The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What’s interesting about this book, and Hemingway’s style, is you find yourself at first thinking, “Hmmm. Seems a bit boring and too plain.” But yet you find yourself still reading and reading, and actually quite enjoying it.
I love the Old Man in this book. I think Hemingway manages to encapsulate the way a man feels when he is lonely and desperate. I felt the angst of this man. I’m not a fan of stoicism, unlike Hemingway, but nevertheless I enjoyed the way in which he looked to represent it. I loved the ending as it wasn’t Hollywood but it was just real – it dealt with life as it is, rather than as it should be, with a tinge of hope – or rather, a tinge of looking beyond just the obvious.
Something about it hooks you (no pun intended). I actually really enjoyed it. Perhaps men enjoy this more than woman (looking at some of the reviews, that seems true). It’s not a long read, so you really can pick it up and give it a try without having to wade through it at all.