A Farewell to Arms - Finished!

Just finished reading A Farewell to Arms and I am so unbelievably sad. I did not have any clue that Catherine was going to die. I am not happy about it. Mr. Henry and her were so happy and their life together was so romantic.

A part of the book that I loved is when Mr Henry was playing billiards with the old man, Count Greffi, and they were discussing the issue of wisdom. Count Greffi said, "That is the great fallacy; the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful". This really made me think.

It seems like all of the great loves that I've been reading about end in tragedy. I am super excited to finally read a love story in which the couple gets to live happily ever after.

It seems like in order for that to happen, I'm going to go to a whole other set of classics that include Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Thank goodness for Disney!

I love the way that Hemingway writes and I am thrilled that there are three other Hemingway books on the list!

A Farewell to Arms - Book 1 and 2

I am completely obsessed with this book! I have not been able to put it down ever since I started reading. I can even feel myself reading slower now because I don't want the love between the Lieutenant and Miss. Barkley to end. Even the first chapter had me hooked with Hemingway's beautiful and descriptive way of writing. It is almost like reading poetry.

I'm really surprised that I have enjoyed this book so much because I usually hate most stories that have anything to do with war times. However, I love that the war brought these together and yet at the same time is an obstacle for their love to continue. The intense way that she describes how much she loves him reminds me of the love affair between Heathcliff and Catherine in Wuthering Heights. I just am addicted to that passionate can't-live-without-you love. Even though the book was set back in the first world war, I can relate to their relationship and the way they sneak around to hide it.

As of now Catherine is pregnant and I'm a little worried about her drinking alcohol. I guess they didn't know any better then, but still I am concerned for her baby.

Now he is of to the front and my heart aches for Catherine. She must be so lonely and I hope there is a way that she and their baby can join him shortly.

This book is also making me want to go to Italy so badly. Every time he mentions a new town I am Googling it and then checking out hotels. Most places look gorgeous but I am always slightly disappointed that the actual photos don't measure up the Hemingway's descriptions.

I know I'm not writing my thoughts as thoroughly as I did with my first few books, but I find that I get so swept away that I forget to write my little sticky notes. Afterwards all I remember is how I felt while I was reading. I'll try for the next parts to write my notes but at the same time I'm not going to be severe about it because the whole idea of this project was to enjoy myself!

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Next in my project is A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. I chose this one because the guy that owns the used book shop where I buy all of my books said that this one doesn't come along very often. All I know about this book is that it is a war novel. I've never read one like this but I do know that I am not a fan of war movies. Hopefully this is different. Here's the summary:

The best American novel to emerge out of World War 1, A Farewell to Arms is the unforgettable story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his love for a beautiful English nurse. Hemingway's frank portrayal of the love between Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley. caught in the inexorable sweep of war, glows with an intensity unrivaled in modern literature, while his description of the German attack of Caporetto - of lines of tired men marching in the rain, hungry, weary, and demoralized - bears comparison to Stendhal's depiction of the retreat from Waterloo. A story of love and pain, of loyalty and desertion, of serene beauty amidst a world of chaos, A Farewell to Arms represents a new romanticism for Hemingway. Richer in language, more subtle in expression, and emotionally astute, it also symbolizes Hemingway's farewell, as Malcolm Cowley remarked, to an attitude, a time, and a literary method.

I'm excited about this one because reading an Ernest Hemingway sounds very smart.