Although it was initially somewhat challenging to fully understand, this novel proved to be the most fulfilling Hemingway work I've read since "The Green Hills of Africa" and "To Have and Have Not". Published posthumously in 1980, after his death in 1961, and allegedly assembled by editors at Scribner's, it still maintains a solid narrative arc and a profound exploration of the twin themes of insanity and writing.
Set in the early 1920s, it tells the story of David and Catherine Bourne, a newlywed couple, and their extended honeymoon in France and Spain from March to September of their first year together. They are deeply in love, and Catherine has independent wealth. David, a published author of two books, continues to write while they spend their days swimming, eating, and making love.
Gradually, the seed of craziness infiltrates their love. Catherine first gets her hair cut to resemble David's, then becomes obsessed with darkening her fair skin. She even announces that she is a boy one day and a girl the next. Her flip-flops and strong willfulness become more prominent, as does her jealousy of David's newspaper clippings of reviews of his writings.
A chance encounter with Marita at a cafe leads to her joining them as another wife for David. This threesome works for a while, but eventually, Catherine calls her a "whore", and David finds solace in his workroom in the mornings.
The detailed examination of the writing process is the novel's most insightful feature. It offers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of what a writer thinks about while working. Hemingway's description of himself in this aspect reveals his desire to be honest. He writes about his relationship with Catherine and later attempts two stories about his experiences with his father in Africa.
Throughout the novel, Hemingway's writing style is both masterful and diverse. He is a master of the short, blunt phrase, but he can also write in lyrical descriptions. The main focus of the novel's descriptions is emotional, and Hemingway is also a master at character analysis. Catherine's deteriorating mental state, David's efforts to stay focused on his priorities, and Marita's kind soul are all artfully drawn.
The climatic action near the end of the novel is truly shocking, with the unbelievably selfish and inconsiderate action of one character leading to the almost blind rage of another and the loving, compassionate influence of the third. In conclusion, this novel is a first-rate exploration of love, insanity, and writing, and it is highly recommended.

The profound and sober depth of Hemingway overwhelms me, and it will take some time before I can say something meaningful about this book.

His writing style is so unique and captivating. Every word is in its right place, showing that "grace under pressure" that he is famous for.

I wish I could have the ability to write like this gentleman one day. His works are like masterpieces that leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Hemingway is truly a king in the world of literature. His stories are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking, making us reflect on life and human nature.

I look forward to delving deeper into his works and learning more from his writing skills. Maybe one day, I can also create something as wonderful as his.

The Garden of Eden wasn't my favorite book, to put it mildly. Seriously, what is this book even about?

David and Catherine are spending their (extended) honeymoon in the Mediterranean. David is busy writing his novels, while Catherine, well, I'm not sure what she's up to exactly. Maybe exploring new ideas and killing time until David finishes writing for the day. They are constantly drinking, swimming in the sea, and driving to the city. That's pretty much all they do. And then they meet Marita, a woman who, at Catherine's wish, sort of joins the relationship. David doesn't really agree to it, but things just get... exhausting.

I seriously dislike every single character in this book. They are all incredibly annoying, dull, and selfish. Catherine pressures David into having a love relationship with Marita. Marita ignores David's wish not to reciprocate her feelings. And David just lets both women push him around. He doesn't even say anything when Catherine starts acting up, calling Marita his whore, getting all jealous, and making his life unnecessarily difficult.

In addition to all that, I really disliked the dialogues. They didn't sound natural at all. I constantly found myself asking, "Who talks like that?" Nothing they said seemed to have any real substance.

The only thing I liked about this book was the story David was writing, about the elephant hunt with his father back in Africa. The moral conflict behind it and his relationship with his father were kind of interesting.

But other than that, this book was definitely not my cup of tea.

Love it! It's dark, it's sensual, it's confusing, it's weird (reversing gender roles?). It's truly a challenge! Definitely a book you'd have to pay close attention to while reading it. Hemingway's language is so simple and yet so subtle, and this work is astonishingly deep and scandalous! I really appreciate that this book isn't a vulgar sexfest. Although David does get passed between the women regularly (without complaint, mind you), as in "today you're mine, next two days you're hers", etc. This is the first Hemingway book I've read, so I don't know if he's prone to vivid or unnecessarily graphic sex scenes in his novels. But it's always pleasant to read a work that presents a sexual relationship without using the actual intercourse as a distraction from the absence of substance.

