this book made us cry...Game of Tomes ep. 1 "A Farewell To Arms" (reading vlog)

In this episode of Game of Tomes, ‪@emmiereads‬ and Carolyn read "A Farewell to Arms" and cry rainy tears...and you watch hahaha
Thanks Hemingway!
Hi friends!
Today we have the very first episode of the Game of Tomes bookclub! This month we read (what I think is) Hemingway's best book, "A Farewell to Arms"
It was quite the emotional rollercoaster, so I hope you enjoy hearing me gush about Hemingway for 36 minutes hahaha
Thank you so much for joining us and making this bookclub so special :)
Sending you my best wishes and apologies to all those who read this book...I hope you had a good cry!
See you at the end of Feb. to discuss Hemingway and Steinbeck!
Carolyn Marie :)
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Carolyn Castagna
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***About me -
I'm a freelance illustrator and writer who recently graduated from college at the Fashion Institute of Technology with my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration with a minor in English/Writing.
My greatest passion in life is combining my love of illustrating, writing, and reading!
Happy Reading :)
#booktube #reading #readingvlog #hemingway

[@melancholy0003]

“A Farewell to Arms”, though definitely not a new a fave, was really an interesting read. I personally didn’t really get into the book until the second half around Henry’s return to the front, but the biggest thing that stuck out to me was Hemingway’s expression of mundanity. Yes we are in war, yes we have war experiences and yet there is a string of the mundane human experience throughout it all. From eating cheese in a trench, to being stuck in traffic during the retreat. Even in moments where in most other novels it would have been a high stakes adventure moment is written as a straight forward human experience. This is especially prominent to me during the last third or so of the novel after Henry has deserted. When he’s out on a lake just two or three days after desertion casually fishing with the bartender; or even when he and Catherine are escaping Italy, there is more of focus on the the action of rowing the boat, and the discomfort of the weather vs the danger of being caught by Germans or military police. For me the vibe was reflected in my experience of the early pandemic. When sickness and death seemed to happening everywhere, and there I was, eating at the table, doing the dishes, looking out into the backyard at the same oak tree. So much was happening and there was mundanity when it felt as everything should have been uprooted and overthrown, yet the world kept turning.

[@maiko4130]

My ‘one true sentence’ in the book is at the end of chapter 9, when Frederic is looking at and feeling the dripping of blood on him from someone above him on the stretcher. “The drops fell very slowly, as they fall from an icicle after the sun has gone.” There are so many death in the story, but in this section, he makes the death of this unknown person in the war so vivid. The man never said anything during the scene, we don’t even get to see him. Nonetheless, his death got stuck in my brain and came along with me until the end of the story. I just love Hemingway’s writing so much. Thank you for talking about this book with such passion.

[@anitas5817]

Yes! This sentence and this scene was a gut punch.

[@maiko4130]

@@anitas5817 So happy someone else felt the same as I did! Thank you!

[@wibre8753]

I first read A Farewell to Arms 40 years ago as a teenager. I was inspired by Hemingway at the time, and it's great to see younger readers enjoying his work. Love your videos. Keep 'em coming.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That's wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoy my videos :)

[@rabello4535]

I had a very hard time getting into the book until probably about halfway through. The descriptions of the setting were wonderful, but the dialogues were somewhat painful. I did love to hear you read the passages though, your love for this book lit up the words. ❤

[@annasbooks]

just started the book and am already so enamored by the writing style! also you and Emma uploading at the exact same time, again? Made my evening!!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Yay! That's wonderful!! Yes hahaha unintentionally both time :P Have a lovely evening!

[@nandhiniselvam802]

My second Hemingway.. the first one I read was The Old Man and The Sea..and I read A Farewell to Arms because of Game of Tomes and I LOVED IT. It broke my heart, the last few pages of that book were agony and pain but profoundly beautiful. Thank you for choosing this book ❤️ I wouldn't have picked it up if not for Game of Tomes. And I also wanted to thank you for so long... Your videos have always brought so much peace to me. There's something so calm and beautiful about the way that you talk about books and it just makes my gloomy days into bright sunny ones. Thank you Carolyn. ❤️

[@readiculousreads4164]

I also read The Old Man and the Sea first! 😊

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I'm so happy to hear that!!! Yes, I completely agree :,) Thank *you* for joining us and making the bookclub extra special! Oh my goodness, you've just warmed my heart immensely

[@summitsp]

As I read this book it felt like I was reading a primary source. Hemingway wrote from his own experiences and his own time. While I do not agree with his worldview, it opens up a world I never knew. I was born 5 years after the end of WWII. Hemingway's world was within the life experience of my aunts, uncles & mother, so I am familiar with the social mores and attitudes of the time. I'm pleased to see a younger generation of women able to look beyond the dated lifestyles & attitudes to experience an earlier time. "The Sun Also Rises" has too much drinking & womanizing for my tastes ... one read is enough, thank you. I especially enjoy rereading "The Old Man & the Sea" and "A Moveable Feast", as well as his short stories. The more you know about Hemingway's life experiences, the more appreciative you can be of his writings.

