Disposition
Brit Boy:
Brit Boy:
I had heard of Ernest Hemingway but didn’t know he had written this book or could not name any others he has written, my only excuse being that I was not educated in the USA, where I think his books would be a staple of high school reading. I will take a brief step away to find out what he did write and see if anything rings any bells….. That is serendipitous and I swear I didn’t know this, he wrote “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Garden of Eden” both I have heard of but I am not sure whether they are higher up the list. Anyway I am looking forward to this book, it is short and my copy of the book has some particularly lovely illustrations, and after all most things should be easier than “The Name of the Rose”.
American Girl:
When I was in elementary school I had to do an author report on Ernest Hemingway, and as part of that report I had to read one of his books. I can’t remember which one I read, all I know is that it definitely wasn’t “The Old Man and the Sea”. Considering I can’t remember a single detail about the book, my feeling on this particular book is “meh”. However, once I realized it was only around 100 pages, I quickly became more excited because after the tomes of “Sophie’s World” and “The Name of the Rose”, I am definitely ready for a lighter read.
Editorial
So this is a book about a fish and it isn’t “Moby Dick” (ironically another book on our list)? Within the first few pages I quickly realize that quite literally this book is all about an old man fishing the sea. I was bored, but it was easy and engaging. The language was easy to follow; descriptions were there but just enough to color an outline, leaving your imagination to fill in the spaces. Begrudgingly I trudge along, happy it is only 100 pages.
American Girl, once again you are correct Moby Dick – Herman Melville is number 161 on our list, only 12 books to go (a 2020 read??). I have to disagree I thought that Hemingway’s style of writing was easy and engaging and not a chore at all, in fact I could have happily read this book in one sitting given the opportunity, as it was I think I picked this up three times.
By page 20 or so, I find myself completely attached to the characters. The “old man” (Santiago) and his apprentice “the boy” (Manolin) are an endearing pair. I fell in love with the genuineness of Manolin. In words that weren’t ever written, you could feel the love Manolin had for the old man. It was refreshing to read a story with this dynamic, and I quickly found myself hooked.
“Hooked” – did you really say that American Girl….. A fishing tale…. hooked??? I too was enthralled from the get go, the characterization was as free flowing as the story and even though I knew where the story ended (I have the introduction by Charles Scribner Jnr. to thank for that), I desperately wanted to find out what unfurled for Santiago in his trials at sea.
I was able to read the book in two or three quick sittings; a story of an “old man’s” attempts to catch a huge marlin fish alone, in the middle of the sea on a skiff and his drive to never give up. I never thought I would become so engrossed in a fishing story, but I did. You could feel every pain the old man encountered whether it was the gashes in his hands, the days at sea, eating raw fish cut from the belly of a dolphin, or the potential loss of sanity being stuck at sea. The old man exhibited resolve I have never witnessed from anyone. I wanted to feed him, look after him, and protect him.
I agree the resolve that the old man exhibits is definitely something which you take away from the story, and the fact that regardless of what life throws at the old man, he just kept “swimming” to quote Dory. In fact the story starts after the old man has been to sea for over 80 consecutive days without catching a single fish, and his relationship with Manolin is centered around the boy caring for the old man, even though neither acknowledge it is happening.
It ends heartbreakingly, and I felt frustrated as a reader because I really wanted my “Disney” ending, which I never got. However, I did leave with a feeling of resolve. The old man was amazing in his own right, with an incredible ethic for life, and the ability to persevere, which was very inspiring. This story will always stick with me, as I picture Santiago, curled up on his bed of news paper, with no dinner, and cut hands, yet willing to get up and venture to the sea the next day.
As mentioned earlier the ending was “spoiled” due to the introduction in this copy of the book, however it didn’t take away from the story or the narrative. This in itself is a very powerful nod to Hemingway, I knew the ending it was a short story and I was throughly engaged throughout, and to reference one of my favorite films (maybe you can guess) I always though the old man “was going to jump the fence”. I will read this book again and I am very grateful for having the opportunity to read this.
Distant Bookends 