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    The Old Man and the Sea
    The Old Man and the Sea
    The Old Man and the Sea
    Audiobook2 hours

    The Old Man and the Sea

    Written by Ernest Hemingway

    Narrated by Donald Sutherland

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    2007 Audie Award Finalist for Solo Narration—Male

    *Winner of the Pulitzer Prize*
    “A beautiful tale, awash in the seasalt and sweat, bait and beer of the Havana coast. It tells a fundamental human truth: in a volatile world, from our first breath to our last wish, through triumphs and pitfalls both trivial and profound, what sustains us, ultimately, is hope.” —The Guardian

    The last of his novels Ernest Hemingway saw published, The Old Man and the Sea has proved itself to be one of the most enduring works of American fiction. The story of a down-on-his-luck Cuban fisherman and his supreme ordeal—a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream—has been cherished by generations of readers.

    Hemingway takes the timeless themes of courage in the face of adversity and personal triumph won from loss and transforms them into a magnificent twentieth-century classic. First published in 1952, this hugely popular tale confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMay 1, 2006
    ISBN9780743565134
    Author

    Ernest Hemingway

    Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. His novels include The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1899, he died in Ketchum, Idaho, on July 2, 1961.

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    Reviews for The Old Man and the Sea

    4.5/5

    1,144 ratings231 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I loved the book and the film with Spencer Tracy when I was a youngster - I'm sure I saw the film first. The story made me so sad when I was young and it still manages to do so now. I've read it several times and I'm sure I will again. A sentimental favorite gets an extra half star from me when it doesn't fail on a re-read. This story grabbed me once again from the start. Hemingway's narrative was among his best and this is a great novella. It was very unique among the books I read long ago. It still is unique. The character of the boy who learned to fish from the old man is my favorite - he is so devoted and loves and cares for the old man deeply.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This short novel describes an incident from the life of an ordinary fisherman extremely well. There comes a time in everyone's life when one gets a chance to achieve all that one desires. It then depends on self, how far is one willing to go and how great a risk one takes. And sometimes, it is the 'big fish' that is driving and controlling us instead of the other way round.

      If you do not take the opportunity, you will never know what Luck has in store for you.
      I'd like to buy some (Luck) if there's any place they sell it,
      Yes, you can buy luck too. At the cost of persistence, which The Old Man rightfully pays.

      A man's most difficult struggles are known only to self.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a biased review. It contains spoilers, in memoriam sentimentality, and personal quips. Beware.

      Here's the deal: I'm fixing to be 27 in a little over a month. So I'm feeling pretty sentimental. Add in the *BOOM* of Father's Day coming and passing and the little bit of grief that starts pouring over the sides of the cup because of it and any father-ish Old Man deal is probably going to pluck at my nerves a bit. My dad died when I was seven. Unfortunately grief doesn't come and go in as much finality as the ones we grieve. It sticks with and shapes you a little here and there. That's not a bad thing though it can certainly feel like it. It brings tears but it can also bring self-reflection, wisdom, and a wealth of compassion. Consider this the silver lining look of things from someone who also knows what shit it is to lose someone so vital. You get good things you might never have experienced but you also get the anger, confusion, and emotional distortion that plays loud and heavy in a lot of different areas at different times in your life.

      Don't worry, this is leading somewhere.

      I was lucky. I had a good dad for seven years. He was a mixed bag guy doing the best he could in his nerdy, pocket-protector-wearing way. He had a strong sense of character and he believed in things like spending time with your kid, cooking for your family as an expression of love, that you work hard no matter what, you take care of family (no matter what), and that Indiana Jones is and always will be a total badass. Oh, and that dry alphabits cereal with the rainbow marshmallows is the best movie night food and fierros are the best cars even if they keep catching on fire and you end up having to get a tow home on a late night Krystals run in your ratty scrub pants that you insist on never throwing out (because no one's ever going to see them, right?). He sang Amazing Grace in church and made his little girl believe it really did exist out there in the world.

