Name: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Rating: 3.745 (160 reviews)
ISBN: 9781428109315

Campbell Scott

Tom Stechschulte

Ernest Hemingway

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Lee Schneider

Edward Steel

Hemingway's evocation of the pride and the tragedy of the civil war that tore Spain apart. A young American volunteer is sent to handle the dynamiting of a bridge behind the lines of Franco's army. In the mountains he find the dangers and the intense comradeship of war - and he discovers Maria.

Josephine Cammarano

Then there was the smell of heather crushed and the roughness of the bent stalks under her head and the sun bright on her closed eyes and all his life he would remember the curve of her throat with her head pushed back into the heather roots and her lips that moved small and by themselves and the fluttering of the lashes on the eyes tight closed against the sun and against everything, and for her everything was red, orange, gold-red from the sun on the closed eyes, and it all of that colour, all of it, the filling, the possessing, the having, all of that colour, all in a blindness of that colour. For him it was a dark passage which led to nowhere, then to nowhere, then again to nowhere, once again to nowhere, always and forever to nowhere, heavy on the elbows in the earth to nowhere, dark, never any end to nowhere, hung on all time always to unknowing nowhere, this time and again for always to nowhere, now not to be borne once again always and to nowhere, now beyond all bearing up, up, up and into nowhere, suddenly, scaldingly, holdingly all nowhere gone and time absolutely still and they were both there, time having stopped and he felt the earth move out and away from under them.

Адапт. Изд

Greg Talbot

Being 10 years old, in need of a project on a historical figure, my mom decided, it was Hemingway! Taking my orders, I cut out images from magazines of swordfish, bulls and soldiers. Dutifully I took to the front of the class to explain the genius of this Oak Brook writer. Of course, Hemingway's genius was lost on me there, and the insights into his genius remain somewhat unfulfilled...or at least until I read "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I've never enjoyed reading a book by Hemingway. "Old Man and the Sea" seemed plaintive in a banal way, "The Sun Also Rises" bored me to tears, "Farewell to Arms" did better, having left an indellible mark on me for it's cutting ending, and now having wrestled with his opus, I can say i've found some profound insights from his writing. Essentially the story of a guerrilla band commissioned to blow up a bridge that is controlled by the fascists during the Spanish Civil War. Our lead character Robert Jordan has been ordered to study, and be ready to attack in daylight, along with the approval of General Golz. With some of the local guerrillas, Robert Jordan begins to prepare, build his team, and awaits the day for the fight. Conversations provide us entry into the deep psychological wounds of the soliders as well as hints about their current motivations. Now Hemingway, could easily have chopped off 100 pages in here (why not 150!). The book is brutally long with his journalistic prose and generalized vocabulary. But like a great marriage of the subject matter meeting the style, the brutalities and vicissitudes of war wear-down the reader into submission. Pablo's brutality at the Ayutanmiento with the fascists, the bull goring machismo stories, the troubling details of the Arvalo train explosion; all of these are told by characters and paint vivid stories of the desolation of war. It's the back and forth dry dialogue that irritated every fiber in me. All the characters share the two grim realities. First, the war has damaged them in some way physically or destroyed their homeland. Secondly, all the characters are very aware that by participating in bridge-burning act of subversion, their lives will never be the same. Issues of trust, fidelity, patriotism, domestic life and survival take up the lengthy passages here. Hell, Hemingway even throws in a little romance with the Maria and RJ. One of the undercurrent themes that I loved in the book, was that there would be nature and renewal even during the human strife. All of this would make for another ho-hum Hemingway book, but the last 100 pages are some of the most riveting action i've read in a book. With a tightly strummed last act, there is the siege of El Sordo's troops, General Golz's decision on the war, and the final bridge act. For the economy of words, Hemingway paints a vivid war scene. More than the action, we get some of the most interesting conflicts in the book. Robert Johnson rightly thinks beyond his work here as a solider. He is living for his duty, and only thinks of the window of the 4 days he has to perform there...but the emotions stir in him when he thinks of a future life in Montana with Maria. Deeply existential questions about the decisions we make and the loyalties we take on are asked. There are some deep fundamental truths about war's irrationality. In this land of horses, beautiful women, vegetation and culture; all of the beauties are spoiled by the civil war and unconventional guerrilla attacks. Although we know the orders and purpose of the book is to blow up this bridge, the reasoning behind it is always alluding us and the characters of the story. Like "Farewell to Arms", i'm left with a deep sense of the futility of war. The glory, the fight, the charisma, are a means to an end, and where it leaves everyone is more broken and twisted than before. The realities of these endgames is that chaos and fate play larger roles than our schemes ever can, and any glory is just the happenstance of somehow surviving. "For Who the Bell Tolls" is Hemingway's most accomplished novel, and per usual, he dedicates his story to describing the "how" with the structure being a simple story. But as we investigate the deeper "whys" of motivations and meaning, we may amble away with some terrifying conclusions.

