The sun also rises by Ernest Hemingway is a fiction that tells of four Parisian acquaintances all pining for the affection of Lady Brett Ashley on their trip to Spain. Tensions rise on their trip as their love for Brett and Brett's own desires create complications, all while they attend a fiesta and meet a young bullfighter, Pedro Romero.
I found this book to be peaceful towards the beginning with its simple yet beautiful descriptions, yet, as it continued on I found it overstayed its welcome, with much of the first half being nothing of note. I found this to be the worst fault of the book, nothing really happens for a lot of the story, mostly meals in cafes and the occasional uneventful conversation between two characters. This problem wears away towards the second half when actual conflict appears. This book has less of a message and more motifs, which I enjoyed. The motifs being alcoholism, ingenuine friendships, and the lost generation. The characters all struggle with alcoholism, creating false companionships with affection won by money more than anything else. Throughout, their friendships crumble when they are intoxicated, as this is the only time they show their true feelings about one another. The characters belong to the “lost generation”, the generation that was in early adulthood during the First World War, often those who served in it who now feel like they are lost in the world. The main characters were soldiers or nurses in the war, who now feel directionless. I enjoy the focus on these motifs and even think it’s one of the best parts of the book. Lord of the flies by William Golding is another book that focuses on the fears and struggles from a post world war society.
Overall this is a beautiful book with a nice premise that could have been delivered better. This story is definitely one driven by interpersonal relationships, so if that is something that interests you, it is worth a read, if you can get past the first 100 pages of mediocrity
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