Hemingway's Daughter

Christine M Whitehead, author, has created a fictional daughter for Hemingway, Finley, and interwoven her story into that of Hemingway, his children, his wives, his life, his troubles, and his triumphs.

A story so real and so believable, you'll begin questioning whether Hemingway really did have a daughter (he didn't).

If you only read one more book this year, let it be Hemingway's daughter, but make sure you have tissues handy (you're going to need them).

Just brilliant!

If Hemingway had a daughter that would have been Finnley "Finn" Hemingway, (or Flea as she was called by Hemingway in the book), the beloved fictional character created by Christine Whitehead.
Hemingway always wanted a daughter but had only sons, this is her story, and what a story it is. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it in two days, I needed to how the story was going to end.
Finn, and her life, is as complicated as her father and his life and there is an unbreakable connection among this two individuals to the point that she is the one that grounds and centers him.
Beautifully written, this book will make you want to read Hemingways' books, if you haven't already, or reread it over again. Don't look for "A Single Drop of Red Wine", that one should be Mrs. Whitehead new novel.

I have been an ardent admirer of Ernest Hemingway and everything related to his life, having made the trip to his home in Key West, as well as his haunts in Spain, and have Cuba on my bucket list. If you have ever fancied yourself to be one of Hemingway's Daughters and wished to have known him as Papa, you simply must read this!

I felt I had missed a secret manuscript and frantically searched for "A Single Drop of Red Wine" and then realized that I must implore Ms. Christine M. Whitehead to write a sequel to this so titled. Please, madame, give me that love story!

Thank you to Hadley Press, Net Galley and author Christine M. Whitehead for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
I really liked this book! Once I started reading it, it was hard to stop and go to bed. Hemingway did not have a daughter, but this is a fictionalized account of what might have happened if he did. Her name is Finn Hemingway, and she spent all of her life trying to please and get closer to her father. Even though she loved him, he was often an absent father and he didn't always keep his word. I could tell they had a close relationship in spite of their differences. I liked the fact that this story included so many details about Hemingway's life. It also seemed to include another side of him-a softer side. This is one of the best books I've read this summer!

Hemingway's Daughter by Christine M. Whitehead rocks! I loved this book. The author did a super job of maintaining Hemingway's life/timeline while inserting a fictitious daughter, and did it seamlessly and believably. Well done.

Hemingway had three sons but ached for a daughter. This is her story.

Despite being born on her father’s birthday and the only daughter, Finley ‘Finn’ Hemingway could tell you how very difficult it was to garner her father’s attention. Caught up in the trappings of fame and female attention (married four times and countless affairs), Ernest was emotionally unavailable to Finn. As she puts it, “my father was 100% reliable, 60% of the time, and that was when he was sober.” Readers will feel compassion for her as she struggles under the shadow of her brothers and her famous father, all the while being torn between loyalty to divorced parents. When she’s unable to make an impact on her father’s writing nor find true love, she throws her energy into becoming a trial lawyer in a male dominated profession. As if this wasn’t stressful enough, Finn endures growing up through the Depression and World War Two. This intimate look at Hemingway the author through the eyes of his fictional daughter is a worthy read.

The novel is divided into 55 chapters, each given a name of one of his books. Heading each chapter is a quote, giving readers a clue as to the contents of the chapter. Ingenious structure! Whitehead has crafted such an authentic Finn, that I had to remind myself several times that she was fictional. I could feel her angst on every page as she calculated methods of getting her father’s attention. Told in first person, Whitehead has given great insight into the father/daughter relationship and clearly shown what a blessing and a curse it was to be Hemingway’s daughter. Adding to the authentic feel of the prose, the author name drops and readers feel as though they are privy to Hemingway’s inner circle.

Having read and studied Hemingway at university, I was eager to read this book and am happy to report that it succeeded my expectations.

I was gifted this advance copy by Christine Whitehead, Hadley Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

What a wonderful story! The author did a wonderful job of mixing fact with fiction in this story. Finn's story was full of emotions and will keep you turning the pages. I loved it! I received a complimentary copy from Hadley Press via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

MORE THAN A BIOGRAPHY OR STUDY OF HEMINGWAY BUT A GREAT STORY OF WHAT IFS…
Start reading this story of inflicting Hemingway with one daughter after his four sons and it becomes so engrossing. This story could have gone into so many different directions but Ms. Whitehead stuck to the storyline and made this into a fascinating fictional story. In stating this, there does seem to be similarities between the author’s bio and her story but it may just reflect her love of the study of Hemingway, law, dogs and horses—what more could you ask?

I was not sure what to expect reading this book. I had visited Hemingway’s house in Key West so had a bit of background to this story. The author has done a wonderful job of creating the daughter of Hemingway playing into his timeline, places, and personality.
I felt a bit sad for this daughter as she battled for a place in Hemingway’s life amidst various stepmothers, women, and dysfunctional family members. The deep longing for a father-daughter relationship feeds into the vignettes out of Hemingway’s life which made me feel the author was examining her own lost relationships. The story resonated with me for how life can throw you curved balls when you are looking for love. It challenged me to wonder if true love can ever be found or maintained. The characters were well-formed as I entered Finley Hemingway’s world, she became real as I walked through the many parts of her life, relationships with school friends, colleagues, and lovers.
You will not want to put this book down once you start reading it, the character of Finley draws you deep into factual history, but fictional story.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read from the first page to the last. Please note that a familiarity with Ernest Hemingway’s writings is not necessary, but would enhance the appreciation of the quotes at the beginning of each chapter as well as the references to characters and plot points of his books.

In life, Hemingway had three sons, but no daughter. Whitehead has created this fictional character with such finesse that the story becomes totally believable. Filled with the complexities of Hemingway’s personal life and career, the novel unfolds is simple, yet effective prose. The dialogues are natural and reflect the multidimensional aspects of the relationships between the characters. From reading a brief biography of Hemingway, the author appears to have stayed true to many of the events and people that peppered his life.
For all the drama portrayed in the book, it never deteriorated into melodramatic affectation.

Findley (aka Finn, aka “Flea”) is an engaging character. Her relationship with her father is paradoxically one of a deep loving bond, yet fraught with her insecurity in not knowing her place in his life’s priorities. Like many gifted, creative people, Hemingway was self-centered and suffered emotionally and physically for his art form. Finn understood this, but craved to be foremost in his focus. I appreciated her strong character and her desire to challenge the prevailing attitude that women could not compete in a man’s domain – in this case becoming a successful litigation attorney.

In essence this is a love story of a woman who struggled to reconcile her deep need for connection with a belief that the “Hemingway Curse” made it impossible to experience true and lasting love. Her father’s multiple marriages and affairs underscored this belief and challenged her to risk living life on her own terms rather than avoiding the vulnerability inherent in loving someone.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.