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Across the River and into the Trees

ernest hemingway

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Soon to be a major motion picture starring Liev Schreiber!

A poignant tale of a revitalizing love that is found too late—the fleeting connection between an Italian countess and an injured American colonel inspires light and hope, while only darkness lies ahead.

In the fall of 1948, Ernest Hemingway made his first extended visit to Italy in thirty years. His reacquaintance with Venice, a city he loved, provided the inspiration for Across the River and into the Trees, the story of Richard Cantwell, a war-ravaged American colonel stationed in Italy at the close of the Second World War, and his love for a young Italian countess.

A bittersweet homage to love that overpowers reason, to the resilience of the human spirit, and to the world-weary beauty and majesty of Venice, Across the River and into the Trees stands as Hemingway's statement of defiance in response to the great dehumanizing atrocities of the Second World War.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,1950
Places
venice, italy, 

This edition

Format
272 pages, Hardcover
Published
April 15, 1998 by Scribner
ISBN
9780684844640
ASIN
0684844648
Language
English
Characters More characters

More editions

About the author

Profile Image for ernest hemingway

ernest hemingway

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Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Best known for an economical, understated style that significantly influenced later 20th-century writers, he is often romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle, and outspoken and blunt public image. Most of Hemingway's works were published between the mid-1920s and mid-1950s, including seven novels, six short-story collections and two non-fiction works. His writings have become classics of American literature; he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature, while three of his novels, four short-story collections and three nonfiction works were published posthumously.
Hemingway was raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school, he spent six months as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star before enlisting in the Red Cross. He served as an ambulance driver on the Italian Front in World War I and was seriously wounded in 1918. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms. He married Hadley Richardson in 1921, the first of four wives. They moved to Paris where he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and fell under the influence of the modernist writers and artists of the 1920s' "Lost Generation" expatriate community. His debut novel The Sun Also Rises was published in 1926.
He divorced Richardson in 1927 and married Pauline Pfeiffer. They divorced after he returned from the Spanish Civil War, where he had worked as a journalist and which formed the basis for his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Martha Gellhorn became his third wife in 1940. He and Gellhorn separated after he met Mary Welsh Hemingway in London during World War II. Hemingway was present with Allied troops as a journalist at the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris. He maintained permanent residences in Key West, Florida, in the 1930s and in Cuba in the 1940s and 1950s. On a 1954 trip to Africa, he was seriously injured in two plane accidents on successive days, leaving him in pain and ill health for much of the rest of his life. In 1959, he bought a house in Ketchum, Idaho, where, in mid-1961, he died of suicide.

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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100 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
ShadowKat122
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 14,2025
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Is it possible to love a book just for the atmosphere it creates, the pictures you get when reading it? Certainly.

There was, and still is, a great deal of pressure and expectations placed on any Hemingway novel.

It is true that some of his works are better than others, and some may not quite meet the high standard one would expect from such a highly acclaimed author.

However, who am I to judge how an author's life should be permitted to influence his works?

In “Across the River and into the Trees,” Hemingway strikes a remarkably melancholic tone, a tone that I recognize from Thomas Mann's Death in Venice.

The scenery is similar, with death lurking nearby. You think about your life, the one you always wished you had lived and the one that it actually turned out to be, and it is far too late to change anything.

Past loves, pastimes that have passed, wars you have fought in, friends you used to have, some gone and some just so distant, all are memories. Some memories are clear, while others are like shadows, but they are all just memories.

You long to relive it all, and the heavy, low-hanging mist not only obscures your vision of the ducks you are hunting but also blocks the mirror through which you are attempting to see your life.

I love this book for this very reason. I can physically sense the mist covering everything, I can feel the pain of the colonel, and I can envision Venice in the misty morning.

It creates a vivid and immersive experience that draws me in and makes me feel as if I am a part of the story.
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Argovault
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 14,2025
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He should have been banned from writing about women.

His portrayal of women in his works was often inaccurate and demeaning.

