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Four Novels
This collection contains the fiction that won the American author a Nobel Prize for Literature:
- The Sun Also Rises
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Farewell to Arms
- The Old Man and the Sea.
- The Sun Also Rises
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Farewell to Arms
- The Old Man and the Sea.
878 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2011
56 people are currently reading
1888 people want to read
About the author
Ernest Hemingway
2,257 books32.5k followersErnest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Best known for an economical, understated style that significantly influenced later 20th-century writers, he is often romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle, and outspoken and blunt public image. Most of Hemingway's works were published between the mid-1920s and mid-1950s, including seven novels, six short-story collections and two non-fiction works. His writings have become classics of American literature; he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature, while three of his novels, four short-story collections and three nonfiction works were published posthumously.
Hemingway was raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school, he spent six months as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star before enlisting in the Red Cross. He served as an ambulance driver on the Italian Front in World War I and was seriously wounded in 1918. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms. He married Hadley Richardson in 1921, the first of four wives. They moved to Paris where he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and fell under the influence of the modernist writers and artists of the 1920s' "Lost Generation" expatriate community. His debut novel The Sun Also Rises was published in 1926.
He divorced Richardson in 1927 and married Pauline Pfeiffer. They divorced after he returned from the Spanish Civil War, where he had worked as a journalist and which formed the basis for his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Martha Gellhorn became his third wife in 1940. He and Gellhorn separated after he met Mary Welsh Hemingway in London during World War II. Hemingway was present with Allied troops as a journalist at the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris. He maintained permanent residences in Key West, Florida, in the 1930s and in Cuba in the 1940s and 1950s. On a 1954 trip to Africa, he was seriously injured in two plane accidents on successive days, leaving him in pain and ill health for much of the rest of his life. In 1959, he bought a house in Ketchum, Idaho, where, on July 2, 1961 (a couple weeks before his 62nd birthday), he killed himself using one of his shotguns.
Hemingway was raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school, he spent six months as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star before enlisting in the Red Cross. He served as an ambulance driver on the Italian Front in World War I and was seriously wounded in 1918. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms. He married Hadley Richardson in 1921, the first of four wives. They moved to Paris where he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and fell under the influence of the modernist writers and artists of the 1920s' "Lost Generation" expatriate community. His debut novel The Sun Also Rises was published in 1926.
He divorced Richardson in 1927 and married Pauline Pfeiffer. They divorced after he returned from the Spanish Civil War, where he had worked as a journalist and which formed the basis for his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Martha Gellhorn became his third wife in 1940. He and Gellhorn separated after he met Mary Welsh Hemingway in London during World War II. Hemingway was present with Allied troops as a journalist at the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris. He maintained permanent residences in Key West, Florida, in the 1930s and in Cuba in the 1940s and 1950s. On a 1954 trip to Africa, he was seriously injured in two plane accidents on successive days, leaving him in pain and ill health for much of the rest of his life. In 1959, he bought a house in Ketchum, Idaho, where, on July 2, 1961 (a couple weeks before his 62nd birthday), he killed himself using one of his shotguns.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 13, 2017
This beautiful leather-bound volume of 4 Hemingway novels represents the very best of his work.
The first, The Sun Also Rises tells the story of a group of friends, post WWI, traveling to Spain for the running of the bulls and bull fights. Based on true adventures, he changed the names and lost the friends. It was fun reading, though. And you will learn a lot about bullfighting.
The second, A Farewell to Arms, also partially based on Hemingway's real life when in his late teens he volunteered to be an ambulance driver for the Italian army in WWI before the US entered the war. He suffered severe injuries to his legs in a mortar attack and spent many months hospitalized during which time he met and fell in love with a nurse.
The third, For Whom the Bell Tolls takes place during the Spanish Civil War. The protagonist, Robert Jordan is an expat who is a Spanish instructor at a college in Montana on a one year sabbatical. He sympathizes with the cause and fights in the revolution.
The fourth, The Old Man and the Sea is probably Hemingway's most well known title and the one that won him the Pulitzer. It's a classic story of man triumphing against all odds.
These were all wonderful stories, but I would have to say that for me the masterpiece among them has to be For Whom the Bell Tolls. I know that Hemingway was in Spain as a journalist during their civil war, but this was an amazing piece of work. The character development was very strong, but what impressed me the most was all of the internal dialogs, especial with Robert Jordan. Just outstanding.
The first, The Sun Also Rises tells the story of a group of friends, post WWI, traveling to Spain for the running of the bulls and bull fights. Based on true adventures, he changed the names and lost the friends. It was fun reading, though. And you will learn a lot about bullfighting.
The second, A Farewell to Arms, also partially based on Hemingway's real life when in his late teens he volunteered to be an ambulance driver for the Italian army in WWI before the US entered the war. He suffered severe injuries to his legs in a mortar attack and spent many months hospitalized during which time he met and fell in love with a nurse.
The third, For Whom the Bell Tolls takes place during the Spanish Civil War. The protagonist, Robert Jordan is an expat who is a Spanish instructor at a college in Montana on a one year sabbatical. He sympathizes with the cause and fights in the revolution.