[@nerd26373]

Thanks for your dedication and consistency. We hope you continue to read more amazing books.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

❤️

[@readiculousreads4164]

Every. Single. Quote. That you read are ones that I marked and loved. ❤️

[@CarolynMarieReads]

So glad you loved them too :)

[@magical.chapters]

I've read this book last year and somehow felt it difficult to connect with the characters - so I honestly couldn't get really invested in the love story (or the ending 🙈), but I still enjoyed the book overall. So I'm excited to hear your thoughts on this book later. 🥰

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That's very understandable! I can see how you could feel that way! So glad you enjoyed it overall :)

[@georgianatrutescu]

Same here, same here! 😅🙌🏽

[@xrxsux3204]

I thought I’m the only one who felt unconnected ,maybe because I read a translated version ,but of course it won’t be the last Hemingway’s book

[@adhyashetty5667]

Same here!

[@coopaloopmex]

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! Love hearing the recap videos

[@gulshatkutushova5655]

Just finished it yesterday. I as well knew exactly where it was going, so I don't know why it made me cry so hard. I think the way it ended so abruptly is so powerful. Thank you for choosing such a beautiful book for the Game of Tomes!

[@romancaesar47]

Love this book

[@user-bi1og5zt3o]

Thank you so much for showing me Hemingway in a new light. I will surely look into his other novels now. Love from Ukraine! ❤️

[@DUFMAN123]

I feel it's the sparsity of his writing technique that carries a tone of something very authoritative, compelling and essential. It's so direct that I can't help but be compelled that he's conveying a deeper truth.

[@bookstalgic]

I loved hearing your thoughts and perspectives! I finished this about a week ago and I’m still thinking about. I loved your point about the abrupt ending kind of matching the rest of the clipped writing throughout the book. I think for me, it wasn’t what happened in the end that was so shocking, it Hemingway’s decision on how he choose to end it and his ability to create that feeling of utter shock and sadness that the main character must’ve felt and passed it directly to us, the reader, by ending it the way it did! I can’t wait to do a reread of this someday ❤ loved the vlog!

[@codmobsession]

Absolutely loved this book 👌🏻

[@CarolynMarieReads]

So glad!

[@capturedbyannamarie]

This book was beautiful. I loved it. His writing is just my favorite

[@a_literarylavender]

i think the best kind of content is the one that makes you want to create. and your videos are such an inspiration! everytime i wanna go and read and discuss and think. seeing you speak about farewell at arms with such a passion makes me want to not just read it but makes me want to go and discuss it and analyse it and make videos on it AND I'VE NOT EVEN READ THE BOOK YET😅 and I'm a rubbish commenter and often i watch the videos a bit late but i just wanted to tell what a huge inspiration you have been during the years I've watched you and continue to be with every video you make❤️

[@leamiddlefort8715]

This is my first Hemingway, and I really enjoyed it. It felt like I'm drifting away with his words, and suddenly fell at the ending... Thank you for the recommendation! ❤

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I'm so glad you felt that way! Thank *you* for joining in :)

[@Tolstoy111]

It's a wonderful novel. Great discussion!

[@martinelanglois3158]

Hi ! I read this book back in 1981 or 1982. I have Scribner's 1969 edition (THE version you don't have already lol). I definitely will reread it in the coming months. Thank you for talking about classics. Enjoy the snow flakes. I will try to do the same as we are supposed to be getting a lot of them in the province of Quebec in the coming days. Ideal for reading with a cup of tea and a few candles. Have to watch Emmie's video now. Happy reading !

[@junibacken729]

Thank you for the recommendation! It was my first Hemingway and I really enjoyed reading it!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I'm so glad to hear that! :)

[@jay_poet]

I really enjoyed this book. I love Hemingway’s writing. That said, I couldn’t connect with the love story and so the ending lacked that emotional punch that others felt.

[@circleofleaves2676]

Same here. Even in the birthing scene he had the female character make it all about him.

[@simplycara]

I thought so, as well.

