ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES

HEMINGWAY, ERNEST

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.