Sign in with Facebook
Amanda's Reviews > The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises
by
by
Amanda's review
bookshelves: kick-ass, blog
Jun 06, 2008
bookshelves: kick-ass, blog
Read 6 times. Last read November 2, 2024 to January 15, 2025.
This may be my favorite book of all time. At any rate, it's definitely on the top ten list and by far my favorite Hemingway (and I do love some Hemingway). The first time I read this, I loved Lady Brett Ashley. Is she a bitch? Sure, but I don't think she ever intentionally sets out to hurt anyone. And it might be argued that she has reason to be one: her first true love dies in the war from dysentery (not exactly the most noble of deaths) and she's physically threatened by Lord Ashley, forced to sleep on the floor beside him and his loaded gun (and let's clarify that,no, that's not a euphemism, just in case you're a perv). Then we have the one man who might make her happy, Jake Barnes. Poor, poor Jake, who doesn't have a gun, let alone a loaded one (yup, that's a euphemism--snicker away). I think Brett is one of the most tragic figures in American literature. Disillusioned by the war and how it irrevocably changed her life, she tries to fill the void with alcohol and sex--and destroys herself in the process.
However, upon rereading the novel, I realized how eclipsed Jake had been by Brett during my first reading. I also realized how I had misinterpreted him during my first reading. I thought Jake was as lost as the rest of the "Lost Generation," but I now believe that he is the only one who is not lost (with the exception of Bill Gorton, whose line "The road to hell paved with unbought stuffed dogs" may be my favorite in the book). If there's anyone with reason to give up on life, it's Jake. Does he pine for Brett? Yes. Does he come to hate Cohn for his affair with Brett? Affirmative. Does he get over Brett and realize that, even if properly equipped for a sexual relationship, a relationship with her would end as tragically as all of her other conquests? Abso-damn-lutely. After all, Brett is Circe, according to Cohn, and anyone lured into her bed will lose their manhood. The success of the relationship between Brett and Jake hinges on the fact that Jake literally has nothing to lose in this respect.
Cross posted at
However, upon rereading the novel, I realized how eclipsed Jake had been by Brett during my first reading. I also realized how I had misinterpreted him during my first reading. I thought Jake was as lost as the rest of the "Lost Generation," but I now believe that he is the only one who is not lost (with the exception of Bill Gorton, whose line "The road to hell paved with unbought stuffed dogs" may be my favorite in the book). If there's anyone with reason to give up on life, it's Jake. Does he pine for Brett? Yes. Does he come to hate Cohn for his affair with Brett? Affirmative. Does he get over Brett and realize that, even if properly equipped for a sexual relationship, a relationship with her would end as tragically as all of her other conquests? Abso-damn-lutely. After all, Brett is Circe, according to Cohn, and anyone lured into her bed will lose their manhood. The success of the relationship between Brett and Jake hinges on the fact that Jake literally has nothing to lose in this respect.
Cross posted at
Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read
The Sun Also Rises.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Comments Showing 1-17 of 17 (17 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
TK421
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Apr 19, 2011 02:20PM
I loved this book so much that I named my dog Brett.
reply
|
flag
Gavin wrote: "I loved this book so much that I named my dog Brett."LOL--If I had a daughter, I would give serious consideration to naming her Brett. However, then I would have to worry about her turning out to be a drunken whore. Naming a dog after her is probably a safer bet.
This is one of those books that I re-read every year and it gets better every time I read it.
Well with that kind of endorsement I'm putting this straight onto my to read list.
Stephanie wrote: "Well with that kind of endorsement I'm putting this straight onto my to read list."Clearly, we share the same refined taste in literature.
Great review. Love that quote too about the road to hell. Hemingway is my all time favorite writer and I don't think he ever wrote a female character as good as Brett. I still have a literary crush on her.
Anthony wrote: "Great review. Love that quote too about the road to hell. Hemingway is my all time favorite writer and I don't think he ever wrote a female character as good as Brett. I still have a literary crush..."Thanks! I just get ridiculously excited every year when I get to teach this book. Brett is such a unique and complex character that I come away with a slightly different view of her every time.
I would like to request that you lead a GR read of it at the same time you do it with your class. Wouldn't it be interesting to compare reactions?
Carol wrote: "I would like to request that you lead a GR read of it at the same time you do it with your class. Wouldn't it be interesting to compare reactions?"And hopefully a few of you would like it. I think they were ready to sharpen their pitchforks and storm the castle by the time we finished it--I narrowly escaped intact. "Hate" isn't a strong enough word to capture their response.
I'm glad I read your review after finishing The Sun Also Rises and hope it prompts me to read it again to get more depth out of it. I guess I didn't really soak up its underlying stories and got caught up in the small talk and surface character study.
Keith wrote: "I'm glad I read your review after finishing The Sun Also Rises and hope it prompts me to read it again to get more depth out of it. I guess I didn't really soak up its underlying stories and got ca..."I'm glad you enjoyed the review. There's so much internal action and seemingly mundane detail that it's easy to think it's a book about nothing--in fact, that's what I thought the first time. With every re-reading, though, I get so much more out of it. If you ever get a chance to read Carlos Baker's essay The Wastelanders, it really explains the depth of meaning behind every conversation and every relationship.
It's a shame you and Hemingway didn't collaborate during the initial edition of this book. It would make a FANTASTIC play. Hemingway laying out his characters...and you trying to decide whether to use the character to name your child or your dog. You slapping Hemingway for his loaded gun reference...then you snickering about your loaded gun reference. Thanks for the chuckle regarding a Hemingway review! LOL
Margitte wrote: "Loved your review!"Thanks! This book is one of my "top shelf" favorites.
I too, re-read the book after many years and as I have read some of the reviews on here, have been so disappointed because so many don't seem to have understood it. I, too, loved your review and after so many reviews that missed the point, yours hits it right on the head.
Wonderful review. This is one of my favorite all time novels. True mastery.
This is a great review! I very much enjoyed analyzing the methods each character coped with issues in their lives so reading your take on Brett's way of coping was very interesting to me.
Very nice job. In general, I agree about the ending and his realization that he would never have been happy with Brett, but I don't feel he actually stops loving her.
