Across the River and Into the Trees

The last of Hemingway's full-length novels to be published during his lifetime. Across the River and into the Trees is a poignant love story set in Venice during World War II. Taking place over a period of only hours, this tender and moving novel conjures up the magic of Venice--the canals, the bars, and the cosmopolitan hotel life--and captures in Hemingway's inimitable voice the tragedies of war on their most personal level.

HEMINGWAY'S POIGNANT TALE OF A LOVE FOUND TOO LATE Set in Venice at the close of World War II, Across the River and into the Trees is the bittersweet story of a middle-aged American colonel, scarred by war and in failing health, who finds love with a young Italian countess at the very moment when his life is becoming a physical hardship to him. It is a love so overpowering and spontaneous that it revitalizes the man's spirit and encourages him to dream of a future, even though he knows that there can be no hope for long. Spanning a matter of hours, Across the River and into the Trees is tender and moving, yet tragic in the inexorable shadow of what must come.