      It's this man that I remember at Father's Day and this man that gave me the wisdom to fall in love with books. It was also this man's few possessions I was going through a few days ago while searching for my parent's wedding album for my mom. Amongst the old bomber jacket, a red telescope, old chess set, and other memorable odds and ends sat The Old Man and the Sea. Surprisingly not noticed prior to this which is a bit odd to me to say the least. My dad was enamoured with books and learning but most of his books sat on my shelves long after he died, wrapping me up in comfortable and familiar prose whenever I needed them to. This book, however, was mixed up in Scientific American mags and old almanacs.

      I pulled it out and figured it might be interesting to see why this particular book was liked by him so much that the dog-eared pages were clearly visible after all this time. (Not to mention I needed a book with an "O" for a reading challenge, fortuitous no?) It was pretty easy to get the picture within the first few pages.

      You're introduced to a wise old man whose luck has fallen flat. However, he has a wealth of character and strength despite this fact and he happens to be respected and loved for it by a young boy that looks up to him and by the community he inhabits. It's this character that prompts his will to work hard, to do things the right way, to have respect and love for what he does and the scheme of his life that consists of religion, cultural belief, identifying with animals (even the ones he survives on) and seeing them as lives that should be respected and honored, and a personal reserve that he's more in tune with than most people seem to be. Even though he has this wisdom and reserve, he's also human in his stubbornness and his fight with his catch and the sad denouement that results because of his fallacy, pride, and said stubbornness.

      I was lucky. I caught a glimpse of my dad in this book. A glimpse that showed me why he was probably moved by this book in particular or by Hemingway in general. Why it would appeal to his sense of rightness in the world, his character and wealth of humility and strength. Even his stubbornness.

      It's sappy and sentimental but it's human. And while the fish may just be a fish and my dad was certainly just my dad- I'm happy in my human sentimentality and happy in experiencing this book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Two legends. Wonderful reading by Sir D.

