Customer Reviews

Hemingway Hoax

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

... You should read this book. John Baird, a Hemmingway scholar in something of a bind, agrees to produce a forgery of a "lost" work of the great master. Since this would radically change his earth's future, a sort of inter-dimensional hitman is dispatched to kill him. Which he does. Sort of. Instead Baird finds himself in another, just so SLIGHTLY different alternate universe, where everything takes a somewhat different turn - Until everything ends in a rather grim, if not unsatisfying ending. You should do yourself the favor of reading it.

While _Hoax_ doesn't have the bite and originality that _Forever_War_ does, it is an interesting premise. Haldeman definitely has a way with characters who are hard to love, and there are several in _Hoax_. If you like his other works, particularly his short stories, you will probably find _The_Hemingway_Hoax_ well worth your time.

A genre-bending fantasy about a plan to forge some lost stories by Ernest Hemingway. This book starts off realistically enough, and stays interesting even after it becomes clear that the plan has attracted the attention of some non-human entities. But then Haldeman digresses into some tawdry sexual maneuvers that seem to be leading the plot in another direction entirely. Then after the protagonist is killed, all focus is lost and the plot just rambles down one incomprehensible blind alley after another. The novel is mercifully brief, but there're no real explanations of any of the major plot points, characters change radically with each new venue, we never do find out exactly who the "Others" are, or what's so special about our protagonist, or even how and why the hoax is so critical in human history. Changing the rules in mid-stride is just weak storytelling, and failing to tie up the ending is like telling a joke and leaving off the punch line. This may be a common enough trend in contemporary fiction-writing (see the work of Haruki Murakami, for example) but this old-school reader doesn't care for it one bit.

I was really disappointed with this book. The beginning made me think it would be interesting, but it was only downhill from there. The plot is thin. It is then fleshed out with sex, violence and gore. Yuck!

This universe-hopping sci-fi thriller kept me interested until the very end. A sad-sack Hemingway scholar and a con man meet cute in a Key West bar and hatch a plan to make up *the* missing manuscript (the loss of which wife Hadley was so vilified - The Paris Wife: A Novel).

Their dreams of fame and fortune are cut short by a being from another dimension who tries everything to stop them. Apparently, Hemingway's idea of true manhood is irreparably damaged by this and it screws up the future in the multi-verse. The story gets stranger, more dark and violent with each page.

The ending brought to mind the intertwined fates in Brain Rose.

I remember when Hemingway hoax first came out. It made a huge splash in sci fi and literary circles as a reimagining of the life and cultural significance of the great writer himself. This is a well researched "multiple worlds" sort of novel delivered in Haldeman's compact, evocative style. He doesn't skimp on big ideas. He doesn't shy away from sex and violence, either. Hemingway hoax is a short novel, but it covers a surprising amount of ground. It reminded me why I became a Haldeman fan so long ago.

The author took an event in Hemmingway's career and seemed to create a whole "what if" story behind it. Hemmingway supposedly had some early manuscripts stolen from a train. In the book, a University professor is approached by a con man to produce a forgery of what he speculated Hemmingway wrote and try to make it look legit. This involves finding a typewriter similar to the one that Hemmingway used and the same type of paper.

Unfortunately when the professor attempts to do this is throws some balance off in the Universe and he is interrupted by a being who kills him to prevent him from pulling off the forgery. However, the professor is transferred to alternate selves in parallel universes, where he continues the attempt.

The book is pretty silly and seems it was only written because of the author's fascination with Hemmingway. It does have some interesting parts but the silliness made it difficult to give it more than 3 stars.