It was also banned in Boston at that time. It was burned in Germany in by the Nazis as it was felt to be anti-war as they were trying to drum up support. It was also banned in Ireland in View all 8 comments.
Nov 28, Madeline rated it liked it Shelves: the-list. Well, I knew I would not be killed. Not in this war. It did not have anything to do with me. It seemed no more dangerous to me myself than war in the movies. I wished to God it was over though. He's wounded in battle and has to spend time recuperating in a hospital after his leg is operated on, and while there he falls in love "British ambulance drivers were killed sometimes.
He's wounded in battle and has to spend time recuperating in a hospital after his leg is operated on, and while there he falls in love with British nurse Catherine Barkley. The novel follows them as they try to escape the war and start a life together. On the surface, this isn't really a book about war; it's a book about two people just trying to live a normal, happy life while the whole world goes to hell around them.
I was lukewarm on this one. For Whom the Bell Tolls is much better, first because it's about something bigger than just two people trying to get married Robert Jordan struggled with the concept of heroism and how war changes people; Frederick Henry just wants to get laid , and also because the characters in A Farewell to Arms are significantly less complex and interesting than the ones in For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Also, Catherine Barkley is just an absolute nightmare of a character - she has no discernible personality and exists just to gratify and worship Henry, to the extent that she makes Bella Swan look like an independent strong woman overflowing with self-esteem. Think I'm exaggerating? Here, have some lines of actual dialogue that Catherine says to Henry: "I'll say just what you wish and I'll do what you wish and then you will never want any other girls, will you?
There isn't any more. Just what you want. Aren't I good? I'm good. I do what you want. That all happens in one single scene, by the way. Catherine isn't a person, she's a horrible Frankenstein's monster stitched together from desperation and male wish fulfillment.
To Hemingway's credit, Henry really does love Catherine, so at least we can take comfort in the fact that her senseless devotion was reciprocated a little bit not that Henry ever talks about his feelings with the same intensity that Catherine does, because that'd be gay. The reason this gets three stars instead of two is because Hemingway is still Hemingway, and amidst all the bad characterization and plodding pace he manages to create these little bits of gorgeous writing that make everything okay, at least for a little while: "Often a man wishes to be alone and a girl wishes to be alone too and if they love each other they are jealous of that in each other, but I can truly say we never felt that.
We could feel alone when we were together, alone against the others. It has only happened to me like that once. I have been alone while I was with many girls and that is the way you can be most lonely.
But we were never lonely and never afraid when we were together. I know that night is not the same as the day: that all things different, that the things of the night cannot be explained in the day, because they do not then exist, and the night can be a dreadful time for lonely people once their loneliness has started.
View all 13 comments. Spoilers ahead. Catherine, wife of Henry, an ex-nurse for wounded soldiers. Michael, book "reviewer," handsome and devilish rogue. Joy, Michael's wife. She'll cut a bitch. The Waiter, self-explanatory. Distressed Customer 1, Only has one line. Dying Man, just proposed to his girlfriend. Dying Man's Fiance, happy, but frightened her dude will croak before they tie the knot. Harold Bloom, asshole.
I'm going to do my best to be a good wife for you. I am doing well, aren't I? Henry: You couldn't be doing better, my love. I can't imagine what I'd do without you. Joy: Pardon me while I puke under the table. Michael: Try not to get any on my shoes. Waiter: Could I interest you in any appetizers? Michael: Sure. What kind of animals are in your sausage?
Waiter: Ummm. I'm not sure, but I can check. Joy: No, don't worry about it; we'll have the queso dip. Catherine: Order for me, Henry, I want whatever we choose to please you. Henry: Okay. We'll have two more bourbons and the chicken fingers. That thing you just did? Joy: Thing I just did?
Whatever do you mean? Catherine: You went. Catherine: Well, I'm confident I saw you do it. Joy: I had a thing on my arm. I was shaking it off. Maybe I sneezed at the same time, I can't remember. Henry: It was good of you to invite us on this double date. I've just returned from the war, and I'm glad to be out with friends again. Michael: Don't mention it, Henry, it's my pleasure. I always like having dinner with fictional characters. How is the war going?
Henry: Not so well. It's over, actually, and Italy lost. The two of us are living in Switzerland now, getting ready for the baby. Michael: How long will it be? Joy: That's what she said. We can't wait. Catherine: We're simply dying for the baby to be born. Catherine: What did you say? Joy: Oh, nothing. What on earth did I do to you?
Joy: You're just so fucking submissive, Catherine! How do you ever expect to be happy if Henry never gets to know the real you? Catherine: What do you mean, the real me? He knows I was a nurse during the war, and that I love him. Michael: But don't you have any hobbies? I mean, do you like French movies? Do you like gardening? Henry: Wait a minute. Why would you require a greater depth of character from my wife than you get from me?
I'm not an especially complex person, either. Michael: Well, not especially, but we know you have a fetish for sports, and you dig fishing and stuff. So, that lends a greater realism to your personality than Catherine has. Joy: Sorry, Catherine, but you asked.
They begin eating. Good choice, babe. Joy: As usual. Michael: So, you two read any good books lately? She might not be the most complex person, but she's still admirable: like my own sacrifice--fighting in the war--Catherine is going to make a great sacrifice when. Catherine: What? Henry: Nothing, dear. She makes a sacrifice by getting knocked up and dying during childbirth. You defend the country and come home safely, while she dies trying to poop out a baby.
I die during childbirth? Henry: I thought we weren't going to talk about that. Michael: Well, it IS kinda the elephant at the dinner table. Henry: We both show equal courage in the face of hopeless adversity, and neither one of us have a false sense of optimism!
