RexLegendi reviewed The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Endless days in Paris and Pamplona
3 stars
There is a particular charm to Ernest Hemingway’s debut novel, The Sun Also Rises. Of course, ‘we will always have Paris,’ as Humphrey Bogart said, but it’s not just because the characters live and feast near Jardin du Luxembourg and Montparnasse. (Yes, Jake, we were practically neighbours there, though I do not understand how you managed to afford La Closerie des Lilas without a proper salary. Did the place change that much?) Just as a party can be captivating when you lose track of time, this novel draws you in as it meanders through the day-to-day lives of five seemingly carefree American expats, who stroll from one bar to the next. Their activities and discussions hold no particular significance, merely unfolding against the backdrop of interwar Paris and the San Fermín festival in Pamplona.
What struck me most was the filmic atmosphere of the novel, as if …
There is a particular charm to Ernest Hemingway’s debut novel, The Sun Also Rises. Of course, ‘we will always have Paris,’ as Humphrey Bogart said, but it’s not just because the characters live and feast near Jardin du Luxembourg and Montparnasse. (Yes, Jake, we were practically neighbours there, though I do not understand how you managed to afford La Closerie des Lilas without a proper salary. Did the place change that much?) Just as a party can be captivating when you lose track of time, this novel draws you in as it meanders through the day-to-day lives of five seemingly carefree American expats, who stroll from one bar to the next. Their activities and discussions hold no particular significance, merely unfolding against the backdrop of interwar Paris and the San Fermín festival in Pamplona.
What struck me most was the filmic atmosphere of the novel, as if Federico Fellini and Woody Allen had collaborated to make a movie in the style of Casablanca or The Talented Mr. Ripley. Perhaps such associations reflect how influential Hemingway truly was. Books that came to mind were: ・ Giovanni’s Room (Americans crossing the ocean to escape conventions back home); ・ The Great Gatsby (published just a year earlier); and ・ Look Homeward, Angel (not necessarily for common ground, but because this novel ends in the United States with the onset of World War I, it felt as though Hemingway was picking up the story from the previous generation).
That said, I wouldn’t describe this as an outstanding novel. Ultimately, the lack of plot began to get on my nerves. I’m looking forward to continue my reading with The Old Man and the Sea.
“Oh, Jake,” Brett said, “we could have had such a damned good time together.” Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. He raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me. “Yes,” I said. “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”
