The Old Man and The Sea, Book Cover May Vary
The last novel Ernest Hemingway saw published, "The Old Man and the Sea" has proved itself to be one of the enduring works of American fiction. It is the story of an old Cuban fisherman and his supreme ordeal: a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Using the simple. powerful language of a fable, Hemingway takes the timeless themes of courage in the face of defeat and personal triumph won from loss and transforms them into a magnificnet twentieth-century classic.
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Community Reviews
This plays like a movie in my mind it’s so well written. I can see myself there and smell the salt air.
I love this book! This was a reread that I first read in freshman year of highschool. Not my favorite Hemingway novel by far (A Farewell to Arms has my heart forever and ever), but I adore this novel. The old man's struggle to remain useful and productive is so saddening. The futility of the entire fishing expedition. :(
Plot summary: Man can't get fish. Man finally gets fish. Man loses fish but gets to stab/punch some sharks in fish's defense. Much pride is won and lost. Ego remains the same throughout. Suffering is for the weak. Friendship is important.
Hemingway's terse style, use of language, and occasional metaphysical jewels cloaked in manly bravado make him one of my favorite authors to read. 'The Old Man and the Sea' stands out for its "dialogue" (mostly the protagonist arguing with himself) and its allegorical depiction of endurance, courage, and (in my opinion) egotistical splendor. Just be ready for the manliest plot line you've ever read... fishing is basically a metaphor for all the sh*t life throws at you, so you'd better be ready to work your ass off to get what you want, punch some sharks to keep it, lose it all despite best efforts, and start all over tomorrow with nothing, all while never admitting suffering (which is decidedly for the weak).
Hemingway's terse style, use of language, and occasional metaphysical jewels cloaked in manly bravado make him one of my favorite authors to read. 'The Old Man and the Sea' stands out for its "dialogue" (mostly the protagonist arguing with himself) and its allegorical depiction of endurance, courage, and (in my opinion) egotistical splendor. Just be ready for the manliest plot line you've ever read... fishing is basically a metaphor for all the sh*t life throws at you, so you'd better be ready to work your ass off to get what you want, punch some sharks to keep it, lose it all despite best efforts, and start all over tomorrow with nothing, all while never admitting suffering (which is decidedly for the weak).
It's beautifully written. It's about love, loneliness, poverty, injustice, and just going on in old age.
The first time I read this I was lukewarm about it. It was only on my second reading that I appreciated the sadness (and happiness) of it more. But it was tough to get through both times even though it's short because it's so much fishing. It's as exciting as fishing will ever be, but it's still a lot of fishing.
The first time I read this I was lukewarm about it. It was only on my second reading that I appreciated the sadness (and happiness) of it more. But it was tough to get through both times even though it's short because it's so much fishing. It's as exciting as fishing will ever be, but it's still a lot of fishing.
*This is not the edition that I read*
Absolutely INCREDIBLE! I cannot describe the LOVE I have for this book. The meaning that there is all behind it is amazing.
I saw this book as the course of life. I never thought that I would love a fiction book that is not romance this much.
Here are some of my favourite quotes:
• "I keep them with precision. Only I have no luck anymore. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready."
• "Most people are heartless about turtles because a turtle's heart will beat for hours after he has been cut up and butchered. I have such a heart too and my feet and hands are like theirs."
• "If the others heard me talking out loud they would think that I am crazy. But since I am not crazy, I do not care."
This book has made me realise that the course of life is not how we want it to be, and most of the time it's not. Just like the book says: "A man can be destroyed, but not defeated." So just because you lost doesn't mean you're life has ended. Be happy, because the people that love you, will love you no matter if you win or you lose.
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