[@debohare674]

This was my first Hemingway. I loved it.

[@whitneys.988]

I just finished this today and I loved it! It was my first time reading Hemingway. I look forward to reading more from him! ❤️

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That’s amazing! So glad to hear you loved it :)

[@kelsijenkins3396]

With the “Italianess” of the book, the “babys” from Rinaldi, at first threw me off so much. Then my husband says, you gotta say it in an Italian mafia voice and since then its been a treat reading Rinaldi’s dialogue 😂

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Yesss hahaha I love Rinaldi and all of his "babys" !!! I love that, because I did the same thing :P

[@kimbarbeaureads]

I found it grating, I heard it in a brooklyn accent. Lol

[@happyfamily1298]

You have to listen to the audio book read by John Slattery - his Italian accent, especially with Rinaldi’s “baby,” you will get a kick out of it 😅

[@kelsijenkins3396]

@@happyfamily1298 my husband is so into audiobooks and I want him to read this now so I will definitely have him get it and then listen too :)

[@TheangelicandDemonic]

@@kelsijenkins3396 Oooh - I hope he loves it! Between Hemingway's writing and Slattery's performance, it made a book I had no desire to read so invested, and now I think I will need to reread it in conventional book form. Hope he loves it :)

[@ha_limabeanz]

ok i havent watched this yet BUT carolyn!!! i finished it two days ago and i......hated it 😭 idk i didnt feel anything for the ending (even tho i cry a lot at things like that) and thought cat was really annoying 😬 i reeeaaallly wanted to like hemingway but i couldnt 😭

[@romanat7331]

Same 😢

[@studyingpeach6691]

You either hate this book with a passion or love it to pieces there is no in between, but I don't think you are ever the same person as you were before reading it

[@kinspoe]

Same...

[@ha_limabeanz]

@@studyingpeach6691 yeah i got the jist that it was a polarising book but for me, it was a bore to get through and i literally felt like i couldnt care less about what happened, maybe it was the writing who knows

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Oh no!!! That's very understandable! Hemingway, and his stories, can be quite love it or hate it... That's okay! I wont tell Hemingway ;)

[@kinspoe]

That book finished me... but not in a good way. I never want to read Hemingway again.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Oh no 👀

[@neverbored]

Same :/

[@kimbarbeaureads]

Hahaha. I feel bad, but I'm glad I'm not the only one. I dnf'd at 50%.

[@roseboogie75]

Yes, it really challenged me. Wanted to DNF many times. Pushed through anyway because I haven’t read Hemingway in over 20 years. Thought maybe it took getting used to. Either way, going to follow along with the rest of the GOT itinerary. Still very excited.

[@melissanorrbom4734]

Yeah it was my first Hemingway and possibly last. It was sort of about war but then ended tragically and abruptly. The conversations were choppy. I guess I’m glad I read it but it was not a pleasant experience.

[@theemptyatom]

As an Anglo-Saxon/Scotch-Irish/Viking American I enjoyed it very much

[@AdrianasWonderland]

I read this book this month with you and Emmie

[@CarolynMarieReads]

So glad! :)

[@Pursuitsofmybookishheart]

The ending surprised me. I saw the foreshadowing, I annotated and highlighted so many of these bits but I did NOT anticipate how it would actually end. I left our main character feeling only emptiness. It was one of those sad moments where there is nothing to say. You just leave him with his grief. I will say that I really enjoyed this book. It was my first Hemingway However, I did not enjoy Cat's dialogue. I felt like she got left out compare to other characters. Ps : the cheese and the spaghetti was just.... chef's kiss

[@Pascua_bunch]

Absolutely love Ernest Hemingway. His book "A Moveable Feast", got me into reading. Favorite quote from the book, "People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself."

[@asteriareads]

the annotation asmr though, so lovely

[@studyingpeach6691]

Thank you for making me miserable by choosing this book, it was wonderful. I cried so much while reading it that I'm not even sure if i like it anymore. I don't think I can ever re-read it.

[@jamesduggan7200]

Yes, it's not easy to re-read, and as he developed as a novelist he learned how to insulate his great work against spoilers.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I'm so sorry hahaha I understand! :,)

[@crystalbelarde6637]

I loved it. I didn't cry surprisingly. But I did curse out loud after that last line. Even though I expected it, that ending still gutted me.

[@artemissaartstudio]

those spaghetti eating descriptions got me really craving for it, and wine and the cheese!!

[@lisengottvall]

Loved reading this with everyone! I saw that this was posted, which pushed me to read the last 130 pages and finally finish it. Can't wait to start Once There Was A War! If you want to read more Italian literature this year I'm begging you to read Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels, it's become one of my favorite series of all time and I had the best time reading them the last few months.