      Just Great! And so quick. (~2 hours)
    • 5/5
      I do not know why I love it so much but it is simply spectacular. It appeals to the deepest parts of every person. Loyalty, honor, and strength in suffering.
    • 5/5
      My boys loved it. Great voice over for story. Spectacular.
    • 5/5
      The big heart of that old men and his goal for that big fish in that age
    • 4/5
      Good summer book! Easy to read, simple but meaningful.
    • 5/5
      I like to read the favourite books of other people, in doing so I always look for what they saw in it. It was easy for me to find greatness in this short classic. The writing is simple, deceptively simple. There is very little personal feeling explained, but actions and comments slyly placed give us what we need to create a full picture of the old man of the title. The absence of explanation allows the reader to use the character's actions and statements to form their opinions of the characters, rather than relying on the author telling us that they are kind, subtle, humble, hardworking or whatever it is that they area. Anything said about the plot, including the one word I have to describe the entire thing, would give it all away, so avert your eyes now as I say what this novel is about. Futility. Beautiful, gentle and very real futility.
    • 5/5
      Wow. That's all I could think when I finished this story. Wow. The language was just beautiful. The themes that played out in the old man's mind, and in his struggle with the sea, are ones that resonate with all of us. Courage in the face f adversity, the struggle to tame nature or to simply to survive and the determination to succeed are all themes we can relate to. As is the spectre of our aging bodies being unequal to the tasks at hand. The Old Man and the Sea is a sad story that will easily withstand the ravages of time.
    • 5/5
      Like Moby Dick, The Old Man and The Sea clearly isn't for everyone. But I loved it. You don't pick this one up for the plot, you pick it up for what it says about the human condition. About each one of us, more so the older we get. Life is a struggle. Sometimes we get lucky and something amazing happens. But even then, does it really matter? We can feel proud and we can feel shame, we can face the world as an impoverished Cuban fisherman or as the great Joe DiMaggio, we can feel energy or exhaustion, and we can put up brilliant and incredible fights? but in the end, does it matter? We all die. We all struggle and die and then are eaten. That sounds horribly depressing, I realize, but it's not! Truly! How freeing to know that no matter what you count as your personal successes and failures in life, we all end up the same way. The trick is just to keep fighting. Just keep striving for better, for stronger, for longer. Be content with what you have and what you've achieved, yes, and allow others their own choices, but strive, always strive.Santiago is like some kind of Zen master, never begrudging the other fishermen for their success, still loving the boy even though he has had to join a more successful boat, and deeply respecting the marlin who struggles so epically and forms such a worthy adversary. The sharks finally snap the calm, peaceful thread through this story, the sharks that defeat the old man. There will always be sharks. There will be 85-day stretches without a fish. There will be giant marlins who fight for 3 days. There will be times you have to eat dolphin without lime or salt. The nobility of these struggles comes not from the struggle themselves, but out of how we react to them. Each of us has a choice at every moment to get angry, bitter, and frightened. Or, we can choose to recognize the ultimate meaninglessness of these tiny battles and accept life for what it is. This story could very well be the defining one of Santiago's life. But who will know about it outside his village? How much will he even tell the boy? This is just one small story in the course of one small life, the kind of thing that gets quickly forgotten by everyone else. But what is a life but a series of small stories--accomplishments mixed with failures? And what can a story from another small life contribute to mine?
    • 5/5
      "He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty four days now without taking a fish" p3 So begins this beautiful, elegantly written fable. Finally, on the eighty-fifth day, Santiago's luck changes for the better when he hooks a giant marlin. The strength of this majestic creature is immense, for he tows the boat far out to sea. For days, the old man bides his time, ignoring his pain, getting by with minimal sleep and food, gradually reeling him in. Once he succeeds in harpooning him, he is so huge that he has to be lashed to the side of the boat. But by now he is some days sailing away from home and these are shark infested waters. Indeed, the journey back is nothing short of heroic......... This wonderful, mesmerizing short story is simply and exquisitely told. Hemingway fails to put a foot wrong. Although it is barely two hours worth of reading, this delightful tale will remain in your memory for years to come.
    • 5/5
      This is the third time I've read The Old Man and the Sea, and I can't say I've ever really liked or appreciated it as much as I did this time around. As short as it is, this work is a quintessential classic of both American literature and literature in general. The last two times I read it, once as a too-cool-for-school high school student, and later as a surly Lit major who was burned out on Hemingway, I didn't enjoy it quite as much, true... But I can say that every time I've read it, it's broken my heart the way only a really good story can.
    • 5/5
      I can see why this is a classic. A fairly short and fast-moving yarn with great characterization of the old man and fascinating descriptions of the creatures of the sea. Flying fish, sharks and more! I read this in about 2 days, which is saying something for me.
    • 5/5
      Barebone style that tightly fits the simplicity of the old man and his struggle for life, lets you feel the heat of the sun and the coolness of the sea. One could not add a word without impairing the book. The allegory of the line uniting the fish and the old man in this love and hate fight is so powerful. One of the 10 books to take with me in a desert island.
    • 4/5
      Very very profound and well-thought book, especially for such a short novel, the imagery is well-structured, the mood and thoughts it invokes are unique.
    • 5/5
      The story of an old fisherman's determination and resilience in the face of adversity is both poignant and inspiring. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and beautifully written novel. It meant more to me now that I'm older than it did in high school
    • 5/5
      A very good book about an old man persevering to catch a fish. Sounds boring but it is actually quite interesting.
    • 5/5
      great story!
      really enjoyed listening! loved the voice actor!
    • 4/5
      My first Ernest Hemmingway book and I found his simple style refreshing.My favorite line: "Fish, I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends."The author endears you to the boy and the old man in many ways ie by the respect the boy carries for the old man, references to baseball and Joe DiMaggio. The heaviness of gulit the old man felt was a weight on myself as the reader. Hemmingway's characters emotion was very real to me.Why did the old man want the big fish so badly? I have many possible answers. Not a book just about an old man and a big fish or maybe... it was.
    • 5/5
      Such an incredible classic! I read it years ago, and now listening to it brings me joy!
    • 1/5
      Terrible.

