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For Whom the Bell Tolls

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For Whom the Bell Tolls

By: Ernest Hemingway
Narrated by: Campbell Scott
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About this listen

 In 1937, Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from "the good fight", For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain, it tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. In his portrayal of Jordan's love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo's last stand, in his brilliant travesty of La Pasionaria and his unwillingness to believe in blind faith, Hemingway surpasses his achievement in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms to create a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving, and wise.

"If the function of a writer is to reveal reality," Maxwell Perkins wrote Hemingway after reading the manuscript, "no one ever so completely performed it." Greater in power, broader in scope, and more intensely emotional than any of the author's previous works, it stands as one of the best war novels of all time.

©1952 Ernest Hemingway (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc. Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction War & Military War Civil War Military

Critic Reviews

"This is the best book Ernest Hemingway has written, the fullest, the deepest, the truest. It will, I think, be one of the major novels in American literature." (The New York Times Book Review)
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The language took some getting use to (eg the use of "thou" and "thee" etc) and it started slowly and kept climbing until the end. I felt immersed in guerrilla units lives. This is the type of book that stays with you for a long time and deserves a second reading.

Recommend

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The performance is excellent. Particularly the characterization of the different voices, is consistent throughout the reading. The story is also excellent, Hemingway was in Spain during the time in which these events are set. He did not shy away from writing the ugly truth about both sides of the conflict. The development of the main character, Robert Jordan, seen through his flashbacks, is particularly good. As are the other characters. No wonder it won the Noble Prize for Literature. Its long but rewards those who listen. You will learn more about the Spanish Civil war from this book than any other history I have read (and I have read a few). Recommended.

Loved it.

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Never before have I been so enthralled in the love and misfortune of the tragic life of a lonely man made solider. This book begs for forgiveness and revenge.

Best Voice For Best Book

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My first experience of Hemingway, hooked from the beginning with the detailed tale of war, death, love and questioning everything that makes us human

More than I expected

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Difficult in the the beginning but the narrator quickly develops a tone and patter that makes this a pleasure to listen to.

Great novel and narration

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My son and I were talking about our favourite books. His is For Whom the Bell Tolls. I find Hemingway pretty heavy going to read, but the narration of this book was superb and I didn’t want the book to end. Thank you, Campbell Scott, for the enjoyment of listening to this wonderful book.

Truly amazing

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So simply and flowingly poetic that it cuts through straight to the heart of the characters and matters dealt with that it was enthralling and moving from start to finish... Fantastic reading also!

Brilliant

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Engrossing and meaningful till the last word.. captures what felt like a lifetime in 3 days...

Fabulous.

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I did wish that they included some translations for the Spanish and French dialogue. Can't stop to Google while you're listening to an audio book. Took me a long time to finish but overall was good.

Detailed account of love and life in war

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Convincingly performed by Campbell Scott, with a good take in the different accents. very memorable.

A classic beautifully done

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