[@jane09644]

I completed this book 30 minutes ago and i realized yeah it finished me 🥺 I wasn't just crying over to this book i was crying over all the memories it carry and I'm still crying cuz I'll never get those moments back 💗 1st book of Ernest Hemingway probably not last 🦋🤦

[@anitas5817]

Ooh I’m not done with the book yet but I’m loving it! Will save this video until I’m done in a few days! So happy about the Game of Tomes book club ❤️

[@CarolynMarieReads]

This video is spoiler free, incase you want to watch it before you finish the book! :) Happy reading ✨

[@n1chr0me6]

Keep reading. You will hate it ;)

[@anitas5817]

@@CarolynMarieReads thank you for responding! It’s not that I’m concerned about spoilers - you said right away there wouldn’t be any. It’s just that I don’t want to hear or read anything at all about the book or anyone else’s reactions to it until after I’ve finished. I just love going into a great book with no preconceived ideas and just letting the experience unfold. I feel this way more about books I know will be great than I do about books I’m not sure about, in which case I often am interested in others’ thoughts.

[@zamnordic8278]

I love how you bring forth both your thoughts and emotions wonderfully intertwined. I haven't read the book yet, one month to deadline. On my shelf already. Thoughts that come to mind from the title A farewell to arms. Arms is a synonym for weapons, right. So first comes to mind peace, that war is at last over. But arms are also physical body members, hands. That some poor souls may have lost their arms in war and have become disabled for the rest of their lives. And thirdly, after war one may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Once a richly imaginative mind is now in utter mess. His hands rest on the typewriter, but cannot move. And quite another thing is a farewell to arms in relationships (especially verbal weapons).....

[@bobthecat-rh5dy]

Read it many many years ago! I have to reread it, because I only remember I liked it very much, but forgot most of the story.

[@subtlefire7256]

It definitely took me a little while to get into this book, but then it was so good. It will be interesting to see how Once There Was a War will compare to this.

[@rondoflicflac]

Finished this today!!!

[@kamilaramirez-ni9pl]

Im just beginning to read a farewell to arms (my first Hemingway book), and i would really love a video of what should i know before reading Hemingway, because his writing is very unique and rare and i want to trully understand it

[@paulsbookshelf8600]

Glad I read it. Struggled to buy into the romance, though. But better than I thought it would be.

[@kathy2539]

I am only at ch. 4 of this so I appreciate you not giving spoilers *though I can see I'm going to have to have some tissues ready at the end of the novel. I'm also reading other books at the moment, library books, so this is why I'm on a slow read with this. I don't dare read too many comments because I don't want spoilers. I really enjoyed this vlog Carolyn, thank you. Here's to my tissue box!!!

[@jamesduggan7200]

Yeah, you should hurry bc no one can guess when the temptation to blurt will overcome the comment section.

[@kalareadsagain]

I just finished it tonight and I am honestly so surprised by how much I loved it! I’ve never liked any Hemingway (now I feel like I need to re-read them though) and for the first few chapters, I felt like it was SO boring and annoying and then around chapter 9 or so, I just clicked in to the style of writing and found myself laughing out loud at the banter and wishing the narrator and Catherine could live happily ever after 😢 I cannot thank you guys enough for doing Game of Tomes and convincing me to give Hemingway another try because I think I’ve found a new favorite book! ❤

[@BookClubDisaster]

Bradley Cooper's character's rant on this tome in Silver Linings Playbook kind of sums it up for me.

[@hmm6411]

I thought I had my TBR set through February, but I was at my gym Sunday, where there is a bookshelf in which you can give and take books. To my eerie delight, someone dropped off a series of Hemingway books. I grabbed A Movable Feast and A Farewell to Arms. And as I walked away, I swear I could hear the universe laughing at my previous "plans." 🤣

[@warrenbertrand290]

Great video darling.

[@cynthia19g]

I read this in high school and i remember reading the end and crying my eyes out and then getting mad at Hemingway thinking “thats it! After everything thats it!” And never read another read another hemingway for fear of that kind of heart break from a book again 😅 but i have been inspired by you and am currently reading the sun also rises

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Yes, that's exactly how I felt when I first read it too! Very understandable hahaha I hope you enjoy The Sun Also Rises :)

[@jennifers4142]

I wish I loved this as much as you did but I struggled with his writing style and dialogue. That said, I started Once There Was a War and am loving it so far. Thinking I’ll be Team Steinbeck this round lol.

