For Whom the Bell Tolls

This book took me a while to get through. Partly because it's long. Partly because of psychology (this was one of two books assigned to me that I didn't finish as an undergrad. The other was Daniel Martin by John Fowles, which I will never pick up again, because life is too short.) Anyway, this time I liked it.

Of course, at times Hemingway still is a little dull. Robert Jordan thinks himself in circles and Hemingway gives the full thought process every time. Sometimes it works and sometimes I think "OK already, I get it about the dead man" or whatever. Plus, the Spanish formality at times gets a little awkward.

Still, how can you not like this story? It's tragic and epic and personal and profound and all that kind of stuff, and some of the twists are pretty good.

There is something a little off-putting about the way Robert treats Maria, and the whole love story is a little melodramatic for my tastes ("Did the earth move for thee also?" type of stuff) but those complaints are minor. On the whole it was long but readable and enjoyable. And the last 100 pages flew by.

Hemingway is still hit and miss for me, but this was a hit. Click to buy as always