A Farewell to Arms is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Ernest Hemingway in 1929. Much of the novel was written at the home of Hemingway's in-laws in Piggott, Arkansas. The novel is told through the point of view of Lieutenant Frederic Henry, an American serving as an ambulance driver in the Italian army during World War I. The novel is divided into five books. In the first book, Henry meets Catherine Barkley and their relationship begins. While at the front, Henry is wounded in the knee by a mortar shell and sent to a hospital in Milan. The second book shows the growth of their relationship as they spend time together in Milan over the summer. Henry falls in love with Catherine, and by the time he is healed, Catherine is three months pregnant. In the third book, Henry returns to his unit, but not long after, the Germans break through the Italian lines, and the Italians retreat.