Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway’s brilliant first novel is a poignant tale of love, loss, and the power to endure. In his unforgettable first novel, Hemingway artfully illuminates the plight of the Lost Generation, weaving a poignant tale of love and loss in the aftermath of World War I. The story follows two expatriates living in Paris in the 1920s: Jake Barnes, an American war veteran and journalist, and Lady Brett Ashley, an independent Englishwoman exploring the opportunities afforded by a new era of liberated women and sexual freedom. Impotent due to an injury suffered during the war, Jake must navigate his hopeless love for Brett in a changed world of waning morality. From Parisian society’s vibrant nightlife to the ruthless bullfighting rings of Spain, The Sun Also Rises takes readers on a powerful journey through mass disillusionment, moral bankruptcy, and elusive could-have-beens. All the while, we see both the brokenness and resilience of a generation scarred physically and emotionally by the horrors of war.

The Sun Also Rises

Fiesta

Nathan Johnson

A profile of the Lost Generation captures life among the expatriates on Paris' Left Bank during the 1920s, the brutality of bullfighting in Spain, and the moral and spiritual dissolution of a generation.

The Hemingway Library Edition

Patrick Book

Surely this is not his best work. What s snooze!

The sun also rises

Vince Hilahan

MID

DID NOT HAVE ANY SYMPATHY FOR THESE CHARACTERS

ANOTHER DRINK, ANOTHER IM TIGHT

Louis Norton

Anvita Bhagavathula

I read this book on an 18 hour flight and I feel like if I had read it under different circumstance (aka if I hadn't been forced to find something to entertain myself in an enclosed space) I wouldn't have been able to finish it. At face value it was pretty difficult to get through; I felt pretty unmotivated to continue reading, especially in the first half, because Hemingway's style of prose is pretty terse and clipped. Honestly, it just takes time to get used to and I feel like once you finish the book, you truly understand its value and meaning. 

Just as Luke told me (you are always correct bb), this book is essentially about a bunch of expats getting drunk together in Europe. While the plot is frankly not that exciting, what was interesting was the narrator's (Jake's) voice. I think the essence of why this book is so meaningful boils down to the way Jake describes the world around him, his tone, his attitude and his actions. There is a sense of numbness and lack of feeling in Jake's descriptions of the world around him. This numbness is in stark contrast to how the characters often overindulge on alcohol and engage in extravagant activities (attend fiestas, dance at clubs throughout the night, watch gory and violent bullfights, have a lot of sex, travel extensively, etc.) and I noticed that they were essentially forcing themselves to 'have fun'. The only time Jake ever seemed emotionally present was when he engaged with the simplicity of life; whether it was when he crossed bridges in Paris, went fishing in the woods with Bill, or swam in San Sebastian, it was only these moments that I felt contentment as opposed to numbness. Overall, however, the characters seemed so wholly mentally detached from what was happening around them and there was just a pervasive atmosphere of disillusionment and cynicism throughout the novel. Once I realised that this atmosphere was simply a consequence of the character's traumatic experiences in the war, it hit me that their actions were just a coping mechanism to numb the pain of their past and to find meaning for their future. As Gertrude Stein coined it, this was the lost generation. 

Ultimately while the book was a difficult read because of Hemingway's writing style, it provided me with a lot of valuable insight into an entire generation that was affected by war. It taught me the beauty of how humans cope and constantly search for meaning to continue to live on despite carrying traumatising scars of their past.

Painful. This is riddled with so much misogyny, racism and antisemitism. The dialogue is horrendous. If I didn’t have to read this for school I would never have read it. Don’t read this if you value your life and sanity 

Murphy-Ann Craig

destiny

Benedict Neo

Isn’t it pretty to think so? 

Thanks for the trip to Europe, Hemmingway

Looking forward to read more of your work.

Originally published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises is Ernest Hemingway’s first novel and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style.​ A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, the novel introduces two of Hemingway’s most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. In his first great literary masterpiece, Hemingway portrays an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. “The ideal companion for troubled times: equal parts Continental escape and serious grappling with the question of what it means to be, and feel, lost.” —The Wall Street Journal

The Authorized Edition

taryn

There were certain lines that I liked, but overall I just didn't care about the characters at all?

Hannah Yang

"oh, jake," brett said, "we could have had such a damned good time together."
ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. he raised his baton. the car slowed suddenly pressing brett against me.
"yes," i said. "isn't it pretty to think so?"

this is the first hemingway i have ever been able to finish and appreciate. admittedly the reason for my finally giving hemingway another chance (and thus, the lens through which i read this novel) is... odd (put simply: book rec from a genuinely perplexing tinder experience??). but i am glad i did! his reserved, precise prose really shines here, as does his actual travel experience, which paints scenes like the bullfights - and details such as montoya's changed perception of jake - with vivid sensitivity and intimate appreciation. having now been to some of the places mentioned throughout the book, i enjoyed being able to read his point of view and characterization of jake and co's travels.

many scenes feel meandering, like repetitive vignettes of cafe culture (and simply so much miserable alcohol consumption. always tight, what rot, how swell, etc). but i think these in-betweens make the book work as a reflection on the lost generation, and make the moments of clarity and action feel much sharper. it's mildly devastating that so little seems to truly be of import to the characters, not even each other; from jake's detached reaction to cohn's apologetic retreat to mike's dejected acceptance of brett's entire character (brett herself seems to really exemplify the novel's atmosphere of vulnerability and zest and pathetic yearning and insouciance).

i feel like this is the kind of book where i would notice different details in a different reading, but you also pretty quickly get the gist of it. did i enjoy this enough to reread it? probably not for a while. it's a profoundly unhappy book in so many ways. but it did indeed redeem hemingway's writing for me.

