To Have and Have Not

Report by Mark

1 star

I feel like I should report on this book because it is the book I got on our Barnes & Noble Christmas trip but it was junk so I'll keep it short.

Its about a Harry Morgan, a rough guy who starts running contraband between Cuba and Key West. He is pretty much a jerk to a lot of people, kills some people for petty reasons, makes money and then (*spoiler alert) loses it, gets shot and suffers for a while, then dies.

After being to Key West several times I did really enjoy the description of the area and culture there. I also have always admired Hemingway's literary style. But if you want to read Hemingway don't start with this book. It is very disjointed and in the end has no redeeming qualities. After finishing it I went online to see if I was missing something and found this: film director Howard Hawks, who adapted the novel for his 1944 film, claimed that Hemingway had told him it was his worst book, and a "bunch of junk". I agree.