I had my issues with the novel, one of the major ones being the dialogue. I understand his intentions of going with literal translations but it came off as terribly awkward because no one speaks like that (in English)! It’s even more annoying knowing the proper Spanish and English translations. Not to mention when the characters translate their own Spanish phrases? Come on!

Then there’s the odd way Hemingway writes about intimate relationships. I kept on reminding myself about the times he lived in, certainly Spanish culture to partly explain why Maria was such a biddable “rabbit” etc. but it bugged me. I don’t think any of Lorca’s heroines (for example) were quite so earnestly servile. (But I haven’t read his plays in a while, maybe I’m wrong…)

Still, there aren’t many other writers I’ve read who can match Hemingway’s descriptive prose. Also, the internal dialogue of the characters really suckered me in. By the end of the novel I was bawling. So I guess it’s worth consuming. :P

what does one say about hemingway except, “you must read it for yourself”. I am on the side of a mountain in spain with some very real characters.

This is my favorite book of all time. I’ve read all of Hemingway’s fiction and, imo, this is the best one.