Ernest Hemingway's a Farewell to Arms

I read this book because I had to, and in the end I enjoyed it very much. (...the wonder of school.) Seriously, though, Hemingway's writing is truly outstanding and I for one don't believe that he is too objectionable, as some apparantly feel in his treatment of women, to be widely appreciated. Other than that non-issue, the book is really outstanding in its plot, but even one who doesn't read much will greatly enjoy and appreciate the extraordinary "economy" of Hemingway's prose.

Much has been said here on the plot and dialog. I'd like to add my opinion about two closely-related scenes: Henry's back and forth, back and forth internal dialog about "what if she dies?" and "she can't die!" is the most powerful writing I've ever seen; and Catherine's labor was the most realistic writing (and from a man, yet!) about this subject. These two scenes showed more about the characters than any narrative could ever do. For those of you who gave this book a low rating, wait till you're older and then go to the library and borrow the audio version of this book. You might change your mind. This is a haunting novel of real (and flawed) people trying to live and love during war time.

This is a most remarkable book about the challenges of love and war. Hemmingway refuses to sugar coat war and shows it in a light that many Americans want to deny. His look at the war and at the interaction between the two makes this a marvelous work that will go down as one of the all time greatet American Classics

All I can say about this work is that if you are interested in or are seeking true love in this life then this book should definitely be part of your journey. After you have finished it you will know many of the reasons why I am making this statement. Hemingway wrote the ending 36 times and its power reflects his effort. It smites me to the core at every reading. I will carry what I learned from A Farewell to Arms in my heart forever.