Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsThe Perfect Novel
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2018
Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" is one of the books I have re-read the most throughout my life, along with Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and "Under Western Eyes" and Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." In many ways, it is to me, as 'perfect' as any novel I have ever read. Its structure is flawless, the characters unforgettable, and the writing is bold and terse, hard and yielding all at the same time. I never fail to learn something new each time I read this wonderful work of art. If I was to teach a class on how to write a novel, this would be the book I would assign to my class.
The Hemingway Library Edition of "A Farewell to Arms" I received as a gift also came with an Appendix that included the thirty-nine other endings Hemingway considered for the novel. Many are quite telling and a two were used in the serialized versions that appeared in Scribner magazines before the actual publication of the book. I simply love this book.
