Review of Hemingway's Daughter

[Neos-niche]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Hemingway's Daughter" by Christine M. Whitehead.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Hemingway’s Daughter by Christine Whitehead, is a book centered on the life and struggles of the daughter of the famous and controversial author; Ernest Hemingway, Finley. Finley is a girl who idolizes her father and was raised in the privileged, and at times extravagantly confusing, shadow of her artistic and troubled father. Finley has developed her own set of “Family Rules” that color the way she sees life, but most importantly the pessimistic attitude she fights against within her love life. This story follows her growth, her love life, and Finley’s determination to be her own woman, despite the sometimes haunting shadows her father places them all under.

This novel was a splendid new take on a historical figure and fellow author. I’ve never read a book that so convincingly added a fictional family member into a story, to the point where I was shocked to learn a daughter did not truly exist. While reading this book, I felt like I could see myself within Finley’s character, a strong minded young woman dealing with growing pains and an almost dependent father complex. This story highlighted how a daughter’s love for their father can be all encompassing, driving and true, while also having a deeper complexity that shows itself in how Finley navigated her other relationships.

Some of the highlights for this novel for me was the flowing writing style, the depth of emotions that was shown through the characters, but especially how well Christine Whitehead brought to life the fictional daughter of a famous, controversial, but also loving man. The way the Finley was written engaged the little girl who loves her father deep inside of me, and I believe this will translate to it just other women but men as well. I did not find anything within the novel that I took negatively nor were there things that took me out of the story. I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars, for how completely I was invested in the story.

I truly recommend this book for those like myself, who do not typically read historical fiction or more realistic world literature that need an engaging introduction into the genre. I liked the scaling of the story, through the gaze of Finley as a growing young woman and her memories.

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Hemingway's Daughter
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