Introduced by Hemingway’s grandson Seán Hemingway, this newly annotated edition and literary masterpiece about an American in the Spanish Civil War features early drafts and supplementary material—including three previously uncollected short stories on war by one the greatest writers on the subject in history. In 1937 Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from “the good fight,” and one of the foremost classics of war literature in history. Published in 1940, For Whom the Bell Tolls tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. Robert Jordan is a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain. In his portrayal of Jordan’s love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo’s last stand, Hemingway creates a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving, and wise. “If the function of a writer is to reveal reality,” Maxwell Perkins wrote Hemingway after reading the manuscript, “no one ever so completely performed it.” Greater in power, broader in scope, and more intensely emotional than any of the author’s previous works, it stands as one of the best war novels of all time. Featuring early drafts and manuscript notes, some of Hemingway’s writings during the Spanish Civil War, and three previously collected stories of his on the subject of war, as well as a personal foreword by the author’s son Patrick Hemingway, and a new introduction by the author’s grandson Seán Hemingway, this edition of For Whom the Bell Tolls brings new life to a literary master’s epic like never before.

The Hemingway Library Edition

Timeo Williams

Read this a second time, but this time more in depth. 

While I think the storyline is a bit lacking, I enjoy the way Hemingway plays with words. I would have liked more suspense and action in the plot. 

Nevertheless, I'm not the biggest fan of fiction, and I still managed to finish the book.

Hemingway at his best. Should've been his first Pulitzer for sure. Devastating yest beautiful. Some parts felt a little unnecessary especially with the length of the book reaching nearly 500 pages already. Nonetheless a good ride and a classic piece of literary fiction with some great characters and exemplary prose.

Derek Graf

For whom the bell tolls

Colleen

3.5 Stars
 
*An insightful, heartfelt story bogged down by convoluted dialogue*


I love much of Hemingway’s work. But I also have to admit that there are times when he can be frustrating to read. For Whom the Bell Tolls is one work that I feel particularly conflicted about. The first time I read it was in high school for assigned reading. I will freely admit that I sped read it through the lens of “Let’s see what profound things I can say about this book, so I can get an A on this paper.” Rereading it years later just for the sake of reading was a completely different experience.

The overall story is thoughtful and moving. It paints a bleak and realistic portrait of war heavily influenced by Hemingway’s own life experiences. But there are aspects of the overly-stylized writing that drove me nuts. Much of the story is unfortunately told through convoluted dialogue that is purposefully archaic. Here is a prime example:


  "Now I thank thee for it. Now you are going well and fast and far and we both go in thee. Now put thy hand here. Now put thy head down. Nay, put it down. That is right. Now I put my hand there. Good. Thou art so good. Now do not think more. Now art thou doing what thou should. Now thou art obeying. Not me but us both. The me in thee. Now you go for us both. Truly. We both go in thee now. This I have promised thee. Thou art very good to go and very kind.”

If your initial reaction to reading that paragraph was, “Whaaaaaat?” then you are not alone! I do not enjoy having to read paragraphs multiple times just to decipher their meaning. And that frustration was compounded when sometimes the meaning was some critical point to the story and other times the gist of it was, “I’m hungry. When is dinner?” It certainly does not help that a large chunk of the beginning of the book is this dull dialogue. It took too long to figure out who the characters were and what they were doing. The beginning is composed of a ridiculous amount of people sitting around a fire mentioning things without actually discussing them. For Whom the Bell Tolls needed a stronger foundation. 

