Review: The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
Synopsis: I don’t even know… A bunch of guys and a woman travel to Spain to get drunk a lot and watch some bull fights?
Sensitivity Warning: Derogatory, racist, homophobic, and anti- semitic language; animal cruelty.
Rating: R- Language
Ok… I’m just going to say it. I DID NOT like this book. It honestly would have been a “Did Not Finish”, but I kept listening hoping I would be able to figure out just what in the world the point of this book was! (Spoiler alert: If you couldn’t tell from my synopsis, I never did figure it out!)
I have absolutely no idea why this book is considered a classic novel, OR why (according to GoodReads) THIS book “helped to establish Heminway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century”, let alone how it is considered one of his masterpieces. I’m not sure I have ever read a more pointless book.
NONE of the characters were likeable, and frankly, I struggled to even follow how they all knew each other. The language was abhorrent (which, I understand, written in the 1920s, is somewhat to be expected, but still… ick…) to the point where it made me sick to my stomach. I also didn’t realize it was going to be SO much about bull fighting (Had I know, the bull fighting and the language alone probably would have been enough to prevent me from reading it). Not to mention, a lot of the dialogue is very repetitive.
Part of me wonders why people loved this book so much when it was first released. What was it about it that they enjoyed? Did they relate to it in some way? What is it that has made this book “stand the test of time”, because from where I stand, the world would not be worse off had this book never been written.
Needless to say, this is not a book I would recommend. I honestly cannot remember the last time I so thoroughly disliked a book. It is incredibly rare that I come across a book that just has no redeeming qualities for me, but this is definitely one.