High in the pine forests of the Spanish Sierra, a guerrilla band prepares to blow up a vital bridge. Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer, has been sent to handle the dyamiting. There, in the mountains, he finds the dangers and the intense comradeship of war. And there he discovers Maria, a young woman who has escaped from Franco's rebels. Like many of his novels adapted into a major Hollywood film, For Whom the bell Tolls is one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century by one of the greatest American writers. (19980421)
For Whom the Bell Tolls
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"One of the greatest novels which our troubled age will produce" (Observer )
"The best fictional report on the Spanish Civil War that we possess" (Anthony Burgess )
"The best book Hemingway has written" (New York Times )
"The best fictional report on the Spanish Civil War that we possess" (Anthony Burgess )
"The best book Hemingway has written" (New York Times )
Book Description
From the Nobel Prize-winning author of A Farewell to Arms comes perhaps his finest novel, a passionate evocation of the pride and the tragedy of the Civil War that tore Spain apart. (20031208)
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90 of 92 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For Whom The Bell Tolls is a novel of incredible intensity and power. Although the prose is relatively simple (in typical Hemingway style), it belies a work of uncompromising power, which will stay in the mind long after the reader has reached it's electrifying conclusion. Here, Hemingway gives us a number of inter-woven ideas, each of which has been argued as being the central theme of the novel. On the one hand, we have a simple tale of the attempt by a group of partisans, over a four day period, to blow up a facist-held bridge. Wthin this, Hemingway also effectively develops a very moving love story between the central character, Robert Jordan, and Maria. The back-drop to all this is a thought provoking account of the brutality and tragedy of the Spanish Civil War. It is very much the combination of these three threads which make For Whom The Bell Tolls such a fine and captivating work. The characterisation is impressive throughout, and the reader cannot help but feel a gret sense of empathy and understanding for those caught up in this tale. As the novel surges to it's explosive finale, Hemingway succeeds in creating a number of very mixed emotions in the reader's mind. Indeed, these feelings are only intensified by the inevitable completion of the text. Hemingway may have had his critics, but this is a work that even his most ardent detractors cannot fail to be moved by. A relatively easy and certainly enjoyable introduction to the Hemingway style, this is a novel to be read, savoured, and returned to again and again. Be warned though, new readers might just find this to be the beginning of a lengthy and compulsive Heminway adventure. A true masterpiece.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Hemingway's magnificent novel has something for everyone: an action tale, an anti-war protest, a love story, subtle ironies, a magnificent short story within the novel, political criticism of communism and fascism, a philosophy of life, and beautiful descriptions of life that leave you gasping. You will learn a lot about yourself by considering which elements you notice most strongly. Reading For Whom the Bell Tolls is like holding up a mirror to your soul.
On the surface this is a book about 3 days and nights of war. But with the action packed into that time and extensive use of flashbacks, it becomes a tapestry of all humankind. After you start to notice the individual threads in the tapestry, be sure to step back and see the whole. For the remarkably balanced and connected artistry of the themes and directions in the story is what makes this book great.
If you are disturbed by descriptions of violence, brutality, and inhumanity, you will not enjoy this book.
Robert Jordan is an American who has joined the republican side of the Spanish civil war. In normal life, he teaches Spanish. Now, he is transformed into a demolitions expert who can blow up trains and bridges. With an offensive coming, he moves behind the fascist lines to join a guerilla group to blow a key bridge during an offensive that begins in 3 days. The rest of the story covers the action of preparing for and attacking the bridge. Along the way, you will become acquainted with the characters in the guerilla band as well as Jordan. Jordan will find himself moved in many ways to become more alive and fully connected than he has ever been before. He will experience the full range of human emotion and life within these 3 days.
If you don't know about the Spanish Civil War, you should be aware that it was the main warm-up for World War II. The fascists under Franco were supported by Hitler and Mussolini. Hitler wanted to try out his new weapons and fine-tune tactical theory before attacking the rest of Europe. Communists from around the world flocked to the republic, as did pro-democracy volunteers. The republican forces had great popular support but had little war materiel and fought a losing campaign that created great anguish in the international community.
Civil wars are one of the worst forms of human conflict. Because the people are so much alike, they tend to behave with greater savagery towards one another. With modern weapons of mass destruction, the effects can be awful beginning with the American Civil War. Hemingway does a great job of showing the essential sameness of the forces on both sides in human terms, and takes away the meaning of their causes to show the greater importance of their humanity. The book reminds me in this aspect very much of All Quiet on the Western Front, the great ant-iwar novel about trench warfare in World War I.
As is usual with Hemingway, the writing is spare, effective, and graceful. Stylists will be delighted!
Why should you read this book today? You will probably not fight in a civil war. Or will you? For in fact, humans are as divided in their competitions as ever. They just normally don't involve bloodshed. There is great glory in the conflict, but even greater potential in their cooperation. Ask yourself about where you compete now and what could be accomplished if you focused on constructive cooperation instead. Think about this concerning your family, your love, your work, your hobbies, and your volunteer activities. Like the quote above, wherever there is one of us the other is present. If you start to represent each other's interests and connect with one another, the sum of mankind is greater and so is each person. You will also love life more!
