A Farewell to Arms

I finally finished reading this Hemingway novel.  It took a very long time.  I’ve never been one to appreciate the classics, so it’s not worth criticizing me that.  The end was kind of worth the entire read, I guess.  If anything, it did teach me a few lessons in writing:

  1. Do not take 180 (eBook) pages before the first interesting thing happens.
  2. Do not then spend 70 more pages rambling until the next interesting thing happens.
  3. Always make characters likable, so that if you do not follow Rule 1, your reader at least has the ambition to continue reading.
  4. Paragraph breaks are amazing, wonderful things.  I don’t know if it was just this eBook, but probably not.  (Someone confirm?) I hate this block text fashion of writing.  I was first introduced to it with Jose Saramago’s Blindness about 10 years ago and while it was a good read, it is something I never got used to.  HATE!

So there you have it.  If you have patience, read this book.  If not, don’t bother.  And that’s my awful style of a review.

About Nikki

I've been writing since I was in kindergarten where I Crayola-markered an epic tale of a tiger and a balloon on a stack of lined papers folded into a booklet and stapled along the edge (carefully, and by my teacher). I love DIY, sewing, folksy music, animals and getting out to look at and listen to nature.
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3 Comments

  1. Yes, what an unbelievable obtuse and amateuresque review of a classic. Best stick to Harry Potter and the vampire novels then.

    • I have not read Harry Potter, and the last vampire novel I read was long before Twilight; I was in primary school then. Lately I enjoy a lot of comedy autobiographies. There are plenty of good ones, if you have/appreciate a sense of humour.

      I’m not a Hemingway fan, as it happens. “Sorry” for that. The desirability of books, as with music, is subjective to the reader. The Old Man & the Sea was good though. Subjectively speaking. If you would like to criticize the works of any of my favourite writers (Vonnegut, Thompson, Bukowski, totally different era, so I’m sure you’ll have your perspectives), go ahead. It is unlikely that I’ll deem you obtuse or amateur due to your opinions on an author, because I am not self-absorbed or 15 anymore. Other people having opinions is something I’ve gotten used to, and become OK with. As far as I’m concerned, anyone actually reading books these days (especially anything that hasn’t already been made into a movie) is to be celebrated. Literacy is important, even if they aren’t all winners.

      Much of my writing during this period you’ve commented on (2012) was abundantly tongue-in-cheek. Please consider that this post was not thorough and comprehensive because — reading between the lines — it was intended not to be an insightful review but more of a Note To Self.

      Enjoy your day.

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