content: The Old Man and the Sea is one of the most elegant stories ever written. I have read it twice and enjoyed it immensely both times. The writing has such grace and is so refined and perfect that I could not possibly imagine any sentence being rewritten for the better. The story is wonderful, and, like all great tales, it works on many levels. This is the best book Hemmingway ever wrote, the truest, the most well written. I know I will be reading it again and again throughout my life.