The Sun Also Rises Review

The Sun Also Rises

Author: Ernest Hemingway

Average Rating: 3.82/5.0

Personal Rating: 4.0/5.0

Page Count: 251

Finished Reading: February 

Published: 2006

According to Goodreads: 

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 bullfighting 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.

My opinion:

I am trying to integrate more classics into my reading schedule, because the classics make up the foundation that the books we love today are built upon. Yes, I know some classics are not the most exciting of things to read compared to the Divergent trilogy, but classics hold so much hidden meaning it's mind-blowing at times. I love those types of books where they make you work a bit to realize the meaning of the title or the meaning of a symbol. 

If you have not read any Hemingway before let me just tell you that he isn't an action packed writer. He focuses on more of the straightforward details whether than all the other frivolous detailing. There's quite a bit of dialogue in The Sun Also Rises, but it's right to the point. The pacing of the story did pick up when the dialogue spanned several pages, otherwise the pacing was pretty slow. 

My favorite part of the whole novel was when the bullfights began. Hemingway clearly had a passion for bullfighting or did his research, because Jake's, the narrator, passion had me all excited for the bullfights. Hemingway included terminology for the bullfights, and described the energy and festivities the fans created. The reader finally sees Jake come alive when he and his friends arrive at the bullfights. Before, the readers watched Jake mindlessly go from bar to bar wasting money and making small talk with those he considered friends. The bullfights brought out a passion of Jake's, and made him more relax now that he was not in the repetitious schedule of his daily life back at home. 

I would recommend The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway simply due to the fact that it is a classic. I think we all get boggled down with the new releases and books of today that we forget about those who set the foundation. Classics make you think a little bit harder due to hidden meanings interlaced throughout, but the satisfaction upon completing a classic is amazing.