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Laysee's Reviews > In Our Time
In Our Time
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In Our Time is a collection of eighteen vignettes, presented as chapters, about the years prior to, during, and after the first world war.
Each story is very brief with hardly any context that will allow the reader to get at its intent. These are unhappy vignettes about folks fleeing the war, cabinet ministers being shot against a hospital wall, drunk soldiers trudging to the war front in the dark, a soldier shot in the spine, waiting for an ambulance amongst the dead, another soldier praying for deliverance from death, a hanging, and a failed romance. There are also five gory stories about matadors slaying bulls or being gored to death.
I cannot say I appreciated any of these stories. They are conveyed in a sparse and nonchalant fashion. There is subtle humor in grim situations. I detected a note of elation in ‘potting� one’s enemies.
I read the edition published in 1924 which apparently contains only vignettes between major stories.
Two stars. More a function of my inability to relate to these vignettes than Hemingway’s skills.
Each story is very brief with hardly any context that will allow the reader to get at its intent. These are unhappy vignettes about folks fleeing the war, cabinet ministers being shot against a hospital wall, drunk soldiers trudging to the war front in the dark, a soldier shot in the spine, waiting for an ambulance amongst the dead, another soldier praying for deliverance from death, a hanging, and a failed romance. There are also five gory stories about matadors slaying bulls or being gored to death.
I cannot say I appreciated any of these stories. They are conveyed in a sparse and nonchalant fashion. There is subtle humor in grim situations. I detected a note of elation in ‘potting� one’s enemies.
I read the edition published in 1924 which apparently contains only vignettes between major stories.
Two stars. More a function of my inability to relate to these vignettes than Hemingway’s skills.
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October 26, 2022
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October 26, 2022
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October 26, 2022
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Howard
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Oct 26, 2022 07:11AM
I'm not surprised you couldn't relate to these stories, Laysee, but I think you are far from being the only reader that feels that way. The book has been rated by over 22,000 GR readers and has received a lackluster 3.76 rating.
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I remember reading one of his stories about matadors slaying bulls. I can easily see why you were not able to relate to such tales.But I plan to read some of Hemingway’s short stories to see if in some cases brevity and the lack of context may be a strong point.
Thanks for the review, Laysee!
These don’t sound very relatable at all, Laysee. Kudos to you for sticking it out and finishing.
Howard wrote: "I'm not surprised you couldn't relate to these stories, Laysee, but I think you are far from being the only reader that feels that way. The book has been rated by over 22,000 GR readers and has received a lackluster 3.76 rating."This is comforting to know, Howard. These stories are at least a hundred years old and captured a different world. I need to read his later work for sure. Thank you for your helpful comment.
Nika wrote: "I remember reading one of his stories about matadors slaying bulls. I can easily see why you were not able to relate to such tales.But I plan to read some of Hemingway’s short stories to see if in some cases brevity and the lack of context may be a strong point.
Thanks for the review, Laysee!"
Thank you, Nika. That sounds like a wise plan and one I should follow, too.
Lori wrote: "These don’t sound very relatable at all, Laysee. Kudos to you for sticking it out and finishing."Thank you, Lori. These vignettes are extremely short, most of them no more than a page, so I did no spend too much time on them. I am aware this is a very early work and I have not read his best.
I'm going to consider your review as a warning to steer clear of these, Laysee! Sometimes Hemingway works for me and sometimes he does not.
Candi wrote: "I'm going to consider your review as a warning to steer clear of these, Laysee! Sometimes Hemingway works for me and sometimes he does not."I'm glad to be of some help, Candi. Yet, GR friends whose reviews I trust have given him at least four stars. But I think most of them read another edition, which had more substantial stories.
Thanks for the thorough review, as I have this on my shelf. I will definitely be skipping the bull stories!💜
Laysee, at least it was a quick read and now you can pick something nice. ;D
Dona wrote: "Thanks for the thorough review, as I have this on my shelf. I will definitely be skipping the bull stories!💜"My pleasure, Dona. Good idea to skip the bull stories.
Pedro wrote: "Laysee, at least it was a quick read and now you can pick something nice. ;D"Yes, indeed. Thank you, Pedro. I'm thankful this was a quick read.
What a shame Laysee! Great review though :))
Mark wrote: "What a shame Laysee! Great review though :))"Thank you, Mark. Yes, I was quite disappointed with this collection of vignettes.
Laysee, this sounds like a very disappointing read, which is a shame. My brother is a big fan of Hemingway, so I am wondering if he's ever read this collection. On to better reads!
It's almost as if Hemingway had only intended these to be a part of a journal, but they were later cobbled together by the publisher to create an anthology.Onwards and upwards, Laysee.
Cheri wrote: "Laysee, this sounds like a very disappointing read, which is a shame. My brother is a big fan of Hemingway, so I am wondering if he's ever read this collection. On to better reads!"Thank you, Cheri. I wish I read a different edition. My experience may be a bit different then. I wonder if your brother read it and what he thought of it.
Kevin wrote: "It's almost as if Hemingway had only intended these to be a part of a journal, but they were later cobbled together by the publisher to create an anthology.Onwards and upwards, Laysee."
It sure seemed that way, Kevin. Thanks for stopping by. The publishers did not do Hemingway justice.
I believe I have read most of these stories individually. I really hate the ones that are about bull fighting. I never could fathom his fascination with it. I have both loved and hated Hemingway's work--sounds like this one would fall soundly into the later group.
I have never been a Hemingway fan, I don't like his clipped style. He doesn't seem to like his characters either. So I get your rating completely.
Sara wrote: "I believe I have read most of these stories individually. I really hate the ones that are about bull fighting. I never could fathom his fascination with it. I have both loved and hated Hemingway's work--sounds like this one would fall soundly into the later group."The bull fighting stories are loathsome. We shall never know Hemingway's fascination with them. Don't bother with these stories, Sara.
Diane wrote: "I have never been a Hemingway fan, I don't like his clipped style. He doesn't seem to like his characters either. So I get your rating completely."Thanks, Diane. I do not quite take to his writing style as well although these stories are not his best.
Thank you for the warning. I don't think I could relate to these either, Laysee. On to books that are a better fit! :-)
Kimber wrote: "Thank you for the warning. I don't think I could relate to these either, Laysee. On to books that are a better fit! :-)"Hi Kimber, you're welcome. I doubt most readers here will find these stories palatable.
Hemingway actually became disgusted by the inhumanity of it which he clearly uses as allegory to reflect the cruel realities of life and “man’s inhumanity to man�
Hmm, I wonder if you read a different edition than I did? Sorry that this collection didn't speak to you, Laysee! Onward and upward. :)Thankfully the bullfighting were just small vignettes that are easily jumped over, and the main stories are much more powerful and relatable.
Robin wrote: "Hmm, I wonder if you read a different edition than I did? Sorry that this collection didn't speak to you, Laysee! Onward and upward. :)Thankfully the bullfighting were were just small vignettes that are easily jumped over, and the main stories are much more powerful and relatable."
So good to hear from you, Robin. Thank you for stopping by. Yes, I believe I read a different edition. Perhaps, that is why I did not recall these vignettes when I read your review that mentioned how relatable the stories were even in our present day.
