First Impressions of 'A Farewell to Arms'

 This book is far better than the only previous Hemingway work I had read, 'The Sun Also Rises.' I've learned to appreciate Hemingway's prose a great deal more than I used to-at first, I thought I hated it, but now I have come to appreciate its bareness and the responsibility Hemingway gives the reader to pull meaning from his work, as opposed to merely writing it. World War I, the backdrop of this novel, is also a topic of great interest to me, though not necessarily the Italian Army, which I've always held in low regard. In any case, learning about the culture is very interesting as is the Tenente's casual alcoholism. I've come to understand a lot more about Italian wine and liquor than I ever thought I would through reading of this book.