It's been a long time since I've read a book that didn't contain the title, almost word for word, somewhere within. This book, as per his style, did not.
You can read so many books and so quickly forget what good writing feels like. This book refreshed my memory.
Robert Jordan is an American fighting Franco and the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He is an explosives expert and we join him as he enters the small guellerio party of Pablo and his woman Pilar. Along the way we meet memorable and valiant characters like the old man Anselmo, the pissant Augustin and the masculine champion El Sordo. The coltish young lady Maria or 'little rabbit' also finds her way into our story, forever changing our protaganist.
Things I loved about this book:
1. The almost seamless way he blended the English and Spanish. He even wrote the translations from Spanish in a manner that gives the language a higher respectability. Thee and Thou are scattered throughout and the sentence structure finds itself embedded in the English translation. I loooooved that.
2. The use of the words obscenity or unprintable instead of vulgarities. It's more fun to fill in the words myself.
3. The subtle, not overbearing, manner in which the theme of the life of one versus the progress of a philosophy was approached was refreshing.
4. This book had killing, sexing, drinking and philosophy. My dad would say the movie should have all the necessary factors for a good flick.
5. A bad guy you can hate but not too much. You feel the humanity and can empathize.
This book was worth the adventure. Can I get some more Hemmingway please?
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