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For Whom the Bell Tolls
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Manufacturer: Scribner
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Publisher: Scribner
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $10.20
You Save: $ 4.80 ( 32% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Scribner
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Publisher: Scribner
Average Customer Rating:
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For Whom the Bell Tolls Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780684803357
ISBN: 0684803356
Label: Scribner
Manufacturer: Scribner
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 480
Publication Date: 1995-07-01
Publisher: Scribner
Studio: Scribner
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780684803357
ISBN: 0684803356
Label: Scribner
Manufacturer: Scribner
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 480
Publication Date: 1995-07-01
Publisher: Scribner
Studio: Scribner
Editorial Review of For Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls begins and ends in a pine-scented forest, somewhere in Spain. The year is 1937 and the Spanish Civil War is in full swing. Robert Jordan, a demolitions expert attached to the International Brigades, lies "flat on the brown, pine-needled floor of the forest, his chin on his folded arms, and high overhead the wind blew in the tops of the pine trees." The sylvan setting, however, is at sharp odds with the reason Jordan is there: he has come to blow up a bridge on behalf of the antifascist guerrilla forces. He hopes he'll be able to rely on their local leader, Pablo, to help carry out the mission, but upon meeting him, Jordan has his doubts: "I don't like that sadness, he thought. That sadness is bad. That's the sadness they get before they quit or before they betray. That is the sadness that comes before the sell-out." For Pablo, it seems, has had enough of the war. He has amassed for himself a small herd of horses and wants only to stay quietly in the hills and attract as little attention as possible. Jordan's arrival--and his mission--have seriously alarmed him.
"I am tired of being hunted. Here we are all right. Now if you blow a bridge here, we will be hunted. If they know we are here and hunt for us with planes, they will find us. If they send Moors to hunt us out, they will find us and we must go. I am tired of all this. You hear?" He turned to Robert Jordan. "What right have you, a foreigner, to come to me and tell me what I must do?"In one short chapter Hemingway lays out the blueprint for what is to come: Jordan's sense of duty versus Pablo's dangerous self-interest and weariness with the war. Complicating matters even more are two members of the guerrilla leader's small band: his "woman" Pilar, and Maria, a young woman whom Pablo rescued from a Republican prison train. Unlike her man, Pilar is still fiercely devoted to the cause and as Pablo's loyalty wanes, she becomes the moral center of the group. Soon Jordan finds himself caught between the two, even as his own resolve is tested by his growing feelings for Maria.
For Whom the Bell Tolls combines two of the author's recurring obsessions: war and personal honor. The pivotal battle scene involving El Sordo's last stand is a showcase for Hemingway's narrative powers, but the quieter, ongoing conflict within Robert Jordan as he struggles to fulfill his mission perhaps at the cost of his own life is a testament to his creator's psychological acuity. By turns brutal and compassionate, it is arguably Hemingway's most mature work and one of the best war novels of the 20th century. --Alix Wilber
Customer Reviews of For Whom the Bell Tolls
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Deserves to Be Called a Classic
Review: Robert Jordan is a young American fighting against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He is sent into the mountains to make contact with a small band of guerillas to blow a bridge in support of an offensive.
Hemingway's tremendous strength of drawing characters that the reader comes to know and care about is on full display in "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Jordan falls in love with the young woman, Maria, who is seeking refuge from a world that has robbed her of her childhood innocence. There is Pablo, the former leader who has seen the futility of the war and cannot face the day without dulling his mind with wine. There is Pilar, Pablo's mate, who longs for her youth, but has now assumed the role of leader and mother to the small group of fighters.
Robert Jordan and the reader come to know the dynamics of the group quite well. Jordan wrestles with the necessity of endangering the group of people for "the cause." This book depicts the contrast of war's brutality with the camaraderie of friends.
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is considered a classic for a reason. This is a book that has aged well and will stick with the reader for a long time.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: This Bell Tolls For Thee
Review: I do not like to give too high merit to anything, be it book, movie, CD, simply because I think the imagination can conjure up things reality cannot deliver on. But I feel a responsibilty to share my thoughts - my true impressions of the book, unbridled by any fear of corruption by doing so.
Maybe it was the John Donne quote, maybe it was the writing style, or maybe it was the incredible, moving story that made me, directly after finishing the book, put it down and think it was one of the greatest things I had ever read. Trying to say WHY would take too long and probably not make much sense to anyone else. But I suppose I owe it to readers to try.
Here is what you need to know. This is a love story, a war story, in a sense, a God story (but not what you probably are thinking). It powerfully, deeply, honestly portrays the human experience, in all its doubting, hating, loving, sorrowing fullness.
Read this book. And give it time, because it starts somewhat slow and may turn current readers, who want all action and want to be told plainly everything (they don't like to think or discover meaning for themselves!) Even if you don't like it, you won't be the worse, and at least you can say you've read one of America's best novels (that I have read).
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: dionesian at its best
Review: this book is a drunkolgue. of course, it's very well written. the style, is a style of a superb journalist. but the characters' alcoholism is piercing. the choices they make are hardly romantic, rather they are tragic. the emptiness of the spirit hidden behind the spirit of alcohol pierces through. how so many mice and men have fashioned their lives after this novel puzzles me.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Inspirational despite some flaws
Review: Hemingway is a master storyteller, and For Whom The Bell Tolls is a fine example of that mastery. The strengths lie in character development, and thematic presentation. The weaknesses lie in it's style, and language. For example, the use of what passes for colloquial Spanish, particularly in it's profane form, seems artificial and clumsy. I also think elements of the plot tend to weaken or dilute the overall effect of the climax, like when Pilar reads Jordan's palm to tell his future, thus foreshadowing events to come.
