The Sun Also Rises | Hemingway (1926) Review
This Canterbury Classics compilation of Hemingway stories includes: “The Sun Also Rises”, “The Torrents of Spring”, and three stories and ten poems by a beloved author. While the other stories and poems were enjoyable, this review specifically covers The Sun Also Rises – what I enjoyed about it, disliked, and some favorite quotes.
I found The Sun Also Rises to be most relatable in aspects of friendship, love, and heartbreak; however, I think it’s most important to discuss the historical background that impacted Hemingway’s writing first. This novel was published in 1926 shortly after the end of World War I. It can be considered semi-autobiographical as the characters resemble Hemingway and his friends. There is a quote on the first page of the book that says “you all are a lost generation” which came from Gertrude Stein, an author friend of Hemingway. The group dubbed themselves “the lost generation” as they traversed through Paris and other parts of Europe, trying to figure out what they were going to do with their lives. The reason they felt so lost was because they were essentially forced to grow up during the first World War. According to Britannica, “the generation was ‘lost’ in the sense that its inherited values were no longer relevant… spiritual alienation from a United States that, basking under Pres. Warren G. Harding’s ‘back to normalcy’ policy, seemed… hopelessly provincial, materialistic, and emotionally barren” (Lost Generation). The Sun Also Rises captures the essence of the post-WWI generation.
With some historical context in perspective, let’s get into the story. The reader follows five main characters as they discuss “what-ifs” in clubs and cafes, travel around Paris and Spain, argue drunkenly, and witness bullfighting at its finest. Our main character, Jake, also the narrator shares a first-person point of view of his friend group’s interactions with one another and their adventures. The other characters are Robert, Brett, Bill, and Mike. Each of the characters was unique, to say the very least, and the only one I truly ended up not disliking was Robert. You’ll have to read the story to understand why, though, and I’d be willing to bet that there would be a majority in agreement.
The general setting of Hemingway’s novel is Europe; however, if we zoom in on the map a bit more, we’ll find the group of friends in various Parisian cafes as well as their sojourn in Pamplona, Spain. The story starts out with an important conversation between Jake and Robert. During this conversation, Robert tells Jake “I can’t stand it to think my life is going so fast and I’m not really living it”. Jake responds with, “nobody ever lives their life all the way up except bullfighters”. This initial conversation sets the tone and context for what happens throughout the rest of the book.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
So, how did they wind up in Spain? Bill and Jake went on a curiosity voyage to watch the Fiesta de San Fermin, or the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. The rest of the group decided to meet the two later on. Robert stayed behind to meet Brett and her new boyfriend, Mike in San Sebastian and they traveled to Pamplona after that. The group drinks and parties in Spain, watches the bullfights and the running of the bulls. It was a week-long fiesta that practically ends in the group parting ways. At the height of the fiesta, which is also the climax of the novel, the friends are so belligerently drunk and decide to air out some harsh truths about how they act and treat each other. Brett decides to leave Mike for a bullfighter (just for that week), which he is somehow okay with. Jake has been in love with Brett for quite some time and can’t seem to get her where he wants her. The entire group turns on Robert, who essentially minds his business a majority of the time.
The fight almost breaks up the friend group and Jake goes back to Paris where he claims everything is easier, still pining for a woman that couldn’t care less about him. I thought the opening to part III of the book, “in the morning it was all over”, was a breath of fresh air after all the unnecessary drama. It seems as if this was stating that the novel was ending, the friends might not be friends anymore, and the Fiesta was over.
Back in Paris, Jake and Brett catch up. Yes, I was disappointed, too. Their final words to each other are:
“Oh, Jake, we could have had such a damned good time together.”
“Yes, isn’t it pretty to think so?”
I did feel sorry for Jake because he had spent so much time going after the girl that chose to flirt around with several other men. She had proved time and time again that she was unsure of what she wanted; but, couldn’t quite let go of her idea of him.
All in all, I loved this classic from Ernest Hemingway. I found it to be relatable of friend groups I’ve had. It was bittersweet and timeless. I think anyone could learn something from reading this tale.
Source: Editors, Britannica. “Lost Generation.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Lost-Generation. Accessed 21 Sept. 2025.