This is my second Hemingway book. I was hooked after reading his The Old Man and the Sea. The book itself is fairly straightforward and describes the events surrounding Jake and Brett. Jake is a writer and Brett is a lady with a title.
The story starts off in France. There is a lot of eating, drinking and partying among the American expat community. Then they go to Spain for the bullfights and the event where bulls run through the streets chasing people. There is even more drinking.
Reading this book makes you want to drink all the cocktails Hemingway describes. Pernod and absinthe come up many times. It makes you want to do fishing, bullfighting and everything Hemingway describes. He is convincing and detailed. This book consumed me.
Overall this is a fun book to read. Never a dull moment. It felt like reading The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J. D. Salinger. There is always something going on and there are a lot of conversations.
I recommend this book for its easy pace, simple language and a vivid description of places and events.
November 2017