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By wally
Format:Paperback
I found For Whom the Bell Tolls brilliant and moving but also incredibly frustrating. This book is undoubtedly a classic piece of literature, the writing is Hemingway at his best and there are excellent characters who at times I really cared about.
While I can totally understand why so many people give it five star reviews and I don't want to put anyone off from reading this, for me the book was ruined when it frequently replaced historical fact with Stalinist propaganda. As someone who has a keen interest in the Spanish civil war I was annoyed that every time the beautiful writing started to draw me back into the story it would lapse back into propaganda.
This book is a story about an American volunteer fighting fascism in Spain with a small band of guerrillas who he must persuade to undertake a dangerous mission. The problem is that the background events against which this story are set are riddled with inaccuracy and bias.
Hemingway really travelled to Spain during the civil war, at a time when the small Soviet backed Communist Party was seizing control of the republican government and persecuting the other factions. Many of the lies they fabricated at the time to justify their behaviour have made their way into this novel as though they really happened. For example the anarchist and syndicalist militias who formed the majority of the republican forces in the civil war are consistently portrayed as incompetent drunks harming the war effort in this novel.
While I appreciate that the majority of readers will probably not be as interested in the Spanish Civil War background so will not have this problem, for me once I realised how distorted a portrayal of Spain this was it ruined a lot of the book. Imagine how you would feel reading a story set in World War 2 that was filled with drama, romance and expert storytelling, but was also written by someone who assumed that the Americans single-handedly fought the entire war while the incompetent or treacherous British and Russians just got in their way. If that wouldn't bother you then you will appreciate this book.
For anyone who is interested in a more accurate portrayal of the Spanish Civil War, I recommend George Orwell's amazing autobiographical account 'Homage to Catalonia' or any of Anthony Beevor's books on the subject. Probably the best fictional portrayal of the war can be found in Ken Loach's film 'Land and Freedom' which I also highly recommend.
While I can totally understand why so many people give it five star reviews and I don't want to put anyone off from reading this, for me the book was ruined when it frequently replaced historical fact with Stalinist propaganda. As someone who has a keen interest in the Spanish civil war I was annoyed that every time the beautiful writing started to draw me back into the story it would lapse back into propaganda.
This book is a story about an American volunteer fighting fascism in Spain with a small band of guerrillas who he must persuade to undertake a dangerous mission. The problem is that the background events against which this story are set are riddled with inaccuracy and bias.
Hemingway really travelled to Spain during the civil war, at a time when the small Soviet backed Communist Party was seizing control of the republican government and persecuting the other factions. Many of the lies they fabricated at the time to justify their behaviour have made their way into this novel as though they really happened. For example the anarchist and syndicalist militias who formed the majority of the republican forces in the civil war are consistently portrayed as incompetent drunks harming the war effort in this novel.
While I appreciate that the majority of readers will probably not be as interested in the Spanish Civil War background so will not have this problem, for me once I realised how distorted a portrayal of Spain this was it ruined a lot of the book. Imagine how you would feel reading a story set in World War 2 that was filled with drama, romance and expert storytelling, but was also written by someone who assumed that the Americans single-handedly fought the entire war while the incompetent or treacherous British and Russians just got in their way. If that wouldn't bother you then you will appreciate this book.
For anyone who is interested in a more accurate portrayal of the Spanish Civil War, I recommend George Orwell's amazing autobiographical account 'Homage to Catalonia' or any of Anthony Beevor's books on the subject. Probably the best fictional portrayal of the war can be found in Ken Loach's film 'Land and Freedom' which I also highly recommend.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of For Whom The Bell Tolls
Having read this book in the past I bought it for my partner who is enjoying reading it with obvious enjoyment
Published 1 day ago by Mrs. P. A. Foster
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hemingway
I really loved this book , at times I didnt how it wanted to go but really enjoyed how it was written. Read more
Published 2 months ago by diane edwards
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hemingway
A very slow read. Hemingway diverts from the main objective and rambles on and on which leads to utter boredom.
Published 2 months ago by Woody
5.0 out of 5 stars
TImeless classic
Bought this to read on holiday in the region of Spain where a lot of this took place. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Published 2 months ago by Coticbane
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reading the book of the film
I remember sneaking into see this film with my friend by persuading an adult to pretend we were with her (we were twelve!) how times have changed! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Forrester
3.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for everyone
The finest Hemingway.terrific read, characters are so well sculpted and they develop as the battle commences. Ending leaves me wanting more
Published 3 months ago by brian chard
2.0 out of 5 stars
Annoyingly slow and ponderous
I found this book to be far too slow and ponderous to be either clever or interesting. I am reminded of "The Emperor's New Clothes"; and whilst not the most learned of readers... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jonnie_V8
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true Classic
This wonderfull book should be read in the schools at secondery level. It has everthing ,history ,conflict ,a love story,and very believable characters.
Published 4 months ago by devon maid
3.0 out of 5 stars
For whom the bell tolls
I found this difficult reading in parts.... it has aged in its concept, and no longer shocks, But a good classic, if Hemingway comes under that title?
Published 4 months ago by karen oram
4.0 out of 5 stars
A classic from a great writer of his day.
Although not a lover of war books, I am drawn by Hemingway's direct writing style, that tells the story without all the pretentious flowery language that many authors like to cram... Read more
Published 5 months ago by George M Talbot
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