It may be most appropriate that my first experience with the writings of Ernest Hemingway should be aaa|The Sun Also Rises|0684800713|aaa as it was the first novel that he published. Hemingway’s writings fall into the catagory of “books I probably should have read by now, but haven’t” and I’m glad that I have delved into them at last.

‘SUN’ is the story of several expatriots living, writing and drinking in Paris in the 1920’s. Throughout their travels and romances and experiences we can see them struggling to deal with the changes in their lives in post-war Europe.

While the stories of the main characters were intriguing, what I enjoyed most was the narrative style of the book. Hemingway writes in the first person in quick declarative sentences. Throught the voice of Jake Barnes one almost feels as if they are right there drinking by the Seine, fishing in the Irati, or watching the Torreadors in Pamplona. “Maybe Jake is a friend of mine, telling of his travels,” I thought.

I guess I expected Hemingway to be a much more difficult read than it was. There are certainly themes of existentialism, change and unrequited love throughout, but none of the high falouting prose found in other books of the sort.