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Here is the place to talk about Hemingway's excellent posthumous novel. It is much better than most people think.

I have never read this one. Do I need to get crackin, brad????

It's a good book, Gary. It's been fifteen years since I read it, but since we've been talking about it I've decided to read it again. I doubt there's a time limit.

I am a big fan of it Gary, and considering how close you seem to be with your sons this could turn out to be a favourite of yours.

And, yeah, no time limit here on novel discussions. Read it at your leisure and join in the conversation whenever you can.

i am reading P. G. Wodehouse right now. funny! i could put it aside for now tho,and hit this book. thinking mode right now!

thanks for joining the poe group , brad! how about you, stephen? i invited you, dude. it's almost halloween , well, in less then 2 months, right???? you can read and enjoy poe anytime. hope you'll strongly consider it. invite all your family, friends, enemies, dogs, cats, to join too, boys. (black cat!, which by the way i have one. i wanted to name him RAVEN but my 4 year old and 6 year old sons got the priviledge,and he's SPARKY. and it suits him. next black cat, eh? the boys are now 19,and 17,and SPARKY is truly my other son! lol!)

Cool, thanks for starting this thread, Brad. I've always thought this one was really underrated. It's intensely autobiographical, too, especially the scene on the boat early in the book, when the guy on the neighboring yacht comes out with a shotgun to threaten Roger. That's a nod to a fight Hemingway had with Wallace Stevens on the dock at Bimini. (Maybe not the smartest thing Mr. Stevens ever did.) There are tons of things like that in this novel.

By the way, I made the mistake of picking this up the weekend before Finals Week in the Spring of my sophomore year, and ended up having to cram for all of my exams because I couldn't study until I finished the book. And it's a BIG book. *lol*

Nice work, Kevin. I hope you did well on the exams despite your divergence.

I didn't know that about Wallace Stevens, but that is a scene I really love too. I also love the son fighting the fish all day. It is one of my favourite pieces in all of Hemingway. I think someone else mentioned loving that scene somewhere in this group. Was that you Steven? (I am too lazy to go scrolling up to see). I really need to read this again soon, but as you say, it is a big book and since I always find myself being captivated by Hemingway's good books I know there will be nothing else on my radar until I am finished.

check out this website. it talks about the fight!

You know, Hemingway respected Stevens too much as a poet to speak publicly about the fight; I think his making the character in the book a barrel-chested business executive was his kind of tongue-in-cheek comment on it. And by the way, the fight scene itself was a take on one of Hemingway's favorite pastimes in Bimini: he would promise to pay anyone who could last three rounds with him on the dock $50. He never had to pay. ;-)

Brad, it was me talking about that scene of his son fighting that fish all day. I remember only the things in fiction that stand out, and that scene stood out in my mind. I am convinced Islands in the Stream is his greatest book.

Thing is I don't think Hem was proud of his fights as the years went by. He came to think they were stupid. And they were.

I really need to read this book. I promised a friend to read something else together,and discuss it...but I swear this is gonna be my next one. I am itching to hit some Hemingway.....

I have this book up for the discussion for the group now....hopefully more members will read it and discuss!