"don't you ever get the feeling that all your life is going by and you're not taking advantage of it? do you realize you've lived nearly half the time you have to live already?"

The Sun also rises.

Very nice and enjoyable dialogue, beautiful descriptions of the bull fighting (and it’s philosophy). You have to read between the lines to understand the deeper meaning of the book and it’s characters. I really liked it but I can understand if some people don’t, if you don’t look for it it can come of a bit shallow. They also drank and ate a LOT. 

loisesya

Exhilarating descriptions of bullfighting mixed with themes of love and yearning. You begin to think that things would be easier if the characters weren't so vain, but you cannot change them, and that's what makes the book so hard to turn away from. Like a train wreck, you can do nothing but watch.

Connor Bragg

E J Doble

1/5

It's a simple read, which I blitzed through in two days - it's whimsical and charming, with a very open plot line and very distinctly-narrated characters. It is a product of its time, with certain racist terms used and sexist overtones mentioned throughout that as a modern reader don't sit well at all, but it's good to consider the book in its own context.

The book is poor overall. Its very simply written - 'restrained' is the word often used to describe it, but I think that just gives leeway to a book that is very plain and dull in many places. The narration is matter-of-fact for the protagonist, as we're taken on a floozy, alcohol-obsessed journey through France and Spain. Each character is defined, but one dimensional: we have the sad drunk; the gobby drunk; the creep; the overcontrolling partner etc. with no real depth at all. You do get a real sense of 1920s blasé whimsy, but that's about it.

The one thing I LOATHE, however, which accounts for the lower score, is the dialogue. It is short, blunt, unnatural, repetitive, hard to follow, convoluted, and really badly put together. I understood the plot by luck, it feels - the dialogue in no way helped me connect to the story. 

This is the first Ernest Hemingway book I've ever read - I also think it will be the only one I ever read.

Derek Graf

Michael Springer

I really enjoyed this book, and I think it might've comforted me when I was 18 or 19 and kept falling in love with the wrong women. . . I know it was about a guy older than I am now, but it really would've connected with my teenage self.

Ernest Hemingway's first novel is considered by some scholars to be his greatest work, following American and British expats in the 1920s as they travel from Paris to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls. The characters are based on personalities who were part of Hemingway's circle and pulled from his own exploits in trips to Paris and Spain in the 1920s. "The ideal companion for troubled times: equal parts Continental escape and serious grappling with the question of what it means to be, and feel, lost." --The Wall Street Journal.

Shareca

Nick Gracilla

In contrast to A Farewell To arms, The Sun Also Rises has some great, engaging, readable dialogue. It's mostly about vast quantities of booze, of course, and where to drink next, and how "tight" someone's feeling and how another drink might fix that. The book really shines at the bullfights: the raw, animalistic energy shown by bulls and men; the clarity of thought about what makes a great bullfighter great; the interplay between control, and the uncontrolled — even as that is mirrored in the relationships between the characters. A great read.

Haylie

The best part of this book was the very ending. Everything before it I hated...

I know this is a classic but I STRUGGLED reading this book. I felt like I couldn’t get into the plot so it’s just put me in a reading slump for a few weeks now. 

Lauren Dale

Romaissa Bellarbi 

Todd Luallen

I read this book over the last two weeks. The book was written in such a way that I did not enjoy what I was reading. "Why am I reading this novel?" I wondered. "I can't believe this book is so popular." I did not find the characters interesting. They drank, and ate, and talked about getting drunk, and eating. The style of the writing was annoying. The style of the writing is similar to the writing in this review. I don't think I'll read another book by Hemingway. I do not like the way he writes.

Manu Fernandes 

** spoiler alert **
           Tbh I didn't really enjoyed it but it was worth the reading when Jake said "Isn't it so pretty to think so?" at the end

Meredith Boster

This was a good book. My English teacher recommended it to me and I have to say it was good. I don't know if I would read it again necessarily, but it was a good book to read when I was bored and wanted to waste time. The transitions got a bit confusing, but that's just personal error. It definitely got a little more boring towards the end, but overall it was rather good.

Fraser Simons

There is an endearing quality to the prose when the focus is on imagery and travelogue aspects. 

The problem for me is that most of the interactions between characters either weren’t interesting, or else had a sad and pathetic quality. In part, this might be down to the antiquated gender roles and the energy sapping way these people talk to each other. 

Clearly it has something to say and I think it has a clever way of communicating those things it has something to say about. It’s just hard to get into when you’re not into the characters. If not for the pleasant prose outside of the characters this might have been a 2 star rating.

Geoffrey Landward

So this is my first foray into Hemingway (the old man and the sea in junior high does not count), and I am hooked. This is one of my Wife's favorites, and I can see why, though I am still unclear why she wants so badly to name our next daugher Brett - she was a fascinating character, but hardly a heroine. Hemingway's style lived up to the hype. Often, I found myself wanting to read aloud to hear how it would sound spoken. I imagine one of my other favorite authors, Cormac McCarthy, was influenced by Hemingway as there is some similarity in their terse prose. Anyway, I highly recommend this book and am eager to start Islands in the Stream.

The Sun Also Rises

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