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Apr 10, 2013lukasevansherman rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Did you know that the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers song is based on this book? Just kidding. Can you judge a book that was released posthumously? Hemingway was maybe the brand name American writer of the 20th century writer and someone realized there was lots of money to be made by publishing more of his books, which also includes "A Moveable Feast" (my favorite of his), "The Dangerous Summer," and "The Garden of Eden." Published in 1970, this three-part novel feels like a parody of Hemingway and you could enjoy yourself by playing a drinking game (I'd suggest rum) by drinking every time a stereotypically Hemingway thing happens: drinking, fishing, half-assed philosophizing, casual sexism, swearing, and manly men doing manly things. Coming in at over 400 pages, "Islands" is the opposite of his celebrated stripped down, blunt style. It's bloated, overwritten, and just plain bad in parts, like when he writes about the "rich whore smell." Ha! On the plus side, I discovered a new drink, the Tomini, which is gin, coconut water, bitters, and lime, although I'd sub rum for gin. Cheers.