For Whom the Bell Tolls
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Product Description
Review
"'The best book Hemingway has written' New York Times"
--This text refers to the
Mass Market Paperback
edition.
Book Description
Hemingway's finest novel is a passionate evocation of the pride and the tragedy of the Civil War that tore Spain apart
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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First Sentence
In his earlier years Hemingway relished the nickname "Champ," which exemplified his roistering, hard-fisted outdoor life of adventure. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
In his earlier years Hemingway relished the nickname "Champ," which exemplified his roistering, hard-fisted outdoor life of adventure. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
72 of 74 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.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
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.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an entertaining book that has everything: military action, history/politics, memorable characters, a love story and a suspenseful plot. The characters are very true-to-life and it paints a vivid picture of what life was like for combatants in the Spanish Civil War. The love story is also extremely well done and moving. What makes it a classic, however, is the way it so effectively explores a number of profound themes including the futility of war and the significance of duty, honour, love and death. The writing style is also very interesting. The dialogue is provided in literal translations from Spanish, with Spanish sentence structures and formal words like "thou" to reflect the formal and informal usages in the Spanish language. This makes the dialogue feel very authentic, as if the characters were actually speaking Spanish. Hemingway is known for writing with simple language, but the description of the scenery and military action was very vivid. On the negative side, the first half of the book is quite slow. But the story really picks up at about the half-way point. Overall, this is a true classic that should not be missed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Some great scenes, but dialogue lets it down
This is the second Hemingway novel that I started, but I never finished the first, finding the dialogue too disjointed and irritating. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Clare Topping
Obviously a classic but not a favourite for me
This story weaves a growing comradeship amongst a mixed band with a love story for the lead, Robert Jordan, against a backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. J. PITT
Brilliant account of Spanish Civil War
Just finished listening to the unabridged version of 'For whom the bell tolls'. Enjoyed the book thoroughly. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Barry
For whom the Bell Tolls
Book was received promptly in the 'excellent' condition as promised. Will use the particular supplier again. Read more
Published 4 months ago by henbran
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
A brilliant book set over a few days on the side of a Spanish mountain during the Spanish Civil War.....strongly recommended!
Published 5 months ago by Peter Stanway
Obsession & Oblivion
In the late 1930s author Ernest Hemingway was a war correspondent in Spain during the Civil War, and his `For Whom The Bell Tolls' is a fictional story covering just a few hectic... Read more
Published 7 months ago by D. Elliott
war and its ugliness
I ordered an old edition of the book and as soon as arrived I found myself in the presence of a great masterpiece. Read more
Published 9 months ago by S. MOHAMADI
Easier To Read Than Its Title Implies
This was an excellent novel. I had read the old man and the sea and I really wanted to get my teeth into a substantial piece of Hemmingway. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Harry the book monkey
To save you reading this book: the fascist's won
I don't often give up on books but this one beat me into submission. A young American joins the republican rebels during the Spanish Civil War. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Caterkiller
Great Classic.
For Whom The Bell Tolls is a great story about a group of partisans hiding out in the mountains waiting to blow up a bridge during the spanish civil war. Read more
Published 11 months ago by movie maniac
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