For Whom the Bell Tolls - a book review

For Whom the Bell Tolls is a war novel by Ernest Hemingway, and is considered an all-time classic. 

I read the novel a long time ago and re-read it recently. I was mesmerized by its prose, plot and intensity of emotions then, but now I found a different feel but overall it felt satisfying.

Image taken from Wikipedia

First the context. Hemingway was an American who was an army reject, then a writer and journalist. He suffered a serious injuriy during WW I. He covered the Spanish Civil War (one that is sometimes called dress rehearsal for the Second World War), which is the setting of the novel. He had earlier written extensively on wars, as a reporter and a story-writer/ novelist. So, he had a deep insight into the way soldiers think and act - when they are on a mission and are conscious that they might never return. So, his characters as well as description of the scenes is very authentic, real. Through their eyes, one can sense and smell the ravages of a war.

The hero is a dynamiter on a mission to blow up a crucial bridge. He is faced with tough situations not only of war but also the way his fellow operatives conduct themselves. His falling in love with a local adds a fierce human angle to the story. Let me not divulge the plot or its ending, but share that the author is able to bring forth the strength of human goodness in times when ordinary people are prone to take refuge in their survival instinct.

From some other angles, you may find many faults with the book. If you wanted to get a real feel of the Spanish Civil War, you will be disappointed. There are some discussions that give a hint about the two ideologies at war, but that's all. If you are not comfortable with his long narrative style and characters that are often not crafted well, For Whom the Bell Tolls might not be the book you will be able to finish - also because it is rather bulky at over 450 pages. Hemingway was a journalist as much as a novelist - and his attention to what seemed to be happening on the ground (even if it was fictional) sometimes takes away the story-telling. The book suffers from some repetitive phrases and bland expressions, and explicit imagery where not needed. The dialogues are rather flat at times. 

By the way, Hemingway is a Nobel laureate who got the prize “for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style.”

I would give the novel a reluctant ⭐⭐⭐⭐out of 5.