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Title: Hemingway: relentlessly realistic dialogue...
Review: It's been a long time since I read Hemingway. This was my first time for "A Farewell to Arms." It's a slow starter, but I learned to pace myself. The action is restrained but steady, and I realized gradually that a key element is the relentlessly realistic dialogue. The American protagonist, Frederic Henry, is involved in every scene. The life of the book is his life. His recurring, desultory involvement in his own life and his role in the Italian Army in World War I is the backdrop of his elaborately played out relationship with the nurse, Catherine Barkley. "A Farewell to Arms" doesn't really seem to be a war novel. On the other hand, except for brief interludes, the characters really don't seem to be at peace. For Henry, it's an ironic farewell.
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