[@circleofleaves2676]

I struggled with the misogyny and atrocious dialogue. I'm waiting until 1st Feb to start Once There Was a War. Hopefully it's not too slow a read because my library loan of it expires on 9th Feb.

[@christopherpaul7588]

My favorite is a Moveable Feast. But I recently read A Farewell to Arms again for the first time in years and loved it. I only thought it seemed unrealistic their 8 hour boat ride escape from Italy without food or sleep, especially considering she was pregnant.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That's wonderful! You make a very good point...

[@aliceyu1804]

I really disliked how the dialogue was written in this book BUT I loved the descriptions of the setting and the ending!! It was very abrupt and came out of nowhere, but I just sat there processing it and realised it was perfect

[@lailakhoshkar126]

Have you read For Whom the Bell Tolls? It’s my favourite Hemingway, and one of my favourite books. I think you’d love it as well, but it is devastating.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Yes, but I read it a few years ago! I did love it, but I'm definitely in need of a re-read :)

[@lailakhoshkar126]

@@CarolynMarieReads I'm due for a re-read as well, but I'm scared to because of how devastating I felt it was 😅

[@YvesThePoet]

📚📚📚

[@girlfrombookland]

Finished it in first two weeks. The story’s point is amazing. The style of Hemingway is easy to access and smooth to get along. I find troubles in the story when it comes to the chemistry of Henry and Catherine. The character development was next to nothing. My favorite character was Rinaldi

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Yes, that's very true! Rinaldi is my favorite character too :)

[@jamesduggan7200]

You know, as for the ending, if you remember the film, Good Will Hunting, there's a scene in the psychologist's office where Matt Damon tries to get to Robin Williams through the doctor's painting. I think many people have seen that film.

[@Ambermarie13]

I read my first two Hemingway books this month! I started with The Sun Also Rises and was not a fan… but I much preferred A Farewell to Arms

[@jamesduggan7200]

Hmm, well, personally I prefer For Whom the Bell Tolls, but those other two are close.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Very interesting! I also love For Whom the Bell Tolls, but it's been quite a while since I first read it.

[@palomaeli5091]

My favorite was probably After Dark by Murakami. I liked FtA more than I expected tho!

[@michaelrichards669]

I picked this book up when I was 18 or 19... I am not sure if i still have it. But I think any Hemingway fan would Love it. Hemingway: A Life Without Consequences Paperback - September 21, 1993 By James R. Mellow

[@jamesduggan7200]

about St. Peter in the garden, altho always I remember how he cut off the Roman's nose, sometimes I forget that JC healed it.

[@emmyrivas7109]

i finished it yesterday. my uber to take me to the airport was 5 min away and i had ten pages left so i snapped pics of the last pages and read them on the plane. def stared out the window and cried for a long while 😂 also i wish they hadn't stuck those notes of his in the middle of the book! i definitely got spoiled flipping through them 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@libellulareading8859]

I feel like I must be made of stone because this book didn't make me feel any strong emotions...😳😳.. however I did enjoy it!!!! The characters just felt flat to me, but maybe I'm just not used to Hemingway's writing. I will say the setting was extremely interesting for me as I learned Italian as a second language and lived there, so hearing about that aspect was super interesting. Also knowing that Hemingway himself was an Italian ambulance driver did make the book seem almost a bit more autobiographical, and therefore more intriguing to me! One thing I will say though, is that his descriptions of the setting were always beautiful, truly beautiful. They really did create a picture in my mind. A lot of times I don't like a ton of description because it can get to be too much sometimes, but his descriptions were concise and enchanting!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Oh no hahaha Well, I'm very glad you still enjoyed it :) I can definitely see why you felt that way! Yes, his descriptions are one of my favorite aspects of the story!

[@libellulareading8859]

@@CarolynMarieReads Yeah I’m definitely going to read more of his work! I tried to read For Whom The Bell Tolls when I was like 12, I grabbed it off of my Grandma’s bookshelf and let’s just say it was a trying experience.. so maybe I can give that one another try 😂 I’m just excited to be given an opportunity to discuss classics with other people!! It’s so fun!!

