A Farewell to Arms (Scribner Classics)
by Ernest Hemingway

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Book Reviews of A Farewell to Arms (Scribner Classics)

Book Review: Book Critique - A Farewell to Arms
Summary: 5 Stars

It is clearly identifiable that Ernest Hemingway has created a masterpiece. I believed this book was an astounding novel that included the entire essence of what a novel should resemble. This novel contained solitude, love, war, happiness, and tragedy. Having been drawn largely from Hemingway's personal experiences as an American ambulance driver for Italy, this novel contained many accurate descriptions to the setting, his injury, and the atmosphere of the novel. These descriptions in the novel allowed myself to be drawn into the story and made me feel as though I was a part of Henry's life. Hemingway's comfortable style of writing also helped to reveal the sincere atmosphere that Catherine and Henry created when they were alone together. Their love was absolutely genuine and veritable. This was evident in the way they spoke to each other. At one instance in the novel, Catherine said, "What good would it do to marry now? We're really married. I couldn't be any more married. There isn't any me. I'm you. Don't make up a separate me."(p. 107). Conversations similar to this allowed myself to understand how much they loved each other and what Henry was going through. They also showed me how strongly two individuals could love each other. The last scene of the novel was also very touching. The tragedy of Catherine dying while giving birth to her child was sad enough, but the inclusion of the scene where Henry tries to bid farewell made the novel even more depressing. In the novel, Catherine dies due to an unsuccessful Caesarian section and Henry is not by her side when she dies. He walks into the room and tries to say goodbye to his love, but cannot because he feels like he is saying goodbye to a statue. He leaves the hospital to walk back to his hotel in the rain. This scene was ingenious. It was very heartrending and displayed the significance of Catherine to Henry. These strengths made the novel an enjoyable story to read.

I believed that there were not that many weaknesses to this novel. However, if I were to change one element in the story, I would have added more action. It seemed as though the war only affected Henry twice throughout the entire novel. These two occasions were when he got hit in the leg and when the battle police captured him. It seemed like the war was of no importance in the novel, and this may have been done purposely due to the title of the book. However, I feel that the book may have been even more exciting if Henry happened to get into more trouble with the war. This type of excitement could have balanced out the segments containing war and love evenly so that the reader could enjoy descriptions of both components. Other than that, I believe this novel was truly flawless in its context.

I believe this novel can have a variety of people for its audience. This book is for anyone who wishes to read a good book. I recommend this novel to teachers, students, parents, and basically everyone. I believe no one should miss out on the opportunity to read the love story of Henry and Catherine. The seriousness of their relationship followed by their tragedy clearly maps out an interesting love story that may bring tears to some readers. This novel shows readers that love can heal pains from wars, but that it will never change the merciless cruelty of life. It truly is a masterpiece of a novel!

Summary of A Farewell to Arms (Scribner Classics)

I wanted to do something for him. You see, I didn't care about the other thing and he could have had it all. He could have had anything he wanted if I would have known. I would have married him or anything. I know all about it now. But then he wanted to go to war and I didn't know.

Hemingway was not known for either unbridled optimism or happy endings, and A Farewell to Arms, like his other novels (For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Sun Also Rises, and To Have and Have Not), offers neither. What it does provide is an unblinking portrayal of men and women behaving with grace under pressure, both physical and psychological, and somehow finding the courage to go on in the face of certain loss. --Alix Wilber

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