Classic Romance: A Farewell to Arms

Ernest Hemingway is my highbrow favorite. You know, if someone asks what your favorite book is, you can either go the mainstream route and tell him Stephen King’s The Stand, or you can realize that the situation calls for a little more pomp and class and say A Farewell to Arms. Both good, but for entirely different reasons. I love Hemingway’s writing, the simplicity but richness of the story. I like that it’s so straightforward and yet has the possibility to drown you in its depths. I like that it is a romance that relies on classical literary themes but doesn’t feel hokey. There’s love and war and lots of drinking and manly situations, but Henry still finds himself defenseless at the end, walking home alone in the rain. It’s a perfect story to get lost in because it’s just so Hemingway, and if you don’t know what I’m talking about you’ll need to read it to find out.