About this title: Hemingway's novel is about an artist-adventurer, Thomas Hudson, tracing his life from Bimini in the 1930s to the coast of Cuba in World War II.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780553202267ISBN:055320226X
Description: Good. 055320226X Mass market paperback, previously read used book in good condition, varying degrees of shelf wear, some spine creases, m..._ read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books, New York
Date published: 1976
ISBN-13:9780553102567ISBN:0553102567
Description: Poor. No Jacket as Issued. Wear and creasing to the covers. Some soiling to the side edge. First few pages creased at the bottom corner. Otherwise a sturdy copy that would make a good reading copy. read more
Binding: MASS MARKET PAPERBACK
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780553202267ISBN:055320226X
Description: Very Good. 055320226X Excellent condition, likely read 1x, clean tight book, perfect cover, Great Book. ** Satisfaction Guaranteed ** Orders ship same or next business day. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this DVD supports the North Central Regional Library. Thriftbooks and NCRL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Library ID found on DVD and case. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
"The Most Interesting Man in the World: The Novel(s). I removed Islands in the Stream from my "currently reading" shelf because I wasn't sure I would ever finish it. The first part, "Bimini", is the best part of the novel, and could probably have stood alone as a short novel. It tells the story of Thomas Hudson, a somewhat famous painter, and the visit of his three sons. It's fishing and drinking and eating and story telling, with a tragic ending . Pure Hemingway, with some wonderful passages to return to again and again. What doesn't work so well as far as this story goes, is the character Roger Davis, a writer friend of Hudson's. It seems like Hemingway is doing a bit of the Conradian "double" here. Or something like that. Hudson represents a more contemplative type, being a painter, while Roger is more of a (two-fisted) man of action. I could write a paper on this alone. Put the two of them together, you have the complete package - though Davis seems to have quit writing, or hasn't written anything worthwhile is some time. One can't help but feel that the ghost of the terrible novel, Across the River and into the Trees is being excorcised by Hemingway. To my mind, it is exorcised. The creaky sterility of that previous novel is gone, Hemingway is trying new stuff. Truly.
However, in the second part of the book, "Cuba", he stumbles. But magnificently! This is some of the best bad Hemingway - ever. There's something ridiculous about an artist (Hudson again) being driven by a chauffer to a military station, where he is apparently viewed as The Man. (He's not in the military mind you, and this is World War II.) Hudson has found out that his last son, Tom, has been killed in action. Grieving, he proceeds to get blitzed at a bar, and most of the story is bar talk with friends, and a whore. At one point, while talking with a Cuban prostitue, Hudson recounts his sexual escapades with three Chinese prostitutes! (This is before Viagra). (Oh, and there's an earlier recounting of an affair with a princess that is quite romantic, and a bit kinky, as they do what they do while standing on a ship at night. This scene is a reworking of another "standing" moment from the earlier Farewell to Arms. I found this a little sad, probably because I felt Hemingway was basically cannibalizing himself. Whatever, it's still pretty cool.)
Anyway, by the time of the Chinese prostitutes' adventure/story, an ocean of alcohol has been consumed, and it's still morning. Out of the blue, Hudson's first (ex)wife shows up (great noir like entry). She's evidently some beautiful actress, now serving in the USO. There's some fine snappy dialogue, for a while at least, but what punctures this encounter is that she doesn't even know her son is now dead (and he's been dead for a couple of weeks). Hudson, being The Man - and The Most Interesting Man in the World at that, is aware, due to his connections - and importance (and yet he couldn't call on contact her?). Anyway, they drink some wine (!!!), and make love (which would seem virtually impossible at this point). And then suddenly the Call to Action comes, and The Man is off to war. The jaw simply drops at the wonderful, stagey badness of this. Still, all of that said, there is some wonderful writing to admire in this part.
Part three has Hudson pursuing Germans on the islands. Whatever, my interest really started to wane here, due to the fact that I was finding Hudson so unbelievable at this point. Overall, Islands is a mixed bag, but if you're into Hemingway, a necessary read. I think as a whole it fails, but there's a lot of good writing to enjoy. The parts are greater than the whole."
"Hemingway wrote more clearly than most people think. His imagery is accurate and honest. The ideas that he communicates, though, are another thing all together. Is he just telling us an interesting story, or is he trying to instruct us in the proper way to live one's live. If the former, than he does a great job; if the latter, well.... Can he really think that non-alcoholics should believe that frozen daiquiris (even without the added calories of sugar) are what people need to live their lives honestly and with integrity? Is he implying that sleeping with someone else's wife, despite having been married to her previously, is acceptable behavior? But of course, he thought that blowing your brains out was a way to deal with problems. He certainly does make us think about the "human condition" or perhaps, more accurately, "Papa'a Delicate Condition". WHAT we think must be up to us."
"This book continues to move my soul. It's three related stories under one cover and I prefer to just read the first part (2nd part is dreadful and the 3rd is ok). The imagery works for me - I taste the salty sea air, the gin and tonic with bitters, and smell the docks or fresh canvas awaiting paint. It's all there for me. Thomas Hudson's failure in love is no surprise to Hemingway readers, but his description of love and adoration for his children is excellent (even if the kids speak in a manner that seems way older than their years). of course, there are fights, fishing adventures, and lots of booze. Love, love, love."
"In my opinion, this is Hemingway at his evocative best. After reading this (have read this one twice) I feel like I have actually physically spent time on the island of Bimini. As Hemingway describes the daily life of the main character (Hudson I think) spending time with locals at the coastal bar or swimming in the bay with his sons, I think his trademark tactile descriptions reach the point of being sublime. I thought the second half of the novel on the boat outside Cuba during WWII was a little less interesting and reminded me of a cross between "To Have and Have Not" and "Across the River and Into the Trees"."
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