[@CoDLover7771]

Hi, I’m new to the channel but I would love to see/hear your full spoilers included feeling on this book 🙂

[@georgianatrutescu]

I have mixed feelings about this book… I loved it until the final two chapters where I just couldn’t get over Hemingway’s misogyny… 🤐Which was shocking because I was not expecting this! Plus, I was not into their love story and I actually felt it quite dry. I believe Hemingway had a problem in understanding the true nature of love and respect. Although I loved his writing + lots of quotes, mostly the same ones that you highlighted in the video. 😊 P.S.: I am currently reading Beartown which I can’t put down! 🥲

[@circleofleaves2676]

You're not alone. The misogyny in it was dreadful. But for me I saw that from the very beginning. I didn't at all see that women were "given a voice" in this book as described in the video. In complete contrast to that I felt the women were stripped of any personality and individual agency. I finished Beartown a few days ago. It's a great book. Frederik Backman writes humanity so well.

[@georgianatrutescu]

@@circleofleaves2676 I agree!! I also didn't feel that women were "given a voice" in this book.

[@camscornerbooks]

Finally getting to watch this! So my feelings on the book are not good. I really didn't enjoy his writing style, but his repetition was my issue not his terseness. The ending did make me cry though which was really confusing because I did not care about either of the main characters. I can't wait to see if watching this gives me a different perspective. 👀

[@oak_leaf]

I wanted to join your Game if tomes but I finished A farewell to arms only today. I feel like I'm not ready to jump into Steinbeck. It's just made a great impact on me. One cannot just go away from Hemingway's story.

[@oak_leaf]

And now, when I know the ending, you read the priest's passage: If you love, you'll be happy. So sad...

[@notliketoast8074]

Hi Carolyn! Speaking of Italian authors, have you read any Elena Ferrante..?? I’m intrigued by her works but haven’t dipped my toe in yet. Love your channel 😍

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I have not, but I've been meaning to for years! I'm so glad! :)

[@tonibauer8051]

I am half way through and am finishing it up tomorrow as my truck gets fixed and I enjoy Starbucks... I love it so far, but I do have to say that as a person Hemingway wasn't a person I agree with on his life choices but I do enjoy his writing.... Then on to Steinbeck...

[@uriahking2019]

I've read Hemingway for years and love love his writing style. Carolyn is right, it's just very hard to describe at times why his writing is so powerful, but something from an undergrad Eastern Philosophy course nailed it for me. One of the tenets of Zen Buddhism is Tathātā, referring to the nature of reality free from conceptual elaborations and the subject-object distinction. (Thanks Wikipedia!). So that's why Zen haikus are supposed to be inornate articulations of pure sensory perceptions. That's the way Hemingway writes...just a raw, often spiritual, honesty.

[@dariostevens250]

Great video! If you'll ever visit Italy, I can be your personal guide in Rome

[@kelsijenkins3396]

But should i watch while still on chapter 30? Lol but it popped up while i was just searching for one of their videos for my coffee 🥴💕

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Yes! It’s spoiler free!!

[@kelsijenkins3396]

@@CarolynMarieReads good! I haven’t turned it off 😂

[@tbrooks529]

If you want Italian book recs: 1. The Children's Train by Ardone 2. The Eight Mountains by Cognetti 3. Queen of Flowers and Pearls by Ghermandi My grandmother came from a small village called Candida and my grandfather came from Sicily. Our homeland has a rich snd beautiful... and sometimes ugly .... history. Like all places.

[@chelleandpoppy6379]

I’m glad I finished my first Hemingway, but Hemingway is definitely not for me. His style feels so bare and sterile to me. I can’t connect to the characters and I don’t have that visceral reaction. I will say that I really enjoyed book 4 and found some parts in there hilarious and enjoyed through the end! But definitely spent the first three books trying (and failing) to get behind his style. I’m excited for the live show because I can see why Hemingway is so popular and appreciate it from a distance even tho it isn’t to my taste!

[@dilaraguney]

If you are goin to read more Italian literature, I definitely recommend Umberto Eco’s Numero Zero. I am almost finished with it and although it is a bit slow-paced it has lots of information packed about Italian politics and journalism! 🇮🇹

[@miamelen261]

i am so glad i did not dnf it. (i was veeery close to towards the middle just because of how disconnected i felt from the characters.) but WOW. that ending seriously was something. the first book to ever make me cry.

[@sarahmu2626]

ohhh I just couldn't get through this book 😅 I was listening to the audiobook and while the narrator was good I was just so bored lol maybe I should just push through (I'm more than halfway done) but I can totally see why people enjoyed it. excited for the next picks for game of tomes 😄

[@DavidAPiano]

I've never read Farewell to Arms, but i've seen the film Silver Linings Playbook and Bradley Cooper does a very descriptive review😃 and so i know what happens.

