To Have and Have Not

By: Ernest Hemingway

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

To Have and Have Not is the dramatic story of Harry Morgan, an honest man who is forced into running contraband between Cuba and Key West as a means of keeping his crumbling family financially afloat. His adventures lead him into the world of wealthy and dissipated yachtsmen who throng the region, and involve him in a strange and unlikely love affair.

Harsh, realistic, yet with one of the most subtle and moving relationships in the Hemingway oeuvre, To Have and Have Not is literary high adventure at its finest.

©1937 Ernest Hemingway. Copyright renewed 1965 Mary Hemingway. 1934 Hearst Magazine, Inc. Copyright renewed 1962 Mary Hemingway. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved

Critic reviews

"A truly classic author." (Library Journal)

Rambling Ernest at his best

No doubt Ernest Hemingway looked at life in a clear plain way. This story gets you inside the heads of many characters. Not really going anywhere, in no particular order, is the beauty of it. Simplicity and clarity of voice is the trademark, and what makes this another great listen from the man himself.

Hemmingway

Author is Hemmingway inticing and deep.
Will Patton gives a flawless dramatic performance! The tone of his voice is perfect for this book.

Profoundly eccentric; papa doesn't disappoint.

Typical Hemingway to lead you down a dark, seedy path to poverty and moral struggle. An intense story with plenty of inner dialogue, high drama and of course, gore. Cubans vs Conchs, but who has, and who has not? A treasure. 1937 classic.

Strange Hemingway

I can definitely hear Hemingway’s arrogance in this book. In his world, women aren’t very bright and love their men no matter how they are. It’s a compilation of several short stories combined together in a sort of patchy way. It’s rough and fairly unpleasant to read. Don’t waste your time!

The meaning of what Hemingway was really saying….

Overall, the meaning of "To Have and Have Not" lies in its exploration of the human condition within a capitalist society. It raises questions about the moral compromises individuals make to survive, the inequalities perpetuated by wealth, and the corrosive effects of a system that values material possessions above all else. Through its portrayal of struggle, desperation, and the human spirit, Hemingway's novel offers a poignant reflection on the complexities of life in a world divided by haves and have-nots.

Nostalgic read.

We just saw the movie and recently visited Key West where we toured Hemingway's home. "To Have and Have Not" was discussed during the tour so we thought we would reread (hear) a book we read in high school. Great listen -- colorful characters and a visit to history we have long forgotten. A little uncomfortable at the beginning with descriptions of African-Americans and terms we do not hear today.
Recommend this highly.

Female characters two dimensional

There is no doubt that Hemingway is one of the great writers of the 20th century. However his female characters are almost exclusively 2 dimensional. They are either scheming climbers or worshippers of their man. I suspect Hemingway is a bit of a misogynist.

My first read of Hemingway

A snapshot of how we pass through life with a glancing touch to those that surround us. Everyone was deeply entrenched in their own take on life. The rich and poor, all having a feeling of having no real control over their circumstances. Each trying to cope the best way they knew how.

Written 90 years ago, it displays the truth that life never really changes, just the players and the roles they are tossed into.

Realism

Not at his best but not his worst. If your into the keys and the ocean and Cuba, give it a try.

Not Humphrey Bogart ...

I was curious to read the novel with the same name as the Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall movie. Mostly, I'm disappointed, but probably because of my uninformed expectations. About the only elements the book and movie have in common are a few of the characters and small-boat sailing of the Caribbean. The movie changed the setting (both time and place) and provided a much different story arc.
Hemingway wrote this book as a series of vignettes around the "protagonist," Harry Morgan. Harry's antagonist is Fate. And he looses. Harry is a skilled sailor in the 1930's operating a small boat between Key West and Cuba. As times grow harder and Fate contrives against him, he is forced to take less savory jobs to support his wife and daughters in Key West. (Yep, no slim blond girl to fall in love with. Sorry Lauren Bacall.) He personifies the "Have Not" regular guy.
Threads of other characters shape the "Have" side of the title. People who are more well-to-do, but with less courage and morality than Harry. These characters display pitiful traits and feel sorry for themselves. They provide the social dichotomy that seems the point of the book.
Hemingway's story is very much a product of his time (the Depression) and probably his own experiences in the Spanish civil war. It is gritty, unsparing details of injury and pain. As Harry's narrator, Hemingway uses racist labels freely, but in a weird way does not act bigoted. The best parts of the writing were the loving details given to the waters between Cuba and the Keys, and the fishing and boating.
Noteworthy narration: Will Patton's performance was very, very good. Accents, tone, pacing, and intensity ... He truly made this audible book worth listening to.