Re: 60 Books in 52 weeks #11. A Farewell To Arms
"A Farewell to Arms" is one of my all-time favourites. You describe the experience of reading it really well, [censored].
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I love AFWTA, however, i have one criticism: i found the ending very predictable, although it is okay because it is executed so well.
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When I read it the first time, I distinctly remember that I also knew exactly how it was going to end. My question: did Hemmingway intend the reader to predict the ending, so that Federic and Catherine's happiness at being together and escaping was tempered (in our eyes) by a sense of foreboding that things couldn't last?
Two minor effects of the book on me:
1. I started drinking vermouth straight-up on occassion, so I could be just like Henry.
2. Overuse of the word "lovely," especially with my lovely girlfriend of the time.
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