This is a book written by Ernest Hemingway and was first published in 1952 in England. the book tells the story of a Cuban Fisherman who is devoted to fishing and has spent all his life out in the sea.
In the story the man had been going through a spell of 84 bad days fishing. until one day he goes out in his boat and hooks the biggest marlon he had ever seen. the fish tows him many miles out to sea, further than the man has gone before while fishing. he endures a 3 day battle with the large fish, during those days he reflects on his life and questions his ability to catch the fish.
i was surprised at the beginning of the book as i had read the blurb before starting and i had been wondering how could ernest hemingway have made a whole book out of this storyline? but after reading the first 2 pages i was caught in the story and couldnt put the book down 'til i was finished.
the story is written from a 'fly on the wall' point of view, and basically follows the man on his journey watching how he cares for himself and how he steadys his mind while at sea and while dealing with the battle with the fish. throughout thte story the reader becomes very close to the man in a way. we can almost predict his actions and feel for him as we share his emotional stress. he is a very lonely man, his wife had died a few years earlier and his only real friend is a young boy who used to go out fishing with him. the boy was no longer alowwed go with the old man though as the boys father saw the man as unlucky as he hadnt caught a fish in over 80 days.
so during his battle he wishes on numerous occasions that the boy had come with him on this trip to help him with the big catch.
after reading this book i would definatly reccomend it to anybody looking for a book to read. the story is great for someone looking for an easy read but delivers the same amount of enjoyment as a much longer novel. i will definately be reading this book again or other books from this author again.
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