For Whom the Bell Tolls

Title: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Genre: War/Classic/"Lost Generation"
Pages: 495
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Robert Jordan is an American expatriate fighting in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) for the Republicans (the rebels attempting to overtake the government). For Whom the Bell Tolls follows Jordan for 4 days behind enemy lines as he works with a guerilla band to blow a bridge. The plot explores the tensions that war creates between loyalty, courage, fear, love, and friendship.
Thoughts: Hemingway is definitely on my list of top 5 writers, so I was bound to like this book from the first. If you are looking for an introduction to Hemingway, I'd suggest A Farewell to Arms over For Whom the Bell Tolls, but that is mostly because A Farewell to Arms is more universal in its appeal. For Whom the Bell Tolls is harsh and frank, which is what I most like about Hemingway in general. I was impressed with how the plot deals with tough issues (such as how loyal a soldier must be to The Cause) through normal conversation and the stream-of-consciousness thoughts running through the character's minds. Another aspect of the book that I thoroughly enjoyed was how Hemingway writes in English but makes the spoken sentences Spanish-sounding. Essentially, he translates the Spanish directly word for word rather than for meaning, adding a realistic foreign flavor to the book.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, this book deserves a strong caution. It is a war book, and so there is a fair amount of ruthless gore involved. There is also some swearing (more if you know Spanish--Hemingway doesn't translate most of the words). Lastly, there are a few intimate scenes, which, in my opinion, Hemingway deals with delicately enough not to be offensive.