(Spoilers) This book tells the story of a young American man who joins the Italian army during WWI. He drives an ambulance and is wounded in the knee. While in the hospital he falls in love with a nurse. Their love grows and he eventually knocks her up. He recovers and is sent back to the front just as it collapses against the Austrians and Germans. He becomes disillusioned and desserts. The couple flees to Switzerland to await the birth of their child.
Frankly, I didn't find this to be a great novel. The feel of it is more like that of a memoir as the protagonist describes in detail his daily actions. Part of this lends itself well to the story as you easily feel his comradarie with his fellow soldiers. The downside is that you kind of feel like you've been trapped into watching someone's vacation slides for 300+ pages.
The worst part of this book is the heroine. She is completely subservient and intent on creating a codependent relationship. At one point she wants them to get matching haircuts so that they can be the same person. Creepy.
The theme of the book is basically that life is hard and eventually it'll get you. Not very uplifting. I was kind of disappointed with this book. I've liked other Hemingway books. And I certainly envy his house. Not sure why this one was elevated above others.
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