.
Charles H
Feb 9, 2011
cut to the bones
Hemingway's talent surfaces when reading the cut to the bones prose that nakedly tells the truth of a terrible time. The War to End All Wars is right around the corner and the writing pattern strikes a pattern that makes you become a part of the action, and you start to feel like a character in the story.
allen4
Mar 4, 2010
GREAT Books To READ
This book is one of the Greates to read. By one of the worlds Best Authors. A Must have.
RatedbyMaxi
Oct 17, 2009
Good book, great shape and a definate classic. Daughter had to read this and absolutely loves this kind of story
RaymondH
Mar 20, 2008
A Farewell to Arms
I am about 3/4ths of the way through this book and find myself a little disappointed as it does not meet my standards of Hemingway, someone who I admire as an author. The book seems to ramble around at times and appears to exhibit a different style of writing than others I have read by this author.
