Rating: 10/10, top 10 of 2023

I'm not much of a fiction reader but I always appreciate good literature when I read it (and in this case, I have)

5 expats leave France post World War I and head to Pamplona, Spain for some bullfighting, tequila, fiestas, and love -- what could possibly go wrong?

There are 5 main characters in the book: Lady Ashley Brett (the obvious star of the show), Jake (the narrator who is in love with Brett), Robert Cohn (the sad Author who's in love with Brett), Bill (the humorous friend and also an Author, not in love with Brett), and Mike (the trust-fund drunk who is also in love with Brett)

I could write hundreds of pages detailing my thoughts and analysis of the entire book. Themes of recklessness, disillusionment, and hypocrisy are distinct. There's no real character growth but I think that's the point of the book. And aside from Jake and Bill, all the characters are the right degree of insufferable, pathetic, and sad.

I drew a lot of parallels between The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby by FSF. Both take place post World War I, both reflect the recklessness of the 1920s, both have themes of selfishness and disillusionment and in both books, there is one woman that everyone fights for. The only difference between The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby is that there is no lovable or relatable character in The Sun Also Rises.

I wouldn't recommend the book to everyone since it's a bit of a slow read and the real fun doesn't start until a little before halfway through the book (when everyone finally arrives in Pamplona, Spain). But if you're like me and you enjoyed The Great Gatsby and would like something somewhat similar, then I'd highly recommend reading The Sun Also Rises.