Title: The Sun Also Rises
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Publisher: Recorded Books
Narrator: William Hurt
Duration: 7 hours, 46 minutes
Copyright: 2006
Genres: literary, travel, period
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
THE GIST: Hmm, that’s hard to say. “The Sun Also Rises"doesn’t really seem to be about anything. The true meaning must be taken more from symbols and allusion rather than the direct actions of the characters.
The story follows a group of bored socialites as they travel from Paris to Pamplona, Spain in post World War I Europe, no doubt in search of some kind of meaning for their moraly bankrupt lives. The group spends several days in Pamplona watching the running of the bulls, and the bull fights before splitting up and going back to their respective homes.
THE AUTHOR: Ernest Hemingway is considered by many to be one of America’s most brilliant writers, winning both the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. A brilliant writer, but ultimately unhappy it seems. He was married four times and eventually took his own life in 1961.
“The Sun Also Rises” was Hemingway’s first novel, written in 1924 and published in 1926.
THE NARRATOR: William Hurt became one of my favorite audio book narrators after hearing only one of his books, Stephen King’s “Hearts in Atlantis.” He has a really unusual style that, at first, sounds odd and bewildering. After listening to him for a while, however, he really grew on me. I don’t think I would have picked this audio book up if he hadn’t been the narrator, frankly. I enjoyed his reading again, although I can’t honestly pinpoint what it is I like about him.
DEEP THOUGHTS: This was a tough one for me. On the surface, “The Sun Also Rises” seems to be a story about wealthy people who lead empty and meaningless lives. In part, I think that’s what Ernest Hemingway intended, but why are their lives so empty? I did a bit of reading up on this novel, looking at what other people had to say about it. They throw around words like “expatriate",and "disillusioned", and "lost generation." Why this so-called “lost generation” became so “disillusioned” that they “expatriated” themselves is beyond me. Were they disillusioned with humanity because of the war, or was it America’s involvement? I guess I’ll have to leave that up to the scholars. Even though I didn’t really get this audio book, I found myself enjoying the story. I learned a lot about the running of the bulls in Pamplona, and also about a little slice of American history as well.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
“Hearts in Atlantis” by Stephen King
“The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain
If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "The Sun Also Rises" on Amazon.com.
This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audio book.
Audio book review by Steven Brandt
Come back soon for more audio book reviews from Audio Book Heaven
Another book that due to your review, I'll have to pass on.
ReplyDeleteAll authors seem to have that common bond of emptiness, loneliness, and on the verge of...
Well I'm just saying, writers are a breed all of their own. ;)
The only Hemingway novel I've read was "The Old Mand and the Sea." That was enuff Hemmingway to last me a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteYour review of this one makes me certain I have no interest in reading it. LOL