Official Review: Hemingway's Daughter

[Kennedy NC]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Hemingway's Daughter" by Christine M. Whitehead.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Is it not fascinating to imagine the possibility of recreating your favourite writer's life? If you had the opportunity to change one thing about any of your favourite heroes who lived, what would that one thing be? For Christine Whitehead, she decides to write about late American journalist and fiction writer, Earnest Hemingway. Only this time, he had the daughter he so eagerly desired.

Hemingway's Daughter is a historical fiction that narrates the life experiences of Finley Richard Hemingway, daughter of Earnest Hemingway. We know in reality that Hemingway had only three sons, so this is a creation of the author's mind. However, such knowledge does not detract from the threads of authenticity and beauty weaved into this book. The reader abandons reality as he knows it and fully adopts Hemingway's life, as recreated by the author.

An alcoholic sometimes, other times, an insensitive husband. Yet, Hemingway is nothing short of extraordinary and lovable, revelling in his lifelong passion for writing, which he says defines him more than anything else. His daughter, Finley Richard Hemingway, adores him greatly despite his apparent flaws and shortcomings, always fighting to have his undivided attention. She desires, against all odds, to become a female litigation lawyer in a male-dominated society, for this has been her lifelong dream. More importantly, seeing her father was a constant victim of failed marriages and divorces, she desires intently to break the jinx and curse that attaches to every Hemingway: love always ends for the Hemingways, and usually, badly. Does she succeed in breaking the Hemingway Jinx? Find out by reading this intriguing fiction novel.

This book has numerous positive aspects. Firstly, I found no single error in this book despite its extensive length. This is proof of exceptional editing. Not only this, the recreation of the life of Hemingway to include a daughter he never had, added a variation to the life of the legendary writer that endears him even more to the readers. Through Finley's narration, we have a peep into his failings and significant victories. We observe the flaws in his character and the wisdom in his words. According to him, "...love is all there is", and it "...will find you if you refuse to find it. That's its mission."

In addition to the positive points listed above, the plot was intriguing and captivating. I found myself glued to this book right till the very last page. I found nothing to dislike about this book. Therefore, I give it a perfect 4 out of 4 stars rating. I recommend Hemingway's Daughter to everyone who enjoys reading historical fictions. In particular, I recommend it to all who will enjoy reading about perseverance and determination even in the face of adversity.

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Hemingway's Daughter
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[Kirsi Cultrera]

This book sounds very intriguing, what an idea to re-write someone’s life story like that! Giving Hemingway such a strong-willed daughter probably changed his life for good Thank you for introducing this exiting book and writing such a lovely review!

[Jagiine]

This is an interesting concept. I think I'm most curious to know what major events or habits the author proposed would've changed for Hemingway with having a daughter, if any. Thanks for your review!

[Deprise Evans]

I love the concept of this book! It sounds so interesting. While I have not yet read a novel by Hemingway, I am wanting to do so in the future. I will have to add this book to my TBR list. Thank you so much for your great review!

[Joyful17]

A book that keeps one glued to its pages is worth having. Thanks for your recommendation.

[maggi3]

This is such an interesting premise. I don’t know all that much about Hemingway, but I think I would still greatly enjoy this book. Thanks for the review and recommendation!

[marta baglioni]

This is going straight to my TBR. Super intriguing! Thank you

[Becca Olsson]

This sounds incredibly interesting. To recreate an authors life with more characters takes a lot of imagination. Thanks for the great review

[AntonelaMaria]

An intriguing idea for a book. I have to admit I didn't know Hemingway had only sons. It would be interesting to see what aspects of his life changed with him having a daughter. Not being biased at all but having daughters is awesome. Great job with the review.

[Brenda Creech]

I love historical fiction, so I will have to check this book out. Based on Hemingway's character and life, I am curious what kind of person the author developed to be his daughter. Since it was always his desire to have a daughter, I wonder how much like him she was. Thanks for the great review!

[Aan Granados]

I vaguely remember a movie about Hemingway with a love interest but nothing about sons or daughters. I would like to read this fictional story. Thanks for your review.

[Michelle Menezes]

The whole concept about giving a historical personality a fictional background is unique and intriguing. However, it doesn't belong to my preferred genre, so I won't be reading the book. But, I hope that people who do like the genre end up enjoying the book. Thank you for the wonderful review!

[Raymonda onwuka]

This is awesome, reading the review alone I could feel waves of positive energy washing over me. I love the way Finley was optimistic about her goals and her spirit of persistence.
Thanks for the wonderful review.

[Asma Aisha Ansari]

This novel will be a treat for both historical fiction lovers and Hemingway fans. It's great how the author has created an inspirational tale through a (fictitious) father-daughter relationship.

[Harty Muli]

I would like to get into the author's mind through reading this book to understand his reasoning on the life of Hemingway. Great review.