The Old Man and the Sea (1952) Book Review

An old man in a small skiff, alone on the open waters of the Caribbean. The bright lights of Havana, Cuba are far behind him as he pushes forward in the pursuit of completing his mission. Like Ahab before him, the old man’s foe swims the depths of the sea. However, this is not an age old blood feud fueled by hatred. Instead, this is an instant clash. A fight for survival between man and beast with the man holding no anger or hatred, but love and respect. The sea is the battleground, yet plays an equal role of friend and foe for both combatants. This isn’t an old man with a small fish on the end of an expensive rod and reel, held firm with a titanium hook. The old man does his fishing the old way. No rod, no reel, just a line and his hands. The old man knows from experience what is on the other end of the line. A large, powerful fish. A marlin.

While I wouldn’t call this a page turner, I did enjoy reading it. I always find this novella on those lists of “classics” and “must reads,” and another I found on a shelf in my local library. If it was on a shelf in my home I wouldn’t have a problem with it being there. I might have to find a spot for it one of these days. I would call it a classic and recommend this. It’s a short read. My hardback copy was a bit longer than the length of my hand and totaled 127 pages.

As with anything, some people won’t or don’t like this novel. I saw reviews saying as much from both established critics and goodreads.com members. Though the way some of the member reviews read, it appears as if their books of choice involve crayons. It’s fine not to like something and be critical. Using things like profanity, vague generalities, and wondering why the author didn’t have a character do this or that instead aren’t the ways to go about expressing your point.

This is the first work I’ve read by Ernest Hemingway. An odd occurrence that it was the final major fictional work he published before his death in 1961. I like the storytelling, and the writing style. I want to read more Hemingway due to those two facets. This novella reads well. It was straightforward and to the point. As I said while I didn’t find this a page turner I did enjoy the story and the style. Nothing in these pages is pretentious, or hard to understand. Quite the opposite is true. This is a novella for all ages to read and enjoy if they see fit to do so.

I’m not sure what to close with as I’ve expressed all I think I need to convey. I started writing this review within a half hour of finishing. As I read, I felt like I was there. I was with the old man on the land, on the sea, in his head, and watching from a vantage point above his skiff. I had a front row seat to watch this epic battle play out as well as the struggle within the old man.

Copyright © Drew Martin 2016