It is easy to see why “A Farewell To Arms” is one of Ernest Hemingway’s most well-known and beloved works of fiction. It is a real and honest story of two lovers in the midst of the torrential World War I, and it is exciting and heartbreaking.

It took me a while to get into the story, and even as I finished reading the last sentence of the book—and even while enjoying the ending of the book quite a bit, and being engrossed in the storyline—I was and still am not confident that I thoroughly enjoyed the book as a whole. I both love and hate Hemingway’s writing style. There are moments where he says things so poignantly and perfectly that I’m impressed, and his quick-paced prose style is entertaining, to say the least.

Yet, at many moments throughout both “A Farewell To Arms” and his first novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” I realized that I was bored, or daydreaming, or simply lost. This may simply be a critique of my understanding and reading abilities, but may also point to my preferences in writing styles, as well. I also am not the most impressed always with his characters. Throughout much of the story, I found his characters—even the main ones—quite flat and bland. Perhaps, this was intentional on Hemingway’s part, or I am simply missing something, but I would have liked to see more intriguing and entertaining characters.

Hemingway may not be my favorite author, and I probably would not read “A Farewell To Arms” again, but I would recommend it to friends, even if just for the ending. He leads his readers well, and he gives them an ending worth waiting for.