The fourth, The Old Man and the Sea is probably Hemingway's most well known title and the one that won him the Pulitzer. It's a classic story of man triumphing against all odds.
These were all wonderful stories, but I would have to say that for me the masterpiece among them has to be For Whom the Bell Tolls. I know that Hemingway was in Spain as a journalist during their civil war, but this was an amazing piece of work. The character development was very strong, but what impressed me the most was all of the internal dialogs, especial with Robert Jordan. Just outstanding.
January 6, 2013
I came to this after having read A Farewell to Arms in high school and loving the character of Hemingway in the movie "Midnight in Paris". Personally, I liked For Whom the Bell Tolls the best out of the anthology. It drew me into the story more and Robert Jordan was a character that was well fleshed out and complex. The Old Man and the Sea was a close second. I'd recommend.
December 28, 2020
A collection of Hemingway’s greatest work. Each tale captivates the reader, putting you right in the story. By far my favorite was A Farewell to Arms, followed by For Whom the Bell Tolls. The Old Man and the Sea was truly heartbreaking. My least favorite of the collection was The Sun Also Rises. This collection shows exactly why Hemingway was such an artist in his storytelling.
March 19, 2014
Fantastic. I like his straight ahead style. For me, a highlight was definitely For Whom the Bell Tolls. But all the stories here are captivating.
October 15, 2019
Well, it took me over a year to read this book that is comprised of 4 Hemingway novels. Not the most uplifting reading material, as anyone who knows anything about Mr. Hemingway knows ~
I learned that I can only read Hemingway in the autumn and winter. It is way too hard and far too much work for summers! The man can write, though. He makes you earn every inch of those long, winding trails. And you feel as though you are climbing higher and steeper mountain paths. You want to quit. Like Bradley Cooper’s character in Silver Linings Playbook, you are tempted to throw your Hemingway way book out the window!
Then, just when you think you cannot possibly read one more page, the trail levels out. You crest that glorious ridge, and you find yourself weeping at the beauty of Hemingway’s expressions and how well he understands the human heart. And you shudder to think how close you came to missing out on such writing.
He makes you earn it. No radio. No music. No background white noise whatsoever. You must read it, digest it, and live through these varied scenes. All your attention is required. All your patience is needed. And if you will do this, Hemingway rewards you so that you can taste the salt in the ocean air, breathe the dust of the bullfights in Spain, feel the leaves blowing gently in the wind.
Was it worth it? Oh, my, yes...yes, it was. Nobody writes like that, and Hemingway shows you a picture of worlds that existed long ago that have faded in time, from memory, but are alive for the patient reader who has the forbearance and courage to make these journeys with him.
I learned that I can only read Hemingway in the autumn and winter. It is way too hard and far too much work for summers! The man can write, though. He makes you earn every inch of those long, winding trails. And you feel as though you are climbing higher and steeper mountain paths. You want to quit. Like Bradley Cooper’s character in Silver Linings Playbook, you are tempted to throw your Hemingway way book out the window!
Then, just when you think you cannot possibly read one more page, the trail levels out. You crest that glorious ridge, and you find yourself weeping at the beauty of Hemingway’s expressions and how well he understands the human heart. And you shudder to think how close you came to missing out on such writing.
He makes you earn it. No radio. No music. No background white noise whatsoever. You must read it, digest it, and live through these varied scenes. All your attention is required. All your patience is needed. And if you will do this, Hemingway rewards you so that you can taste the salt in the ocean air, breathe the dust of the bullfights in Spain, feel the leaves blowing gently in the wind.
Was it worth it? Oh, my, yes...yes, it was. Nobody writes like that, and Hemingway shows you a picture of worlds that existed long ago that have faded in time, from memory, but are alive for the patient reader who has the forbearance and courage to make these journeys with him.
September 16, 2018
I grew up hearing "Nothing wears like leather," but not all leather products last forever. Judging by its picture, this is the same volume I bought about four years ago from a major retailer of books. I paid less than half the asking price, used, today (from a major retailer of everything). The four Hemingway novels it contains (The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Farewell to Arms, and The Old Man and the Sea) are exactly what we'd expect to find in a four-book set, and all are worthwhile and then some. However, the leather is what the industry calls 'bonded' leather and is often used in heritage collections like this and mid-priced bibles -- it's really a slurry of leather scraps or chips held together by glue, so if you smell the glue before you smell the leather you'll know that's it. Also, the top of the book has pages so inexpertly colored (I can't say "gilded" because it was more of a silver tone than a gold tone) that it has started to erode without abuse or poor handling on my part.
You can do a lot better for the money, even if it's buying four trade paperbacks. Maybe you'll have enough left over for a "Papa" photo, suitable for framing.
You can do a lot better for the money, even if it's buying four trade paperbacks. Maybe you'll have enough left over for a "Papa" photo, suitable for framing.
September 18, 2024
I finally understand why Hemingway is so iconic. His writing is incredibly raw, but it's so easy to read it can't help but draw you in and immerse you into the story of these characters.
