What is Hemingway's best book?

[JJJ's Ulcer]

I've only read 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', 'A Farewell to Arms' and a number of his short stories.

From those two, I'd say I preferred 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.' I liked 'A Farewell to Arms' and its ending probably impacted me more, but the character of Catherine really annoyed me.

I'll probably check out 'Sun Also Rises' next.

Anyway, any fellow Hemingway fans? If so, what's your favorite book of his?

[JJJ's Ulcer]

So no one likes Hemingway? This is just sad. I am disappoint.

[Q45]

...I like Hemingway.

As far as novels go, I haven't read any all the way through. I want to read old man and the sea. I hear he was a better short story writer, and I love the collection "The Snows of Killamanjaro" and the story the title is based upon.

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Thank you, Q45!!!

Yes, I've read that story (and climbed that mountain too, incidentally, but can't remember which I did first). Check out his novels though. They always pay off at the end, even if they seem slow at times.

[moviedoors]

For sale: baby's shoes, never worn.

Greatest short story ever.

[Oberon sexton]

A Farewell to Arms basically left me in one of the biggest downswings of my life.

[terry78]

Old Man and the Sea, as cliche as it is to say. I read it in junior high, and it resonated.

[childeroland]

The Nick Adams Stories.

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Originally Posted by moviedoors

For sale: baby's shoes, never worn.

Greatest short story ever.

Yes!!! I always teach this in my creative writing class and challenge my students to write their own 6 word story.

[Smirnoff]

I'll have to say other. Hemingway doesn't write good books. He can't write for ****.

[terry78]

Originally Posted by Smirnoff

I'll have to say other. Hemingway doesn't write good books. He can't write for ****.

And your reasoning behind this would be?

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Originally Posted by Smirnoff

I'll have to say other. Hemingway doesn't write good books. He can't write for ****.

I bet you're a much better writer.

I'm very keen to hear your brilliant rationale behind this. I bet you also think Van Gogh was a crappy painter because it doesn't look like real life. And why are Shakespeare's plays all in that funny English, huh? How come he can't write snappy dialogue like in 'Two and a Half Men'?

In all seriousness, if you have a logical reason for why you think he's a bad writer I'm all ears. Otherwise you're just a bored troll and I'll kindly ask you to go spit your haterade somewhere else.

[Lighthouse]

Master of Puppets.

[deepika]

The old man and the sea.

[Karem-Knight]

I've only read The Old Man and the Sea but really need to read some of his other books since it was my favorite book as a child.

[Bruce Banner]

I want to sit down and read A Moveable Feast and For Whom the Bell Tolls.



Seems like every lit class I've taken so far makes me read "Hills like white elephants" and "Cat in the Rain".

[Smirnoff]

Originally Posted by JJJ's Ulcer

I bet you're a much better writer.

I'm very keen to hear your brilliant rationale behind this. I bet you also think Van Gogh was a crappy painter because it doesn't look like real life. And why are Shakespeare's plays all in that funny English, huh? How come he can't write snappy dialogue like in 'Two and a Half Men'?

In all seriousness, if you have a logical reason for why you think he's a bad writer I'm all ears. Otherwise you're just a bored troll and I'll kindly ask you to go spit your haterade somewhere else.

First off junior, I never once implied myself to be a good writer, let alone better than Hemmingway. Also, seeing your impulse to jump to childish insults, attacking my taste in art, despite not knowing **** about me, shows me how little you're worth debating. The racist drunk was decent at creating a scene, but his stories were garbage. Considering everyone with a handle of literature knows this, I'd assume you don't really know much.

[moviedoors]

Originally Posted by Smirnoff

Considering everyone with a handle of literature knows this, I'd assume you don't really know much.

Really?

[Smirnoff]

Originally Posted by moviedoors

Really?

[childeroland]

Eh, a lot of people seem to not have a handle on literature then -- Harold Bloom, Leslie Fiedler, J.D. Salinger, M.H. Abrams, the Nobel Prize committee, Russell Banks, all those writers influenced by him... Then again, John Irving hates him, and Nabokov hated most of his stuff, so who knows? But if modern readers were to reject past writers because of their personal views, we'd have to throw away Dante (who advocated the persecution of the Cathars), Shakespeare (who may have been anti-Semitic), Celine (who WAS anti-Semitic), Hamsun (who was a Nazi sympathizer), and probably too many others to name.

[Smirnoff]

Originally Posted by childeroland

Eh, a lot of people seem to not have a handle on literature then -- Harold Bloom, Leslie Fiedler, J.D. Salinger, M.H. Abrams, the Nobel Prize committee, Russell Banks, all those writers influenced by him... Then again, John Irving hates him, and Nabokov hated most of his stuff, so who knows? But if modern readers were to reject past writers because of their personal views, we'd have to throw away Dante (who advocated the persecution of the Cathars), Shakespeare (who may have been anti-Semitic), Celine (who WAS anti-Semitic), Hamsun (who was a Nazi sympathizer), and probably too many others to name.

No, I was being overly harsh and dramatic because of the way that guy responded. There's things he does well, stuff he does as good as anybody, so I can see him being an influence. Overall though, all the aspects of his writing do not come together as to call him a "good writer". But yeah, way more than you just said man, lot's of the greatest writers, I'd say at least half were anti-semitic or misogynistic