[@anabeatrizgarcia106]

no because i waited the whole book for him to lose his arms and at the very last page i realized the title was referring to weapons

[@christopherpaul7588]

I'd also like to read more Italian literature! I love Italy and have close Italian friends. My favorite publishing company NYRB introduced me to Cesare Pavese. They have a nice edition of The Moon and the Bonfires that I would like to read. Have you read much Moravia or Calvino?

[@CarolynMarieReads]

NYRB have a great selection! I haven't read any Moravia or Calvino, but I'm hoping to pick up On a Winter's Night a Traveler in 2023

[@christopherpaul7588]

@@CarolynMarieReads Sounds good! I would actually recommend The Baron in the Trees or Invisible Cities by Calvino.

[@christopherpaul7588]

@@CarolynMarieReads Thanks for responding to my messages by the way!

[@romanat7331]

I tried to finish the book but it wasn’t my cup of tea …

[@tiakiwi]

Me too, had stop reading 30% in because of the main character. Hopefully next month will be better!

[@romanat7331]

@@tiakiwi Yeah same for me ;) . Yeah i also hope so .

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That's okay! I think differing opinions can make for very interesting discussions :)

[@ohwell6421]

i have been reading it for half a month already, but i barely made it past halfway through by now. I'm suffering so much 😭😭, i still want to finish it tho

[@romanat7331]

@@ohwell6421 good luck :)

[@AnnaLorraineMiranda]

Hi, how do you personally compartmentalize your annotations?

[@eweindesign]

❤ What would you recommend as someone’s second Hemingway?

[@jamesduggan7200]

I prefer For Whom the Bell Tolls, particularly for the interior monologue scene where Pedro challenges his plan, but many many readers prefer The Sun Also Rises, probably because Jake, the hero, is so likeable and dynamic. Of course, an easy choice would be The Old Man and the Sea, which can be read profitably in less than one day.

[@jamesduggan7200]

well, as for the 7,000 - the Spanish flu killed maybe as many 10,000,000 in the two years immediately following WW I (when the novel was germinating in Hemingway's head).

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Oh wow

[@nikolaiquack8548]

This is my first time reading Hemingway (and joining your book club). It took some time for me to get used to his writing. I'm halfway done now and I like/love a lot about it. The way he describes characters and writes dialogues is pretty excellent. Not to mention the way he talk about the war. The one thing that bothers me is that the romance feels very superficial to me. I feel like I know Frederic pretty well as a character and I kind of know Catherine, but together they just sort of seem on autopilot for me. Hemingway likes to use repetition a lot, but in the dialogues between Frederic and Catherine it just kind of bothers me for some reason. It makes them seem artificial as a couple. Although there are some scenes between them that do really get to me. I've noticed the rain thing already and that was one of their best moments together in Milan. I am very happy that I'm reading it and overall liking it a lot. It's unlike anything else I've ever read. Simplistic to the point of sharpness, instead of dullness. I also got A Moveable Feast, so I might read that sometime soon as well. Thanks for starting me on this journey, thanks to you and Emma 💙

[@neverbored]

I wish I read some trigger warnings before I read this book..... For those who don't mind spoilers, I will wrote them down below: TRIGGER WARNINGS for this book including major SPOILERS: Still birth, woman dying during c section.

[@jmsl910]

should have been a glass of cognac

[@CoreenMontagna]

There’s a great scene in the movie Silver Linings Playbook where Bradley Cooper is finishing A Farewell to Arms late at night at his parents’ house. It’s like 4am and he screams and throws the book through the window and storms into his parents room to rant about how one of the alternate endings has the woman die. His mother says it’s 4am, you owe us an apology, and Cooper’s character is like “I’m not going to apologize, but I do apologize on behalf of Ernest Hemingway, because that’s who’s at fault here.” Lol kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKrUZJiEZamIi5I

[@jamesduggan7200]

That's good. In the huge hit sitcom "Cheers", the waitress/writer, Diane Chambers, lends to her boyfriend, the ex-jock, Sam Malone, the 1st edition Sun Also Rises she recently bought at auction for $800 (circa 1990). The ending to that one also is powerful.

[@lydireads9581]

so i read the injury chapter with the stomach flu...... whew, do not reccommend, it was a Mel Gibson movie, and at that moment, i thought 'that's it, i'm going to be throwing up all night'.

[@ohwell6421]

i am not enjoying my time w this book, i did like the start and there are some good parts w the beautiful descriptions but its very dry which is not a writingstyle i enjoy very much. I'll still try to get through it tho

[@anitas5817]

I think people who expect the main point of this book to be the characters and their love story will have a hard time connecting with the power of this book. The characters and what happens to them are just a close up illustration of the larger human toll of the war that he is presenting.

