Quote (Paran0id @ Jul 31 2012 12:35am)
I've only read Old Man and the Sea so I can't judge all his work.
But based on what I've read as well as the opinions of people that I respect, I think Hemingway is tremendously overrated.
His stuff is the very definition of light reading. If you just want to turn off your brain and relax, Hemingway is the way to go.
I've read a lot of Hemingway's works; one of the main styles he experimented with involved removal of complicated syntax. IE: he used simple sentences frequently as you mention. However, I think "turning your brain" off is a bit of an overstatement.
Honestly, I think you either really like him, or you really hate him. So, read about 100 pages or so, and gauge from there.
The Sun Also Rises is usually read in American literature classes in high schools; I didn't care much for it.
I quite enjoyed A Farewell To Arms, Garden of Eden, A Moveable Feast, and For Whom the Bell Tolls. I haven't read The Old Man and The Sea or other works, but that particular one is highly rated I believe.