Old Man and the Sea- Would I Recommend This Book?

Out of all honesty, yes I would recommend this book to a friend, hands down, without a doubt in my mind. Yes, the book is semi educational, and yes, I did read it for school, but it didn't feel that way. Whenever I opened the book to read I obviously didn't want to do it for fun because its summer, who would? I mean come on, when I have to read I miss out on lots of things I would rather be doing, but when I would finally discipline myself enough to sit down for an hour or more at a time and read some I would start to enjoy it. Whenever I would read for a while I felt like I was actually in the book as one of the characters. By the descriptions Hemingway used, I sometimes felt as if I was at a harbor and I could smell the fish and the sea. I felt like I was walking on gravel roads and shell filled beaches.

An overview summary of the book, without giving away any major details is hard to do, but I will try so if anyone is interested in reading an amazing book they know what they're in for. It starts out with an old man and a boy explaining the setting and time of year. Then the boy helps the old man go out fishing, and it talks about what all the old man does while fishing. Once he is in for the night Hemingway explains how the boy helps Santiago get ready for bed. The next day the old man sets out for sea with some bait from the boy and his blessings. While out there Santiago gets the bite of a lifetime and hooks the biggest fish he has ever seen. The majority of the book is about the battle between the old man and the great fish, master of land versus master of sea, mono y mono, human and fish. The rest of the book is very entertaining, but I can't tell you more you will have to read it for yourself.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print