That's just bad dialogue. Michael: Fuck off, Harold. Go find some Dickens to stroke off to. Harold: Well, I never. Joy: Yeah. Go pick your wick. And, in response to your unrealistic dialogue, Henry, here's what I think: she might be brave, but she only does three things, really: take care of wounded men, love a man, and have a baby. You and half the lit crits in the world can try to convince yourself that she's a 'feminist' character in some context, but it's like when Intelligent Design people try to re-explain scientific findings so they'll agree with a predetermined worldview.
Henry: Oh, god, do we have to talk about politics? Catherine: Why not? Michael: It's the year now. You don't need to censor your swearing anymore. Henry: Good. You two are cocksuckers. Michael: Do you wanna walk out of here or get carried out, soldier boy? Henry: Try me. Just try me. Distressed customer 1, from across the restuarant : Help! Is there a cynic in the house? The other three rush over to find a customer hyperventilating on the floor. I think he's on the verge of dying from sheer happiness!
Michael: What is this world coming to? Catherine: Don't be so happy. You'll inevitably give away your youth, vigor and passion as a sacrifice for the generation coming after you. Michael: Not to mention, even if things somehow work out, what do you have left?
Fifty, sixty years? And that's counting all those shitty years, where one of you will be living in a nursing home and dragging around a colostomy bag, wondering why the hell your grandkids aren't visiting.
Honestly, buddy, you're probably gonna die in your mid-seventies, then SHE'LL head off to the nursing home, and maybe meet some hot old guy who she had an affair with twenty years ago, get remarried, and that old fucker will inherit all your money.
You saved him! Dying Man: I'm not sure this marriage is a good idea. That was a weird dream. Even weirder than the one where I was obsessed with buying Hot Wheels cars. Joy: Don't worry; I won't be. Michael: Goodnight. Joy: 'Night.
Readers also enjoyed. About Ernest Hemingway. Ernest Hemingway. Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economical and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mids and the mids, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in He published seven novels, six short story collec Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist.
He published seven novels, six short story collections and two non-fiction works. Three novels, four collections of short stories and three non-fiction works were published posthumously. Many of these are considered classics of American literature. Hemingway was raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and after high school he reported for a few months for The Kansas City Star, before leaving for the Italian front to enlist with the World War I ambulance drivers.
In , he was seriously wounded and returned home. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his novel A Farewell to Arms. In , he married Hadley Richardson, the first of his four wives.
The couple moved to Paris, where he worked as a foreign correspondent, and fell under the influence of the modernist writers and artists of the s "Lost Generation" expatriate community. The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway's first novel, was published in They divorced after he returned from Spanish Civil War where he had acted as a journalist, and after which he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Martha Gellhorn became his third wife in Shortly after the publication of The Old Man and the Sea in , Hemingway went on safari to Africa, where he was almost killed in two plane crashes that left him in pain and ill-health for much of the rest of his life. Hemingway had permanent residences in Key West, Florida, and Cuba during the s and s, but in he moved from Cuba to Ketchum, Idaho, where he committed suicide in the summer of Books by Ernest Hemingway.
Related Articles. Read more The novel is divided into five books. They start seeing each other. At Italian frontier, Henry's is wounded by a mortar shell and he is taken to the hospital in Milan.
Catherine takes care of him. In the second book, their romance flourishes as they spend time together. By the time, he is healed, Catherine is three months pregnant. In the third book, Henry returns to his unit. Italians retreat after the Austrian breaks through the Italian lines in the battle of Caporetto. Then, he is caught by battle police, and taken to a place for interrogation. He learns that each one that is being interrogated is executed for treachery that supposedly is the reason of Italian defeat.
He escapes from there by jumping into the river. In the final book, Henry and Catherine live a quiet life in the mountains. One day, she is admitted to the hospital due to labor.
Their baby boy is stillborn, and she dies from hemorrhage. Henry returns to the hotel in the rain. A Farewell to Arms was adapted for both stage and movie. In , it was adapted for stage by Laurence Stallings, and in , for film by Frank Borzage. In , there was another remake of A Farewell to Arms, which didn't attract much praise though. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Thank you for your support.
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A Farewell to Arms. Classic war novel still speaks to today's readers. Ernest Hemingway History Rate book. Read or buy. Parents say No reviews yet Add your rating.
Kids say No reviews yet Add your rating. Get it now Searching for streaming and purchasing options Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free. Get it now on Searching for streaming and purchasing options Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update A Farewell to Arms. Your privacy is important to us. We won't share this comment without your permission.
If you chose to provide an email address, it will only be used to contact you about your comment. See our privacy policy. A lot or a little? The parents' guide to what's in this movie. Such a lovely book. Probably one of my favorite of all time. Actions for ellisonlambo's Comment. Sep 14, ellisonlambo rated this title 2. A shell goes off nearby where he is located so he goes to a hospital to recover. There he has relations with a naughty nurse till preggers. He… Read more Read more of this comment.
Some of the most riveting parts of the novel are when the main character in the book, Frederic Henry, is on or near the front lines. O OGarima comment from OGarima. Actions for OGarima's Comment. If you've never read the book, beware of the Hemingway library edition. There are several introductions and one of them has spoilers in it. Major plot points are revealed by Hemingway's grandson. Actions for pataustin11's Comment. Aug 14, pataustin11 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars.
A Farewell to Arms is absolutely worth reading. It is the story of how war costs people their humanity, and how temporary all things might be. Hemingway is known for being a "plain" writer who puts great meaning in each word, and this is… Read more Read more of this comment. Actions for fraserdamoff's Comment.
Dec 17, fraserdamoff rated this title 4 out of 5 stars. My second Hemingway read, this one did not disappoint. Compared to other Hemingway novels I did find the start of the book and character development took a bit longer than 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' but in the end you could truly feel the… Read more Read more of this comment.
Real bad. But, let me tell you Actions for gomiami's Comment.
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