      This has been on my to read list for a really really long time now (maybe 16 years). When I was in college I asked one of my friends what it was about and I thought she was being extra obnoxious when she literally just scoffed and said "its about an old man and the sea" then started complaining about it laced with expletives. Now I can see that that was actually a pretty good summary.

      It just goes on and on and it really irritated me due to how unrealistic it is taking me out of the immersion. You expect me to believe that an 80 (or whatever) year old man gets dragged out to sea by a fish in his tiny little boat with one tiny ass bottle of water, 1 tiny bit of tuna and he DOESN'T die of heat stroke??? Let me tell you I've been on a tiny fishing boat with a bunch of fishermen plenty of times since we live in the islands and people go island hopping all the time and let me tell you when the intense 2-4pm afternoon sunlight hits even the fishermen get uneasy due to how hot it is even if they are used to it. And during certain times of the day they don't go out because of how choppy the waves are (no mention of this at all) enough to capsize a boat. And you expect me to believe it dragged him out that far and what? They didn't even mention if the boat had an engine to drag that fish back? Did he use a damn paddle??? Or any mention of a bottle of gasoline on board enough to get your boat back to shore if you're THAT far out into the sea? Usually they have just enough gas to last the day as these are practical if the lifestyle is hand to mouth, but no research no mention of it at all just random blathering. Most of these people in the USA reading this probably haven't even seen an ocean because most of you are in the middle of your country so you wouldn't notice what you don't think about. The ocean is not the same as your lakes. And yes, I have heard stories of fishermen going crazy and taking tiny boats very far out and going to literally the other side of the islands and making it but not while wrestling 1500 lbs fish and sharks. And when he caught it and secured it for the love of God WHY wouldn't he start hacking at it and bringing the meat ONTO the ship. I understand not wanting to disfigure the fish but if it's a choice between that and LOSING all the meat to sharks no fisherman in their right mind who lives this lifestyle in these tiny fishing villages will choose that option. It's a very American take. They will start carving and hacking and putting the meat onto the boat as much as he can. If he can stab sharks he can start peeling off the fish meat and putting it on the boat. Absolutely Ridiculous.

      A book that I find actually portrays this lifestyle well, and gets the point across better is The Pearl by Steinbeck. One of my favorites.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely brilliant !!! Loved it.. Amazing experience really . Wow
    • 5/5
      A story that hurts, that makes us suffer as if the old man's suffering was our suffering, his victories and defeats, ours.
      In the end, just like the boy, we just feel like crying, perhaps because life is like that and continues its way: tomorrow is a new day.
      The narrator was excellent.
      I loved it.

    • 5/5
      Perfect. Stop reading and start listening. An excellent place to begin with Hemingway, and every bit as good to those who have read him before, or even just wanted to hear it again, as was the case for me.
    • 5/5
      G.O.A.T. THIS AND OF MICE AND MEN. THE BEST AMERCANSSẞ
    • 5/5
      WHAT a book. Wow, it was as epic as the fish was long. Beautiful. And Donald Sutherland reading seemed like a great fit in many ways (even if it should’ve been a Cuban/Latinx person reading it if it had been entirely true to the character, who was presumably Cuban). But his reading was respectful, and well paced and full of understanding of the story... just an epic story though, and sorrowful and good, full of good spirit and life. The sea is truly a world unto itself, and like no other in so many ways...add to that “the baseball,” and what more could you want?

      I would be curious the backstory of why Hemingway, being from the US, wrote a story about a Cuban fisherman. Had he spent much time there, anyone know? Maybe that could merit it a half a star or a star less depending on that, but it was a full and satisfying read, like the bites he got of the marlin before it was too late...
    • 5/5
      You can only understand a book by reading it. 5 star
    • 5/5
      A master piece I almost forgot how good his books are
    • 5/5
      Donald Sutherland is the perfect person to narrate this. I've listened to it three times.