The Snows of Kilimanjaro: And Other Stories (Vintage classics)

In his stories, you can find mystery, suspense, feminine psychology described like the Lord, all blended in intensiveness, his own, which is so characteristic of his work.

Brilliant short stories.

This is an extremely slim volume of Hemingway's short stories including the classic Snows of Kilimanjaro. As good as the contents is, it's really only 137 pages and therefore a little steep for the price. Some of the stories are also only two or three pages long, although it's amazing how much he can pack into just two pages (On the Quai at Smyrna). If you're new to Hemingway this might not be the best book to get, but it nevertheless makes fascinating and powerful reading. Contents: Snows of Kilimanjaro, Up in Michigan, On the Quai at Smyrna, Indian Camp, Doctor and the Doctor's Wife, End of Something, Three-Day Blow, Battler, Very Short Story, Soldier's Home, Revolutionist, Mr and Mrs Elliot, Cat in the Rain, Out of Season, Cross-country Snow, My Old Man, Big Two-hearted River parts 1 and 2.

This is a slim book containing a number of stories, most of four or five pages long. In fact, it's hard to call them stories in most cases; rather, they're just snippets of dialogue. The style seems typical of Hemmingway (as much as I have read so far), intense, punchy and personal. I enyoyed the title story, but I found without the framework of a linking storyline, I lost interest part way through the book. Probably, it's the sort of thing that best read a story at a time, maybe if you have ten minutes each day on the train. If you're looking for a cracking story, look elsewhere, but those who enjoy Hemmingway might welcome the small doses this book hands out.