The sun Also Rises

"The quintessential novel of the Lost Generation, The Sun Also Rises is one of Ernest Hemingway's masterpieces 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 bull-fighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. It is an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. First published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises helped to establish Hemingway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century."

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Spare and Brilliant submitted by Sara W on June 21, 2011, 9:59am I loved this book the first time I read it in high school. I think I loved it more when I read it in undergrad and I loved reading it for my book club.

I love the spare language and the banal conversation, the romance of the bullfight and the calm of trout fishing, the epic bouts of drinking and Brett's constant refrain to Jake: "Oh darling, I've been so miserable."

The Sun Also Rises submitted by leighsprauer on June 28, 2019, 10:44pm The Sun Also Rises is a vignette of the life of an American WWI veteran, working as a journalist in Paris, and his relationships with his friends, and especially, his relationship with his love, Brett, and her complex web of boyfriends. The bulk of the action takes place in Pamplona, as the group of friends attend the bull-fights.

I really can't decide if I like Hemingway or not. Did people really talk like that? Did ex-pats really work so little and have so much free time? (In this, I'm reminded of the characters in Sigrid Unset's "Jenny", with their similarly leisurely lives.) And can people really drink that much? It just seems too unbelievable. And Hemingway's writing is plain to the point of being boring - his descriptions of his meals, the landscape, etc. are so matter-of-fact and without embellishing descriptions that I often wondered why he bothered at all. But that's thing about genius, I guess. It ain't for everyone.

I guess I enjoyed reading it, overall.

Classic submitted by TLW1998 on July 14, 2019, 2:54pm One of my favorite classics

It was okay submitted by saleder on July 12, 2022, 4:38pm This was my book group’s selection; I had never read it before. It felt like Hemingway “built” a story around the descriptions of his favorite recent activities - fishing and visiting Spain for the running of the bulls and bullfights. His descriptions were lovely and evocative, and my favorite parts of the book. The rest of the story felt cobbled together. The lonely, vapid lives of the characters was frustrating, and the amount of drinking he reports is unbelievable.