[@pedropepe90908]

***SPOILER ALERT*** The moment I read "The doctor said I was rather narrow in the hips...". I started sobbing because I knew that's how it would end and I just cried off and on until the book ended (30 pages later)

[@dianewalker9154]

Hemingway is a difficult author for me. I love the genius of his stories, but he is so dang repetitive! The man was in love with words. Perhaps not his fault, and he just needed a much better editor!!!!!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That's very understandable!

[@anitas5817]

I don’t see the ending as foreshadowed as much as entirely consistent with his viewpoint in the whole book. Any other ending would seem ridiculous to me given that the book is about the emptiness and futility of war from the human perspective.

[@lizzie-kl4us]

This reread hasn't changed my mind about Hemingway lol. Personally I really dislike Hemingway's style to the point that I'm partially convinced that people only like it because *it's Hemingway* - though obviously I know it does work for so many people. My main problem with it though is that I just don't buy the central relationship at all. I can' *almost* understand the suggestion that their dialogue is so stilted because they're both slightly broken (especially Catherine) and are desperately trying to hold onto one another, but the ending just leaves me completely cold. I know some people adore his dialogue, but it just feels so artificially constructed to me, like I can see the seams in the writing. Also it doesn't help that I'm very much not sure about Hemingway changing a woman making an autonomous choice to leave him to...well, spoilers lol

[@jamesduggan7200]

It's okay to have a minority opinion, tho when I do I try to avoid defending in advance (which I learned in law school it is not always allowed to argue in anticipation of an argument).

[@lizzie-kl4us]

@@jamesduggan7200 haha tbh I'm not trying to form an argument here (nor do I think any of my views on Hemingway are minority opinions, he tends to split people down the middle), just demonstrate that I do recognise that people have different views. I have undergrad + postgrad degrees in English and for me the point was always to try to see literature from as many perspectives as possible, so when I don't enjoy something I tend to look to understand what contrary views are out there (and the same if I love something other people hate). If I were in a class obviously I would argue in direct response to someone else's points and in an essay I would cite evidence of opposing views rather than taking them as assumed

[@jamesduggan7200]

@@lizzie-kl4us okay, tho with little interest in making an argument, a Nobel prize, several huge best-sellers and major motion pictures suggests that it's more than a name or reputation. tbh, I've several criticisms of EH, which generally I keep to myself (perhaps bc his work is so popular), but most of them are political rather than stylistic. Anyway, I didn't mean to provoke you (if that's what happened). As for Catherine, I think possibly the narrator meant to imply that while piecing together the shards of his life, in retrospect the conclusion that she was at the very least 'damaged' is unavoidable. He, OTOH, quite often openly shows and tells that during the time he knew her (when the conversations he attempted to re-create occurred), he was drunk. Were it an 800 page novel, an author might have developed those characters to resolve any doubts, but I believe Frederick Henry did a good job of capturing painful memories and making some sense of them.

[@lizzie-kl4us]

@@jamesduggan7200 though I have doubts about whether sales/prizes/movies indicate quality of course I know that Hemingway’s prose does really work for other people - I find it fascinating how much people can vary in their responses to writing styles, because I’ve met roughly equal numbers of people who love and hate it. And sorry if you thought I was provoked, I was just offering my opinion/thought process! I tend to find disagreement/differing perspectives far more interesting than agreement in all honesty. I can definitely see flashes of how you interpret Catherine + Henry’s characters, particularly towards the end there were a couple of scenes where I was finding myself slightly more connected to them, it just couldn’t carry me through to the end. I was left cold and slightly bored, and that’s pretty much how Hemingway always makes me feel. Out of interest what is it about Hemingway you do connect with? Like I said, all I want to do is understand other people’s responses better, especially with Hemingway, because there aren’t many authors I struggle to ‘get’ more

[@jamesduggan7200]

@@lizzie-kl4us of course some work of high-quality deserves more commercial success, however, popularity is the closest we have to an objective measure. In this case possibly EH deserves the benefit of the doubt that he's giving us Frederick Henry's words as he tries to understand, but perhaps not? Should a writer, like a good lawyer, edit his character's narrative? Certainly we are justified criticizing Hemingway's stylistic choices, if that's the best he can do, tho I want to believe the narrator is not a professional writer, and is - as you pointed out, "broken".

[@RocketRoketto]

i tried reading a hemingway book and all igot was ''this man writes like HE doesnt want to read his OWN books''

[@euphegenia]

A Farewell to Arms isn't a tome though.