The only negative thing I have to say about it is that I don't really care for the characters. However, part of the reason I love this book is that Catherine is so infuriatingly insane and the three members of this absurd love triangle see nothing strange or perverse about their relationship. I don't like Catherine at all. She's jealous, possessive, and manipulative (although David is the epitome of a pushover, so that's partly his fault). Most of all, she's immature and selfish. I was actually glad when she lost her mind and took off on a train to Biarritz, and it was understood that she'd never come back. (Although I don't at all appreciate how Marita just falls right into Catherine's place, like a concubine in some imperial court getting promoted.) Among all the clever Adam and Eve parallels (David and Catherine are newlyweds, living in the paradise of the Mediterranean; Catherine brings Marita into the relationship and "bites" into her first and David soon follows; then the relationship falls apart and no one is happy, hopeful, but not quite happy), perhaps Hemingway is saying about Catherine what woman-haters have always said about Eve: she wasn't any good for him anyway.

Published after Hemingway's death, The Garden of Eden is his final novel, which effectively showcases his growth and struggle as a writer.

It delves into various topics that suggest Hemingway's inclination to deviate from society's norms, such as homosexual relationships, polygamy, and androgyny.

Hemingway's treatment of these subject matters reveals both his development and his decline. Although he toys with gender and sexuality in The Garden of Eden, his writing still harbors an unwavering undertone of misogyny and homophobia.

It seems that Hemingway utilized his writing as a means to explore the queer aspects of his own identity. Sadly, he passed away before he could further this self-exploration.

Overall, it is an interesting read that possesses more complexity than Hemingway's other novels, particularly concerning the interpersonal relationships of his characters.

I detest how Hemingway portrays Catherine as going crazy in the face of her desires, which reflects his sexism. However, I appreciate that he at least attempted to grapple with his complex emotions towards empowered women, gay relationships, and so on.

It is a fitting, albeit not outstanding, final work.

What I felt when reading this for the first time can be simply put: Hemingway struggles with writing women. His forte lies in ultra-masculine themes such as matadors, fishing, and lamenting absent fathers. Clearly, writing about women is not his strong suit.

(Old review: It would be better to read one of his short stories! In "The Garden of Eden", there are only a few redeeming qualities. Hemingway's writing style, the novel's setting in France and Spain, and the descriptions of their landscapes are among them. However, the rest is rather lackluster and a bit too sexually charged. To sum up the novel: it's about eating, drinking, and having sex. There's not much more to it. There is no in-depth character development, with childlike dialogues and characters who seem more like puppets than real people. The themes explored in the book are interesting, but Hemingway fails to fully exploit their potential and instead writes what feels like a pseudo-erotic novel. "The Garden of Eden" is stylistically weaker than most of his other works.)

Overall, while Hemingway has his strengths in certain areas, his portrayal of women and the execution of this particular novel leave much to be desired.

The Garden of Eden

The preface of this work is rather scary. It mentions that the book was incomplete and the publisher had to retouch the manuscript. As a result, it is probably his most criticized work. However, despite these drawbacks, beauty still runs through the entire text. There are intense passages that can really capture the reader's attention. But at the same time, I was a little embarrassed by all the detailed descriptions of cocktails and meals. It seems that these descriptions are a bit excessive and might have distracted the reader from the main plot. Nevertheless, the overall quality of the work cannot be ignored. The author's writing style is still very unique and engaging, and the story itself has a certain charm. Maybe with a bit of improvement in the editing and pacing, this could have been an even better work.

Although I have liked it, it is a slow but very intense book.

Every time the protagonist appeared, the rest of the story seemed to paralyze. What intensity! I couldn't handle her.

It is a very different book from what I have read of Hemingway. The fact that it deals with the sexuality of a newlywed couple and the discovery of unknown facets of the partner has made it not be published until almost the end of the 80s. American society was not prepared for what is told here in the era when Hemingway wrote it (in the 1950s).

Review: https://contandoteunlibro.blogspot.co...

This novel takes the reader on a journey through the complex and often tumultuous relationship of a young couple. The exploration of their sexual awakening and the challenges they face as they discover new aspects of each other is both fascinating and thought-provoking. Hemingway's writing style, as always, is简洁 and powerful, drawing the reader in and making them feel as if they are a part of the story.

