A LATER CLASSIC FROM AMERICA'S PREMIER FICTION WRITER First published in 1970, nine years after Hemingway's death, this is the story of an artist and adventurer -- a man much like Hemingway himself. Beginning in the 1930s, Islands in the Stream follows the fortunes of Thomas Hudson, from his experiences as a painter on the Gulf Stream island of Bimini through his antisubmarine activities off the coast of Cuba during World War II. Hemingway is at his mature best in this beguiling tale. Ernest Hemingway did more to change the style of English prose than any other writer in the twentieth century, and for his efforts he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Hemingway wrote in short, declarative sentences and was known for his tough, terse prose. Publication of The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms immediately established Ernest Hemingway as one of the greatest literary lights of the twentieth century. As part of the expatriate community in 1920s Paris, the former journalist and World War I ambulance driver began a career that lead to international fame. Hemingway was an aficionado of bullfighting and big-game hunting, and his main protagonists were always men and women of courage and conviction, who suffered unseen scars, both physical and emotional. He covered the Spanish Civil War, portraying it in fiction in his brilliant novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, and he subsequently covered World War II. His classic novella The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. He died in 1961.
Download and start listening now!
"Torn between giving this four and five stars. I have an absurd love for Hemingway, I will admit. That said, the interaction of the protagonist with his children, ex-wife, his thoughts, how he describes everything and everyone surrounding him, well... it's mesmerizing. I bow before thee, Ernest. " — Liz (5 out of 5 stars)
"Torn between giving this four and five stars. I have an absurd love for Hemingway, I will admit. That said, the interaction of the protagonist with his children, ex-wife, his thoughts, how he describes everything and everyone surrounding him, well... it's mesmerizing. I bow before thee, Ernest. "
“A book much finer than any the young contenders can write.”
" I know. It's Hemingway. I'm a girl. And it's not his greatest novel. But I liked it. It took me to Cuba. It took me deep sea fishing. It took me into his conflicted heart. It was like a baptism. Or a really good mean. It changed the way I looked at him. "
" Strange and seemingly random. Didn't like it much on a personal level. Plenty of imagery, comparisons and fore-shadowing... "
" I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I found it to be too tedious and too lacking in action to hold my attention. It was a struggle to engage in the full chapters of menial dialogue that did nothing to propel the plot. I found the main character dull and emotionless, even callous. I wonder how different this story would have been if Hemingway had had an influence on the published version. "
" An absolute favorite "
" [brilliant. reviewing to come:] "
" Just finished re-reading this one for the third or fourth time, still couldn't put it down until I read the last sentence. "
" My first and favorite Hemingway's book. Three stories ranging from a fascinating portrait of a father and his three sons to a war story in the Caribbean. The most touching novel. It has nostalgic appeal. "
" I think I'll have to reread this when I get older and/or read more Hemingway, but it is still pretty money. "
" This might be my favorite book by the man. "
" I wish I was capable of recounting/making up an experience that takes a couple pages to tell, but 400 to get to. "
" One of the last works. Again, overlooked or sneered at by critics. But for me, I love the Hemingway in this who has come to peace with a world one cannot bully or change. And he shows compassion and wisdom... not so much for him, but him reaching out to others. A fine and noble work. "
" For some reason I really enjoyed this book. Not sure why though. The story is basically about booze. Entertaining, but like I said, I'm not sure why. "
" I felt this novel struggled as if Hemingway was parodying his own style, but at the same time I really enjoyed reading it. "
" I must begin by stating that I find most Hemmingway tedious and boring (For whom the bell tolls comes to mind). However, I loved this book. It honestly forced me to recognize Hemmingway's abilities as an author. His descriptions are wonderful and the story endearing. "
" Excited to read this for book club but couldn't get past page 46. Thumbs down from all book club members. The part I read was basically men sitting at a bar drinking and talking. Not the best Hemingway to start with. "
" If the author of this was an unknown it would never have gotten out of the slush pile. "
" Beautiful book. Honest and sad, but beautiful. "
" this is both a fighting book and a drinking book, and it even has some fishing in it. for that reason it is very uneven. "
" Boringly slow and plodding with descriptions of such minutea. So saw the movie, and it wasn't that great - describes stuff, but not people and feelings and motivations, poor at character development "
" it had a few unexpected plot twists and was funny and interesting in parts, but as a whole it kinda dragged on a bit, and i never really got fully into it. i liked it better than "the old man and the sea" though "
" The fight with the fish- one of the most vivid scenes I've ever read! I love Hemingway. "
" Maybe I was reading too much Hemingway too quickly, but this posthumous novel didn't impress me at all and I was predisposed to like the author's work. One must bear in mind, however, that it was published after its author's suicide and before he was able to polish it. "
" This book is neither about Kenny Rogers nor is it about Dolly Parton. It is very Hemingwayan and I liked it. It has everything one might need in a manly book. Fishing, drinking, fighting, and a happy ending. "
" Outro livro que me deu muito prazer ler! "
" To date, the best Hemingway novel I have written. I would recommend it to anyone but not until they have read and absorbed other novels by the author. There are many references and humor that will only be appreciated when you have absorbed some Hemingway culture. "
" This book was started by Hemingway prior to his death but finished by his daughter, I believe, after his death. As a result, it didn't have the same "Hemingway-feel" to me. "
" Epic. The first third sweeps you off your feet into another world, with boat houses on dark waters, rum and boxing. Then it turns into a guts-and-glory adventure, which is also good, but I never understood the connection. "
" almost makes me dislike hemingway altogether. seriously. "
" first section may be my favorite writing ever "
" Took me awhile to finish this one, but it was worth it. It really was a well documented saga of the stages of a mans depression and life. "
" Really loved the first half, not so much afterward "
" Typical Hemingway spare style. A finish akin to For Whom the Bell Tolls. Darker than usual. Worth it. "
" This was a tough book to read. EH's style is very different from anything I've ever read. I'm glad I read it but not sure if I'll be reading another of his for awhile. "
Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961), born in Oak Park, Illinois, started his career as a writer in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the age of seventeen. After the United States entered the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. After his return to the United States, he became a reporter for Canadian and American newspapers. During the twenties, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris, which he described in his first important work, The Sun Also Rises. He also wrote Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea, the story of an old fisherman’s journey, his long and lonely struggle with a fish and the sea, and his victory in defeat. He also wrote short stories that are collected in Men Without Women and The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories. Hemingway died in Idaho in 1961.
Audiobooks Were Restored to Your Cart
[ShoppingCartItemsAddedOnMerge] audiobook(s) were left in your cart from a previous visit, and saved to your account for your convenience. You may view or remove these audiobooks on the shopping cart page.