That being said, this is a very inspirational book, and Hemingway has a knack for grabbing the reader's attention, and keeping it. He is especially good in his short fiction, and an excellent example of that can be found within this novel, when Pilar tells the tale of her village.
It is perhaps, the single most riveting and effective part of the novel.
For Whom The Bell Tolls is of course one of the great novels to deal with sacrifice for righteous causes, and devotion to higher ideals. It reminds me, in a way, of a Tale of two Cities, in that respect. It is a great noble work, and an indictment of war. There is also a great personal love story here. Hemingway writes (maybe intentionally) very cinematic novels.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Sorry, but not so great
Review: On the back cover of this paperback it's noted that Hemingway is known for his "terse" sentences. Did the person writing this "blurb" read the book? Probably not. In parts of this novel the author writes as if possessed by James Joyce, in a stream of consciousness style with long sentences. That's OK, or would be, if they added to the novel but, sorry, they don't. The author is also repetitive, repeating the same point over and over in some cases. But there is no reason in terms of the plot in writing the same point over and over in this book except to (in my opinion) stretch this novella out into almost 500 pages. The first couple and the last couple of chapters are essentially where the action is. One has to ask why this story is so revered and I think the answer is because the author was so admired. The press especially hero-worshiped Hemingway and perhaps this explains the too-much praise for this work. Still, not a bad book and when it's good, it's very good.
Review Summary: Deserves to Be Called a Classic
Review: Robert Jordan is a young American fighting against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He is sent into the mountains to make contact with a small band of guerillas to blow a bridge in support of an offensive.
Hemingway's tremendous strength of drawing characters that the reader comes to know and care about is on full display in "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Jordan falls in love with the young woman, Maria, who is seeking refuge from a world that has robbed her of her childhood innocence. There is Pablo, the former leader who has seen the futility of the war and cannot face the day without dulling his mind with wine. There is Pilar, Pablo's mate, who longs for her youth, but has now assumed the role of leader and mother to the small group of fighters.
Robert Jordan and the reader come to know the dynamics of the group quite well. Jordan wrestles with the necessity of endangering the group of people for "the cause." This book depicts the contrast of war's brutality with the camaraderie of friends.
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is considered a classic for a reason. This is a book that has aged well and will stick with the reader for a long time.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: This Bell Tolls For Thee
Review: I do not like to give too high merit to anything, be it book, movie, CD, simply because I think the imagination can conjure up things reality cannot deliver on. But I feel a responsibilty to share my thoughts - my true impressions of the book, unbridled by any fear of corruption by doing so.
Maybe it was the John Donne quote, maybe it was the writing style, or maybe it was the incredible, moving story that made me, directly after finishing the book, put it down and think it was one of the greatest things I had ever read. Trying to say WHY would take too long and probably not make much sense to anyone else. But I suppose I owe it to readers to try.
Here is what you need to know. This is a love story, a war story, in a sense, a God story (but not what you probably are thinking). It powerfully, deeply, honestly portrays the human experience, in all its doubting, hating, loving, sorrowing fullness.
Read this book. And give it time, because it starts somewhat slow and may turn current readers, who want all action and want to be told plainly everything (they don't like to think or discover meaning for themselves!) Even if you don't like it, you won't be the worse, and at least you can say you've read one of America's best novels (that I have read).
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: dionesian at its best
Review: this book is a drunkolgue. of course, it's very well written. the style, is a style of a superb journalist. but the characters' alcoholism is piercing. the choices they make are hardly romantic, rather they are tragic. the emptiness of the spirit hidden behind the spirit of alcohol pierces through. how so many mice and men have fashioned their lives after this novel puzzles me.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Inspirational despite some flaws
Review: Hemingway is a master storyteller, and For Whom The Bell Tolls is a fine example of that mastery. The strengths lie in character development, and thematic presentation. The weaknesses lie in it's style, and language. For example, the use of what passes for colloquial Spanish, particularly in it's profane form, seems artificial and clumsy. I also think elements of the plot tend to weaken or dilute the overall effect of the climax, like when Pilar reads Jordan's palm to tell his future, thus foreshadowing events to come.
That being said, this is a very inspirational book, and Hemingway has a knack for grabbing the reader's attention, and keeping it. He is especially good in his short fiction, and an excellent example of that can be found within this novel, when Pilar tells the tale of her village.
It is perhaps, the single most riveting and effective part of the novel.
For Whom The Bell Tolls is of course one of the great novels to deal with sacrifice for righteous causes, and devotion to higher ideals. It reminds me, in a way, of a Tale of two Cities, in that respect. It is a great noble work, and an indictment of war. There is also a great personal love story here. Hemingway writes (maybe intentionally) very cinematic novels.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Sorry, but not so great
Review: On the back cover of this paperback it's noted that Hemingway is known for his "terse" sentences. Did the person writing this "blurb" read the book? Probably not. In parts of this novel the author writes as if possessed by James Joyce, in a stream of consciousness style with long sentences. That's OK, or would be, if they added to the novel but, sorry, they don't. The author is also repetitive, repeating the same point over and over in some cases. But there is no reason in terms of the plot in writing the same point over and over in this book except to (in my opinion) stretch this novella out into almost 500 pages. The first couple and the last couple of chapters are essentially where the action is. One has to ask why this story is so revered and I think the answer is because the author was so admired. The press especially hero-worshiped Hemingway and perhaps this explains the too-much praise for this work. Still, not a bad book and when it's good, it's very good.