First published in 1925, “In Our Time,” marked Hemingway’s emergence as a promising American writer and introduced his distinctive lean, tough prose enlivened by an ear for the colloquial and an eye for the realistic. Influenced by his experiences as an ambulance driver during World War I, these stories showcase courageous, lonely characters, weaving thematically linked vignettes interspersed with numbered tales. Through spare, precise language, Hemingway delivers moral value and clear vision, even in the simplest of statements. He captures the dread of existence and the fleeting proposition of hope to pull one forward; but most of all, he embraces the reader with the feeling that they are not alone. If you’re curious about the early works of this iconic author, “In Our Time” is a compelling read illustrating the essence of Hemingway’s literary canon. ( )

Short Stories

Hmm, what to say about the book that supposedly marked Hemingway's USA debut and launched his career? Umm, it was ok. This was the first time I've ever read Hemingway, and maybe I need to talk to an English professor or something, but I don't get the allure. Eh, I guess it's not that I don't get the allure, it was a good book, I read it in one night. But I guess I just don't get what all the fuss is about. It was interesting, it was entertaining, but was it amazing, I don't think so. I remember being on a cruise for spring break one year, and we stopped in Key West for the day, and my friend and I were walking around and we saw Hemingway's house. If they preserve your house, and nickname you Papa, and all the other accolades and stuff, you must have been doing something right. What makes him so different from every other author out there. I hope someone can tell me, because I don't understand what makes him so special. His writing style was strange, almost like quick hit sentences. They were all very short and rapid fire. Is his style what does it? He was very descriptive, I could really visualize everything he wrote about it, is that it?
What can I say, besides all this rambling, I just don't get the fuss. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the book and it was good and fun and all that, I just don't get what makes Hemingway so beloved and all. ( )

In truth, I've already read In Our Time twice before. The first was back in 2013 when I read The Snows of Kilimanjaro, which grouped all the stories of In Our Time with two of Hemingway's best stories, 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro' and 'Up in Michigan'. The second time was in 2018, when I read The First-Forty Nine Stories, which contained those of In Our Time and plenty more besides. But as a long-time fan of Hemingway's writing, I wanted to have read every title, so I picked up In Our Time for the first time with great familiarity.

The good thing is that you grow more appreciative of Hemingway's short stories the more you read them. When I read that Snows of Kilimanjaro collection back in 2013, I was fairly new to Hemingway and much preferred his novels. His style was difficult to crack in short doses, where as a reader you lack the weight of a novel to break through your ignorance, and I remember describing 'Big Two-Hearted River' as "dull". By 2018, I had cracked it, and The First Forty-Nine Stories was like a revelation to me. The exquisiteness of many of the pieces became evident.

In Our Time, Hemingway's first major work, does not contain the best of his short stories. Those came later, as he honed his craft, and some of those in In Our Time can seem folksy and redundant. Some, like 'The Battler' and 'Cross-Country Snow', remain unmemorable to me even after reading them for a third iteration. But others like 'Indian Camp' and 'Soldier's Home', are stellar, and nowhere is my earlier point about growing appreciative of Hemingway's writing more apparent than in 'Big Two-Hearted River'. Having first thought this dull, an undynamic story of a young man on a fishing trip, casting for trout and brewing coffee, I've come to recognise it as a prime example of Hemingway's style. Hemingway wrote that he was "trying to do the country like Cézanne" did in his paintings, and when you read the story you do get that same rich, restful feeling you get from contemplating a fine landscape painting. As a collection, In Our Time isn't the most consistent example of the quality in Hemingway's writing, but it has plenty of moments that show excellent craft and the writer's fledgling genius. ( )

short fiction (classic literature, 1910s?). Short stories (including some very early flash fiction) and some connected stories (recurring characters/themes). Without the background context, some of this goes over your head, but just from the stories you can make sense of, you get that this is a great writer. ( )