What do You think about Across The River And Into The Trees (1998)?
I was disappointed. I am a Hemingway fan, but not of this book. The book is set in post-WWII Italy and the main character is a 50+ year-old US Army Colonel in love with an almost 19 year-old girl. They lament about their age difference since they know it is insurmountable which is understandable, but the dialog is horrible. She: "Don't speak rough." He: "I will try to be gentle." She: "It is so much better when you are nice" He: "I will try hard to be nice ... How long has it been since I said I loved you, Daughter." She: "Too long. Will you tell me now?" He: "Yes, I will tell you now. I love you." and so on and so on and so on. Geezus! I was hoping to understand via flashbacks what the Colonel's war experience truly was, but there wasn't enough in the book to transport me. The duck hunting description wasn't interesting enough to be included in the book. I do not think it really talked about how the couple met each other. The details of what caused his demotion from General were sketchy.There may have been enough subject matter to write a good book here, but Hemingway could not find it.
—Billrose
Hemingway masterfully uses dialog and character interaction to tell this story. 'Across the River and Into the Trees' is about a somewhat estranged US Army Colonel who spends the last three days of his life in Venice, Italy. The aging veteran of two World Wars knows his end is very near, so he visits his 19-year-old paramour and his friends in the city of canals, gondolas, and such. The Colonel's interactions with other characters, ghostly memories of his demotion from the rank of General, and all the bloody battles he has fought, continually flit through his mind. The Colonel is a fighting officer in nearly every aspect of his life. To him, class and occupation seem to be mere euphemisms for rank. He treats servers and attendants as underling soldiers. The people who don't understand how he thinks suffer the wrath of his quick temper. Even his love life and friendships are subject to the war metaphors that run throughout this novel. Written in third-person limited narration, 'Across the River and Into the Trees' is an elegy of sorts, which verbose authors should study and emulate. Hemingway reveals an intricate plot of a man's last days, and he also painstakingly crafts his characters throughout this relatively fast-paced classic. I didn't have to constantly remind myself to be patient while reading this one. It moved along quickly, yet it also `gave me a chance to ponder the deep and multi-faceted symbolism exhibited through The Colonel's reflections and internal conflicts.
—Tim Miller
This is a novel full of beauty laced with melancholy. It is, fittingly, set in Venice, itself an ancient and beautiful city that is slowly sinking into the sea. In part, it is a lament about the impossibility of going back to your youth once it is gone, but it is also a lesson in savouring what you have, a tribute to experience, and about knowing how to appreciate life in all its infinite subtlety. Cantwell is a WWII veteran who, knowing that he has not long left to live, has made his peace with the world and tries to enjoy every one of the small things that each passing day brings. He is fortunate to be loved by the beautiful, and much younger, Renata, which he does not question, although he does not know why she has fallen for him. He is kind and very patient with her, as well as being perceptive of her needs, in a way that a younger and less seasoned man may not be. He always reminds her of how beautiful she is, and that he loves her, although she claims not to understand what this means. He uses gentle words, fighting his natural tendency to be 'rough' with his language. He indulges her predilection for rising late in the morning, taking long walks on his own around Venice while she sleeps. Perhaps it is for these very reasons that he has her adoration. Across the River and Into the Trees is, as well as all the above, Hemingway's treatise on how to treat a woman.There are many small things to take from this book, and it is a story that has stayed with me far longer than most I have read. It is, possibly, best enjoyed at the time of life when the reader themselves is in the transition from youth into what is termed middle age. It is more understated than Hemingway's more popular works, but if you look for the fine detail, you will be rewarded.Luke F. D. Marsden (author of Wondering, the Way is Made)
—Luke Marsden
