Hemingway was required reading during my high school years in the early 1970s. My teacher described his unadorned and direct language as "mud on a brick wall": the prose conveys emotional weight through the omission of detail. I have always found his writing stark and brutal. I enjoyed For Whom the Bell Tolls, yet I did not like The Sun Also Rises as much as his other works.
The immersion into the lives of inter-war expatriates was enjoyable -- I love "slice of life" immersion. I also enjoyed learning about the French, Spanish (Mediterranean) people's attitudes toward racing, sports, and outdoor hobbies. The deep descriptions of bullfighting and the culture surrounding it provided fascinating and delicious flavor. However, I did not find the alcoholic characters to be appealing in any way. This lack of connection to the protagonists left me unengaged with the narrative. 3/5 Stars
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