Overall, "The Garden of Eden" is a unique and engaging read that offers a different perspective on Hemingway's work. It is a book that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

I could read this over and over and never get tired of it.

It has been firmly at the top of my favorite books list for an extremely long time.

It's simple and sparse, yet it manages to convey volumes about love and sex, men and women, our humanity, and our imperfection.

It's posthumous, and even though it differs from everything else he wrote, it still retains the essence of Papa.

This book has a unique charm that draws me in with each reading.

The simplicity of its language belies the depth of its themes.

It explores the complex relationships between men and women, delving into the aspects of love and sex with a rare honesty.

It also touches on the broader concepts of humanity and imperfection, making me reflect on my own life and the world around me.

Despite being published after his death, it still feels like a true work of the author, carrying his distinct voice and perspective.

I cherish this book and will continue to return to it time and time again.

When it's right, you simply can't recall. Each time you read it anew, it presents itself as an astonishing and almost unbelievable surprise. You find it hard to fathom that you were the one who created it. Once it's right, you can never replicate it again. You only manage to achieve that perfection once for each thing. And in your lifetime, you're only permitted a certain number of such moments.

I have a particular fondness for when writers incorporate elements related to writing within their books, especially when that writer is Ernest Hemingway. Indeed, he is renowned for his associations with drinking, hunting, and an abundance of masculinity, along with even more drinking. However, he is also an absolute legend. This book initially left me perplexed, but then I became completely immersed. The reason it doesn't receive five stars is solely because this book was unfinished, consisting of 200,000 words at the time of his passing. It was subsequently trimmed down by his publishers to 70,000 words, and it shows. The ending was as lackluster as a flat pancake.

I understand that they were attempting to fashion a structured book from all those words, but I believe I would have been more content with the book in its unadulterated, unfinished state as Hemingway left it.

Edit to round up to 4.0. The ending wasn't actually all that terrible if I woke up with it on my mind. :)

In a post-Midnight in Paris world, Hemingway's words seem to bear a striking resemblance to a parody of himself. However, once I managed to look beyond that initial impression, I found myself completely enamored with the language. I yearned for an endless vacation, motoring around Europe, engaging in boating and swimming activities, chatting with local fishermen, savoring brioche, and indulging in whiskey with Perrier while getting my hair done every three days.

After further reflection, I realized that this is one of those "Bitches Be Crazy" books where an absurd female disrupts the creativity of a man whose only fault was falling for her. The female character, Catherine, is an interesting one - I liked her more than some of Philip Roth's Crazy Bitches. She is headstrong and genderqueer. I believe she is meant to represent the protagonist's self-destructive alter ego, the part of him that exposes his vulnerability to the world rather than through his writing, and ultimately pays the price for it. This makes Marita - his blushing, passive, loyal, and sexy mistress, who immediately "gets" his writing - his stronger and more successful self.

If we view the three of them as aspects of one man, the novel can arguably be seen as less misogynist. But then again, what could be more misogynist than writing women who are merely aspects of a man? Perhaps that's the reason why this particular work wasn't published until after Hemingway's death. Nevertheless, I still have a craving for some whiskey and Perrier.

Not my favorite Hemingway, though I do understand the reason it was recommended to me.

There is a significant amount of drinking described within its pages. I believe my issue with the book lies in the fact that it seems to meander aimlessly, not really arriving at a clear point. This is perhaps a consequence of the book being published posthumously.

The story revolves around a newly married couple who are vacationing in France/Spain in the late 1920s. Every morning, the couple gets up, takes a swim, strolls through the countryside, and drinks in the cafes.

I truly did enjoy the way Hemingway crafts a sense of atmosphere. However, Catherine, the main female character, is essentially shown to be out of her mind within the first 30 pages. David, the main male character and a writer (and perhaps a stand-in for Hemingway himself), I never quite understood why he endures Catherine, let alone marries her. She is insane from the very beginning, and not in an endearing way, but in a psycho way. He allows her to run wild while he writes his novels.

The book gradually builds up the pressure of jealousy until the eventual tragic conclusion, which, as a reader, I could see approaching and wondered why the characters couldn't. I was losing interest because of this, but the end of the book was definitely worthwhile. I also relished Hemingway's writing on the nature of an artist creating, yet was frustrated by the David/Catherine relationship. I simply could not fathom why these two people were even together.