A Farewell to Arms Summary
Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms Summary

Book One

A Farewell to Arms opens in Italy during the First World War. The novel's main character, Frederic Henry, is a young American serving as a second lieutenant in the Italian Army. He is attached to a unit in Gorizia, in which he works as an ambulance driver. In addition to Frederic, the reader is introduced to two other characters: first a priest, who Frederic's friends enjoy baiting and teasing; and second Rinaldi, a good-looking Italian surgeon and a friend of Frederic's. He shares with Frederic the typical soldier's lifestyle of heavy drinking and frequent visits to the local brothels. When Frederic returns from a leave, Rinaldi tells him that a group of British nurses have arrived in the area to set up a hospital for the wounded. Rinaldi declares that he is in love with a nurse by the name of Catherine Barkley.

Rinaldi introduces Frederic Henry to Catherine... View more of the A Farewell to Arms Summary