Daniel Villines's Reviews > Across the River and into the Trees

Third Reading: December 2025

This third time through may be my last. I found that my sympathies for Hemingway were running very thin and were overpowered by terrible writing.

Throughout the novel, 50-year-old Colonel Richard Cantwell acts like an 8-year-old. He pals around with his fellow war buddies who form an imaginary "Order," which allows them all to constantly talk babbling nonsense to one another. Cantwell's nineteen-year-old girlfriend, Renata, also comes across as a eight-year-old, so maybe the two of them were indeed meant for each other in spite of their age difference.

The most mature thing about the novel is its attempt to impart reminiscences about WWII. This aspect of the novel could have been interesting in that it lightly covers Cantwell's experiences as a commanding officer during the war. Cantwell recalls how he was a pawn to the whims of his politically-minded commanders, discusses the mistakes he made in the name of duty, and gives credit to soldiers on both sides that acted with skill and honor towards their duty.

The problem with the WWII recollections is that the two eight-year-olds are constantly making googly eyes at each other throughout the tellings. Every other statement is a request for one or the other to tell one or the other just how much one loves the other. Added to this is Cantwell’s rather nauseating pet name for Renata, which is "Daughter."

I read what I wrote some 10 years ago after reading this novel for the second time and I still agree with my speculations surrounding this novel’s creation. However, in today’s world, as it has evolved over the past ten years, it has become a bit luxurious and a bit dangerous to give credit to anyone beyond the face value of their deeds and works. At present, Across the River and into the Trees is just a terrible novel.

---

Second Reading: December 2014

Yes, this book is not very good: probably two stars at best. And within the context of itself, that is all it's worth. But I found more to this book within the context of what I've come to know about Hemingway, which is just enough to be a danger to my own integrity.

By 1950, at the time of Across the River's publication, Hemingway had lived a hard life. He sustained injuries during his participation in three wars and he routinely abused himself through his excessive intake of alcohol. His mornings were set aside for writing and the rest of the day was dedicated to drinking. He must have begun to feel the betrayal of his body and his youthful illusions of immortality must have begun to crack. It had been ten years since the publication of his last book. Was he still relevant? I found these realities to be Hemingway's truths, which were instilled into his main character, Colonel (formerly General) Richard Cantwell.

To convey these truths, Hemingway departed from his traditional approach. In his previous novels, Hemingway treated emotions as a burden. It was a product of the plot and it was just another thing that had to be dealt with gracefully by his heroes. In For Whom the Bell Tolls, Maria had to be cared for and then pushed away by Robert Jordan for the sake of duty and the greater good. She was more of a responsibility than a great love.

Within Across the River and into the Trees, however, the emotional state of Richard Cantwell is something that cannot be gracefully managed. Cantwell is physically falling apart and he is grasping for youth and usefulness through his relationship with a young woman, Renata. Cantwell's feelings comprise the central message of this book and they had to be addressed by Hemingway. And even though the parallels between Cantwell and Hemingway's real life are clear, Hemingway falls short in his efforts.

Cantwell's own thoughts about his age, purpose, usefulness, and mortality are engrossing. But when Hemingway translates these thoughts into to dialogue the story falls flat. Hemingway, always stoic and disciplined, could not find the words needed to express Cantwell's emotions.

But Hemingway's downfall in dialogue is what I find to be interesting. Hemingway tried something new, failed, and went on to write a similar book that would win the Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes. In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway kept and built upon the truths concerning the decay of his body and his usefulness, but he avoided the need for prolonged dialogue about the emotions that such realities instill. He basically used the best parts of Across the River and into the Trees and enhanced them in The Old Man and the Sea.

I think Across the River and into the Trees has a meaningful and useful place among the novels that were published in Hemingway's lifetime. I consider it a study, or a preliminary sketch, even though Hemingway probably never thought about this book in that way, until it was too late.

---

First Read: September 2005