jacqui c, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a dreary slog and the male-female dialogue gets downright irritating. I'm a Hemingway fan and I don't like that book. Still can't get through it. Definitely not Ernie's best. I prefer his short stories, especially the Nick Adams ones. Also, Islands in the Stream, To Have and Have Not (don't make the mistake of thinking you know the story if you've seen the movie; about all they have in common is the name and a bit of smuggling action), The Old Man & The Sea, etc. I don't like his war books as much.