Hi,
I am curious to know what women who have read Ernest Hemingways books think of his style, writing, etc. as his books are very masculine oriented and typically on the topics of men and their struggles. I recently started reading The Old Man And The Sea and as I was reading it, the thought occurred to me that I really couldn’t imagine a woman relating to what was being said on the page.
So I’m curious, female readers who have read his books…do you relate to much of what its saying? What do you think of his books?
Sorry if this sounds naive/obtuse, that is not my intention.
I love most of his writing, and For Whom the Bell Tolls is one of my favorite novels. It’s a crucible in which we see all these different versions of humanity emerge. We see what friendship and loyalty look like, we watch love unfold and expire, we see how identities are formed in relation to a cause, to a tiny and insular community, to the land.
As a woman, I read all kinds of things. I think some of the women characters he writes are underdeveloped or less than 3-dimensional (and often exist as an extension of a male character). But I also think he writes about things that are universally human, and I enjoy the way his sometimes-spare writing style serves as a flat backdrop against which big themes and feelings can really take center stage.