Hemingway is one of those divisive writers that you either love or you hate, and I happen to fall in the latter category. There is a point where literary realism and description can be taken so far as to reach the point of utter ennui, and nobody does this better than Hemingway. He has no intention of entertaining anybody, especially himself, and appears to write for no other reason but to record the most blandest and pointless conversations and events he can latch onto. Personally, as a reader, I'm far too lazy to make the inferences on my own that Hemingway wants me to, and what the critics love so much about him; I like to be shown everything I'm supposed to see and not have to play a guessing game. As far as I could tell, this novel has nothing more to do with a bunch of people drinking and watching bullfights, because I wasn't at all interested in figuring out the context of it all. ( )

Honestly, I found this book boring and the characters unreal and superficial. I read it in high school the first time and didn't like it then; I actually disliked it even more as an adult. The characters seemed like caricatures, the dialogue smarmy and unbelievable. I wonder that if I understood the time period better, I might have liked it better, but I was a history major, and I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and this story just did not ring true to me. There were, however, some brilliant lines in the book, which saved it from a failing grade in my view. ( )

Hemingway's prose is simple yet robust. Here he first defines his style, and establishes himself as a writer. The story isn't overly dramatic, the characters are well defined but only so interesting. I would definitely recommend it, I enjoyed the ride through France and Spain. I did feel like I knew the people I was traveling with. His language is still of the back of my tongue. But that said not standing out to me as one of my "favorites". ( )

The Lost Generation? Let’s not look for them and leave them be. Wandering not lost spectators of their environs.

It is hard to differentiate the weariness of the characters from that of the reader, William Hurt. What ever you do, don’t listen to this book on tape. He takes a tedious story where women and violence are foils for men with a lazy purpose. And makes it more so.

Read instead The Sheltering Sky. Followed by a book with a much happier a storyline. ( )

A very easy read, written on about an 8th grade level. I had a hard time caring about any of the characters (though I get that's part of Hemingway's point). I just kept thinking is there really anyone as narcissistic as these people. I hope not. This is really just the story of 4 spoiled, irresponsible drunks. ( )