There are some beautiful moments in this book. By the end, I was totally invested in the story. And the climax of it is excellent. But this story had such a rough start obfuscated in dialogue soup that it is hard for me to rate it higher. For Whom the Bell Tolls is still good to read for anyone who wants to thoroughly explore Hemingway’s work, but it doesn’t make it anywhere near my favorites list.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 2 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

For Whom the Bell Tolls is Ernest Hemingway’s brilliant war novel, telling the story of Robert Jordan, a young American fighting with an antifascist guerilla unit in Spain. Jordan wages war, forges friendships, and falls deeply in love with the beautiful Maria. First published in 1940, For Whom the Bell Tolls has been adapted for movies, television, and stage. It is widely viewed as Hemingway’s greatest literary triumph. HarperPerennialClassics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Clare B

I was shocked by how much I liked this book. Seriously.

Brooklyn Swanson

The best way I could have imagined starting off my senior year literature class. It fueled me along the rest of the year, inspiring me to really read and understand every piece we were assigned. It re-sparked my affection for literature.

Simon Elliott Stegall

It's hard for me to describe why Hemingway's writing is so powerful. It is simple and innocuous, like falling snow; you know it's there, and it's nice, but you don't notice it.... until it's up to your chest. It builds on itself, and creates a mood that grows in power as the book moves along. If I wasn't convinced before, I am now: Ernest was a master of style.

Robert Jordan is a Spanish teacher from Montana who works as a dynamiter in the Spanish Civil War of the 30s. He is saddled with the daunting task of going behind Nationalist lines to blow up a strategically valuable bridge. For Whom the Bell Tolls takes place over the course of the 3 days before the appointed time of Jordan's bomb. He enlists the help of a rag-tag band of guerrilla fighters and waits.

The book is about death and Hemingway's perennial theme, Courage. For a war story, that is pretty standard, but there's nothing standard about Hemingway's writing, or his attitude, or his approach. His inclusion of John Dunne's poem in the title stresses the point: Hemingway took an ancient topic and treated it in such a way to make it totally new and present. That is great writing. For Whom The Bell Tolls will stick with me for a long time. I'll never read or watch another war story without comparing it to this book, and I doubt many will stand the comparison.

Jeni Enjaian

A review from my old blog...

I approached this book with my memories of John Steinbeck in my mind. I just realized that as I started to write this entry. I have found that while Steinbeck's writing can be impressive he often overloads his text with things gratuitous in nature. Hemingway is not like that.

I found myself strangely fascinated by this book. While I also found myself a little confused as to where the book was placed and how much time passed I can put that all aside because of my awe of Hemingway's writing style. The book is placed in Spain. the time period, though I should know this, escapes me at the moment. Hemingway infuses the text with stylistic turnings typical of imperfect translations of Spanish to English. A large majority of the characters are native Spaniards.

I could look at an awkward phrasing and realize exactly how that would have been stated in Spanish and why the translation felt so awkward. In addition, Hemingway peppered hundreds of Spanish words and phrases throughout the book, many of which stood untranslated.

I suppose that Hemingway's writing style alone redeems the book in my mind. If it had not been for the careful crafting of the language I probably would have put the book down before I got halfway through because I wouldn't have been able to find one end of the book from another.

I still don't understand the ending.

Nathan Griffin

The last 150ish pages were really good. Up until that point it wasn't bad, but it just sort of puttered along. I did think it was better and deeper than A Farewell to Arms, which I think I only marginally enjoyed.

Riley Young

Juozas Salna

Shreerag Plakazhi

Left a hole in my heart. Can anyone write a better war book than Hemingway? I think not. This is a hard book to read, don't attempt it unless you have immense patience.

Ethel

An interesting story where nothing is either black or white

Key words: classic, Spanish civil war, historical novel, love story

This was my first Hemingway book and I quite enjoyed it. The story happens during the Spanish Civil war (1936-1939) in which Hemingway was involved as a journalist in Spain. I really enjoyed the insight thinking that goes through the book, when the characters reflect on their past or their future or even just their present; it really adds a sweet touch to this story about war. Sometimes, I have to admit that I found it to be a bit long as it slows the story down a lot but overall, I found it really interesting. I also found the love story to be quite present through the book. I liked the character of Maria and especially the one of Pilar who I think is the most reliable character and the strongest. At the beginning, I was a little bit confused about how the characters talked. As the story happens in Spain, Hemingway translated some Spanish saying directly in English and sometimes, I didn’t know what it meant such as “I obscenity in the milk of …” (it means I sh*t in the milk of…). He also used informal English pronouns such as thee and thy which I found quite enjoyable. The story didn’t really divide between bad and good and showed the problem of the bureaucracy in those times and what people were forced to do. 
Overall, I enjoyed this story, though sometimes a bit long, and I would recommend it.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

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