The Immersion Library

Have you ever been so excited to finish a book that you actually procrastinate in finishing it because you know that would mean the end of that excited feeling?

I’m FINALLY finished with this one!

Not that it was bad. But certain stories lacked…well, EVERYTHING!

“The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” were amazing. Ther were others that were very impressive. But for the most part, the stories were excessively chopped, lacked depth, plot and rising tension, climax or falling action. Stylistically, every story seemed to begin as if I already knew the people, what was happening and why I should care. They didn’t seem edited. Proofread, sure. But they read as if they were off the tip of his brain and lacked any kind of craftsmanship.

I will admit that Hemingway was undoubtedly an experienced man. These stories reveal that. And his perspective, what he saw and sensed, offered a unique view into the world. He really shined in certain instances but generally his method faded dull.

If you adventure into the world of Hemingway’s short stories, don’t read through a collection like you would a novel. You will inevitably make a hole in your wall with your head.