He seemed to have a limited understanding of the complexity and diversity of women's experiences.

His writing failed to capture the true essence and strength of women.

By continuing to write about women in such a way, he was perpetuating harmful stereotypes and misunderstandings.

It was clear that he was not capable of presenting a fair and respectful view of women.

Therefore, it would have been appropriate to ban him from writing about this topic until he could improve his perspective and writing skills.

This would have protected the dignity and rights of women and ensured that his works did not cause further harm or offense.

Perhaps with time and reflection, he could have learned to write about women in a more positive and empowering way.

But until then, a ban was a necessary measure to safeguard the integrity of women's representation in literature.

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CJ_hope
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 14,2025
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A touching and romantic story about the reality of people.

We carry our past with us no matter what we do.

If one knew that he would not survive, would he not spend the remaining few hours beside his beloved? We all make mistakes...

This story makes us think about the value of time and the importance of our relationships. We often take things for granted and do not realize how precious they are until it is too late. The characters in the story face difficult choices and have to deal with the consequences of their actions. It shows us that love is not always easy, but it is worth fighting for. Through their experiences, we learn about forgiveness, acceptance, and the power of love to heal. This story is a reminder that we should cherish every moment with the people we love and not let our past mistakes define us.
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DrBochka
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 14,2025
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One of the last novels penned by Hemingway, this work offers a swift and engaging read.

The average chapter length is a mere six pages, and the dialogue far outweighs the exposition. Hemingway's characteristic spare and direct style is on full display here.

With his gruff and muscular tone, and his penchant for war, drinking, fighting, and love, the novel is surprisingly free from obscenity.

The story revolves around an older American former Army colonel who is smitten with a teenage Italian countess.

The narrative spans just a few days at the conclusion of their relationship. Set in Venice, the novel beautifully evokes the charm of that city.

There is a tenderness in the relationship between the colonel and the countess; he refers to her as his last and only true love.

They spend their time dining, strolling through the city, and taking gondola rides along the canals.

He regales her with tales of war and life in America, and they playfully plot their future as a married couple in America, though they both know it will never come to pass.

One of Hemingway's talents was to extract art from war. He achieved this with the Spanish Civil War in For Whom the Bell Tolls, the First World War in A Farewell to Arms, and here with the aftermath of the Second World War.

He almost makes one yearn to visit Venice and sample Valpolicella.

In a letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald's biographer Arthur Mizener, Hemingway wrote, "Scott took LITERATURE so seriously. He never grasped that it was simply writing to the best of your ability and finishing what you start." Hemingway truly wrote well. It's a pity he ended his life before he could create more.

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Ongoingwhy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 14,2025
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**A Cringey Death in Venice**


Review of the Scribner’s Kindle eBook movie tie-in edition (February 1, 2024) of the Scribner’s hardcover original (1950).


“Jackson,” he said. “Do you know what General Thomas J. Jackson said on one occasion? On the occasion of his unfortunate death. … Then he said, ‘No, no let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.’”


I've read the cringey roman à clef of Across the River and Into the Trees several times without a review. When it came up as a Kindle Deal of the Day in May 2024 as part of the lead up to the expected 2024 release of the movie adaptation, I decided to give it one more go. And I actually had a break-through this time.


It is still cringe of course. The story has post-WWII U.S. Army Colonel Richard Cantwell visiting Venice, Italy. Diagnosed with a fatal heart condition, he wants to enjoy the city, his favoured Gritti Hotel, and the company of his young Italian countess Renata. The cringe shows in various ways. At the Gritti, the Colonel speaks with hotel workers as if they were part of a secret society. With Renata, the dialogue is a sort of mirrored baby talk as she is not a native English speaker. The fact that Cantwell is 50 and Renata is 18 (almost 19 as she says) adds to the cringe.


