Adios, Hemingway [Hardcover]

Leonardo Padura Fuentes (Author), John King (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2005

Padura Fuentes-one of Cuba's best-known and most widely acclaimed writers-has written a first-rate detective story set against the backdrop of Hemingway's Cuba. Part fascinating examination of Hemingway the man in his trying final years and part nifty postmodern procedural, Adiós Hemingway will engross Hemingway fans while keeping them in suspense until the final pages. When the skeletal remains of a man brought down by two buckshots forty years earlier surface on the Havana estate of Ernest Hemingway, ex-cop Mario Conte reluctantly accepts a reinstatement to investigate. As the truth of the night of October 3, 1958, slowly reveals itself, Conte must come to terms with his idealistic memory of Papa Hemingway on Cuba's sun-drenched docks from when he was a child tagging along with his grandfather. Padura Fuentes weaves Conte's world with that of Hemingway's Cuba four decades earlier, a period marking the beginning of Hemingway's decline. In the heat-and-rum haze, the eras and personas begin to merge in this evocative, compelling novel.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mario Conde is a retired Havana cop obsessed with Hemingway, so when the skeletal remains of a man killed on Papa's Cuban estate 40 years earlier are unearthed, it's only natural that the police ask Conde to work the case. A celebrated mystery writer in Cuba, Fuentes offers a fascinating mix of fact and fiction, jumping between present and past, and vividly dramatizing Hemingway's last days in Cuba. What is most fascinating about the book is the character of Conde, torn between his mixed feelings about Hemingway the man and the writer, but drawn to the case like a supplicant to the altar. Fans of Cuban noir will love the cars, the crumbling chic of old Havana, and, of course, the aftertaste of rum-soaked decadence, but best of all, finally, is the priceless anecdote about Ava Gardner's black silk knickers, a souvenir to die for. Give this one to fans of Brazilian Garcia-Roza's Inspector Espinosa series, about another melancholy Latin sleuth who feels what Conde calls "solidarity with writers, crazy people, and drunkards." Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Every page of Adios, Hemingway is very intense and moving: an example of how much literary fiction can get closer to the 'truth' of a man that many critical essays and biographies can do" Bruno Arpaia, II Sole 24 Ore; "A beautiful, involved, intense portrait of the writer, revealing his most authentic face" Liberazione --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Canongate U.S.; First edition. edition (March 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841956422
• ISBN-13: 978-1841956428
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very enjoyable!, May 21, 2005

By 

Buffy Bennett "Book Lover" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adios, Hemingway (Hardcover)

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to serious Hemingway fans. The author has clearly done his homework, researching all the locations, interesting details and characters for this book. It was a great mix of fact and fiction and was written in a way that makes you feel like maybe, just maybe, it did happen. I particularly liked the way that the story is told in alternating chapters, from both Hemingway's and Mario Conde's perspectives. Each had a unique voice and attitude. This is a good, quick read. Pick it up and enjoy on the beach, with a nice rum drink, a la Hemingway!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adios Hemingway, May 4, 2005

By 

Russ Russell (Troy, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adios, Hemingway (Hardcover)

Quite an enjoyable read! The atmosphere of Cuba during the 50's before the revolution and at the start of Hemingway's decline make this novel a treat. The author's writing captures Hemingway's style with short declarative sentences emphasizing what's not actually written and allowing the reader to fill-in the blanks. A wonderful police procedural similar to Andrea Camilleri's Montalbano series and Garcia-Roza's Inspector Espinosa mysteries. The novel does such an excellent job of bringing Hemingway's time in Cuba to life, I feel that I've actually seen Ava Gardner's black-lace panties. Read the book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clever and enjoyable for those who appreciate Papa, May 30, 2006

By 

John E. Drury "jedrury" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adios, Hemingway (Hardcover)

The Cuban atmospherics and the Hemingwayesque mixture of facts and myths make for a quick uncomplicated mystery. Who would not want to know how Ava Gardner's black panties found their way into this tale? Or, would you not want to entertain a reason
why Papa hurriedly left the island to find his way to suicide in Ketchum, Idaho? Read it as fiction, enjoy it and let your mind wander to the possibilities.