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Difficult to rate this early collection from a famous American writer. The stories are over 100 years old at this point, and the rude language can be jarring to modern ears. On the other hand, writers like Hemingway were trying to capture the way that people really spoke, and is perhaps displaying authentic language from early 1900. The use of vernacular and realistic speech was a startling development in fiction at the time.

This collection includes the "famous Nick Adams" stories, but I have to say these were not among my favourites. In the last two fishing stories ("Big Two-Hearted River," parts I and II) the protagonist is named Nick, but the pieces, and some of the other Nick Adams stories, feel like sketches intended to be part of a novel that never happened. My favourite in the collection was Soldier's Home which is an early and insightful depiction of the lingering effects of trauma.

This collection, dedicated to his first wife Hadley Richardson, is even more interesting if one knows the background in terms of Hemingway's biography, the sources of his material and inspiration, and where he was when he wrote each of these pieces. For example, he was inspired by events in Europe to write about situations in the U.S.

This is an important work in terms of the development of an influential writer, but not an essential work by this writer. Therefore, rounding down to 3 stars, because I believe winning the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize should be enough for any writer.