However, I could understand what Hemingway was possibly doing. It might be a form of "mirroring". Just like when you speak with a non-native speaker and adopt their way of speaking. In the book, much of Cantwell's manner of speaking is a "mirroring" of the Italians he encounters. Even among the cringe, there are still glimpses of the old Hemingway magic, like this quote:
“When people talk listen completely. Don’t be thinking what you’re going to say. Most people never listen.”



I won't repeat what I wrote about the roman à clef background when I reviewed Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Final Muse (2019). Seeing the trailer for the movie adaptation, there is hope that much of the cringe elements have been eliminated.


Trivia and Links


The film adaptation directed by Paula Ortiz is expected in August 2024, starring Liev Schreiber as Col. Richard Cantwell and Matilda De Angelis as Renata. There's no English language trailer yet, but you can turn on subtitles in all languages at the Spanish language trailer here. If you have free reads or are a subscriber to The New Yorker, you can read E.B. White's vicious parody Across the Street and Into the Grill from October 6, 1950.
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Matthew_S
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 14,2025
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Not really for me. I truly struggle with Hemingway's style. His writing seems to be so concise and spare that at times it feels almost too minimalist for my taste. I find it difficult to fully engage with the story when the language is so stripped down.


Moreover, the characters in his works often leave me feeling frustrated. They don't seem to have the depth and complexity that I expect from well-developed characters. Their actions and motives sometimes appear rather one-dimensional and not especially believable. It's as if they are mere puppets following a pre-determined script without any real autonomy or inner turmoil.


Perhaps I'm just not the right audience for Hemingway's writing. Maybe those who appreciate a more straightforward and unadorned style would find his works more to their liking. But for me, his writing and characters simply don't click, and I find it hard to get fully immersed in his fictional worlds.

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mc_anime_
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 14,2025
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Not as wise and knowing as For Whom the Bell Tolls nor as affecting as the romance in A Farewell to Arms, this book still manages to hit all the high notes of Hemingway's minimalist style. It also features the internal dialogs that the above mentioned works do not have.


Across the River and into the Trees presents the Hemingway hero in the unusual situation of having made it through life's scrapes alive. Richard Cantwell, a WWII veteran ex-patriot living in Venice, is having an affair with a 19-year-old Italian contessa while still consorting with other war veterans as he relives his glory days. Now "half a hundred" years old with a serious heart condition, he wants to enjoy a life of ease, yet it's not easy for him.


The occasion of the novel is the last three days of his life. He has one last fling with the teenage Renata and makes the rounds of his compatriots as he gets ready for one last duck hunt. There's not a lot of action, but Hemingway's gift for truly dazzling dialog and getting to the heart of a character in a few words is on full display. He captures the sights and smells of the setting beautifully.


It can be argued that his women are all the same, but women are not the focus of this Hemingway tale. Rather, it's Cantwell's desperate attempt to be satisfied with his life and finally "cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees" - and, in the end, Hemingway's - that is. I was swept away by this minor, but nonetheless important work by Hemingway.

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Singulariity
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 14,2025
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I know few people who approve of the crude writing of this author, immersed in direct dialogues and with little suggestiveness.

Therefore, trying to flee from the well-known war violence that is so much his, I sought refuge in a Venetian love. Colonel Cantwell presents a duality (in?)capable of being recognized in Hemingway: human virility and tenderness towards Renata.

I believe, more than ever, that these people are not entirely wrong, for it still does not convince me, but one has to know how to appreciate its bitterness.

However, in a book where "to live one day as a lion is better than a hundred years as a sheep", the author's mirror stands out: a fragile soul, where the scars of those who served in the American army have not yet healed.

Perhaps Hemingway's writing style is an acquired taste. Some may be put off by its roughness, while others find a certain charm in its directness.

The character of Colonel Cantwell, with his complex mix of strength and tenderness, is a fascinating study.

And the idea that "living one day as a lion" is more valuable than a long life of mediocrity is a powerful one.

Despite my initial reservations, I find myself drawn to the deeper themes and emotions that Hemingway explores in this work.

Maybe with further study and reflection, I will come to a better understanding and appreciation of his unique literary vision.
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