A Farewell to Arms #

Ernest Hemingway #

March 6, 2023

5/5

This was a very enjoyable book overall, and one heck of a story for sure. I haven’t read very many books about war, WW1 included, so this was definitely a great introduction.

The story itself is based upon Hemingway’s time serving as an ambulance driver working for the Italian military, where he had met a nurse he’d fallen in love with. I won’t say much more nor how his tale differs from the book itself, but keeping that in mind made the book (and the twists and turns of the story itself) more interesting.

One thing I really enjoyed about the story was the nature of the characters in terms of the wider scope of the narrative. Deaths being both tragic and meaningless at the same time often came into the foray, and mingled with useless murder. Hearing individuals discuss and debate the virtues (namely the lack thereof) of their situations gave more of a “what is it good for” flavor to the story that I, for one, appreciated.

This is definitely a great book that I would highly recommend.