I felt more connected with his characters due to them constantly getting lost in their own thoughts and going through streams of consciousness. It felt like looking into my own head. Not exactly something that happens in most fiction that I read. It was...refreshing to read and know I'm not the only one that thinks as such.
I felt more connected with his characters due to them constantly getting lost in their own thoughts and going through streams of consciousness. It felt like looking into my own head. Not exactly something that happens in most fiction that I read. It was...refreshing to read and know I'm not the only one that thinks as such.
May 19, 2018
You might think that Hemingway deserves a place as one of the 20th century’s greatest authors after reading “The Sun Also Rises” and “A Farewell to Arms”, but that notion is quickly dispelled by the time you’ve finished “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “The Old Man and the Sea”, or if you’re like me, give up about halfway through each. I did not think it was possible for an author to write both some of the best and the worst literature in the English language until I read this anthology.
April 30, 2021
Southwest Book Club rated their Hemingway experience (reading one of his books, and for some watching the Burns documentary also) an average of 4.3/5.0. Discussion focused on Hemingway's books, writing-style, and his life. For many a renewed appreciation; others not so much. One reader was more impressed with his journalism writing than his novels. A few want to read his short stories. Those who watched the Ken Burns and Lynn Novak documentary series agreed it was 5 stars.
January 6, 2018
Four great stories in one collection, how great is that. I like Hemingway but think his writing style and stories are not something everyone enjoys. I think you need to be a fan to take the time to really sit down and read this author, once you do, you'll be glad you did!
December 30, 2020
I want to read some books of earnest Hemingway. I think he is a good writer and great one of a kind.
January 8, 2024
Fantastic book! Loved all four novels in it!
March 21, 2014
A beautiful leather-bound edition I purchased at Barnes & Noble that includes the four of Hemingway's major works, unabridged: The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea.
Looks great on a bookshelf with the image of a toreador on its spine and a mountainous landscape and low valley on its cover. The book also sports gold leaf paper with a cloth place holder.
The only drawback of this book is that it is big and difficult to carry around. I bought this book already owning separate copies of the featured novels and read from this book at home, while marking the pages in the separate copy to take with me and continue reading on the move.
An excellent purchase for literary lovers and fans of Hemingway. Barnes & Noble also has an entire series of similar leather-bound classics from authors Mark Twain, Stephen King, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.
Looks great on a bookshelf with the image of a toreador on its spine and a mountainous landscape and low valley on its cover. The book also sports gold leaf paper with a cloth place holder.
The only drawback of this book is that it is big and difficult to carry around. I bought this book already owning separate copies of the featured novels and read from this book at home, while marking the pages in the separate copy to take with me and continue reading on the move.
An excellent purchase for literary lovers and fans of Hemingway. Barnes & Noble also has an entire series of similar leather-bound classics from authors Mark Twain, Stephen King, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.
April 8, 2014
Ernest Hemingway is a classic American author. His style of writing makes for a quick, easy read. He writes in a manner to which you feel like you know the characters and you can picture in your mind the scene he has set for the chapter/book. His novels take you to a different place in time. If you are an avid reader, and bibliophile like myself, you should love Hemingway. It also doesn't hurt that my parents gave me the middle name Brett because they loved Hemingway and loved Lady Brett Ashley from The Sun Also Rises that makes me such a lover of Hemingway works.
February 24, 2020
4.5 stars. Hemingway was great at packing a lot of depth into his understated prose. His style was unique and his novels are true American classics. These four novels represent the best of his work. The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms are my favorites (5 stars each), but For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea are both great as well (4 stars each). Love, war, disillusionment, lost causes and the ever-present exploration of what it means to be a man. Highly recommended!
August 24, 2015
I'm glad I re-read one of my favorites and had the opportunity to read a couple new novels. I really enjoyed For Whom The Bell Tolls for the first time. I remembered reading A Farewell to Arms in school and liking it; I wasn't disappointed. Hemingway is quite a romantic for being such a rustic manly whore.
June 14, 2018
This is a beautiful collection of Hemingway's works. The cover itself, and the binding, is stunning. Of the four books, I'd have to say that The Old Man and the Sea and A Farewell to Arms were my favorites. The other two were good, but got a bit slow in the middle and I found myself speedreading to get to the end. Overall, a very good collection of books.
August 6, 2016
The Sun Also Rises - 2 Stars
A Farewell to Arms - 3 Stars
For Whom the Bell Tolls - 4 Stars
The Old Man and the Sea - 5 Stars
A Farewell to Arms - 3 Stars
For Whom the Bell Tolls - 4 Stars
The Old Man and the Sea - 5 Stars
Want to read
June 21, 2018The Sun Also Rises - 2 Stars
A Farewell to Arms - 3 Stars
For Whom the Bell Tolls - 4 Stars
The Old Man and the Sea - 5 Stars
A Farewell to Arms - 3 Stars
For Whom the Bell Tolls - 4 Stars
The Old Man and the Sea - 5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews