A Farewell to ArmsA Farewell to Arms
Score Classic
What it's about
During the First World War, Frederic Henry, an American lieutenant driving ambulances for the Italian army, falls in love with Catherine Barkley, an English nurse. After he's wounded, she cares for him in a hospital in Milan. Then he returns to the front, the Italian army collapses in retreat, and Frederic decides to escape the war, with Catherine.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels and is Hemingway's great war love story, drawn from his own wounding in Italy.
You'll love it if you liked
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Sun Also Rises
The English PatientGood to know
It's short and spare. The ending is famously sad.
By the numbers
- Readers14 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller31 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #243 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #599 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2097 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Uplifting
More by Ernest Hemingway
A Moveable Feast
The Old Man and the SeaFor Whom the Bell TollsThe Sun Also RisesIf you like this, read next
The Brothers Karamazov
The Thorn Birds
The Age of Innocence
The Great Gatsby
Middlemarch
LolitaExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is A Farewell to Arms worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels and is Hemingway's great war love story, drawn from his own wounding in Italy. It ranks #2,097 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Farewell to Arms about?
During the First World War, Frederic Henry, an American lieutenant driving ambulances for the Italian army, falls in love with Catherine Barkley, an English nurse. After he's wounded, she cares for him in a hospital in Milan. Then he returns to the front, the Italian army collapses in retreat, and Frederic decides to escape the war, with Catherine.
How long does it take to read A Farewell to Arms?
About 9 hours (352 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Farewell to Arms?
If you liked it, try For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway or The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje.