Hemingway Odyssey: Special Places in His Life [Paperback]

H. Lea Lawrence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

A must-read for Hemingway enthusiasts in the centennial year of his birth, A Hemingway Odyssey contains never-before-published interviews with people who knew him and observations of the special places he frequented, thus revealing how powerfully the waters Hemingway loved influenced his writing from his earliest days to his last novels.

Wherever Hemingway went--in Michigan, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Key West, Cuba, or Kenya--he managed to find special places that he plumbed both emotionally and with a hook and line. In this fascinating narrative, H. Lea Lawrence retraces the great writer's footsteps to these special places and records the recollections and insights offered by some of the people who recalled when Hemingway visited their town or fished with one of their relatives. Beginning with one of the writer's first short stories, "Big Two-Hearted River," which is reproduced in its entirety, an unmistakable relationship is established between Hemingway's angling experiences and various stages of his writing.

This unique approach to Hemingway's life sets it apart from the work of other biographers. Numerous photographs put readers in touch with his life, particularly with the waters where he loved to fish, from rushing trout streams to the Gulf Stream.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Making a connection between his fishing exploits and some of what many consider to be the deceased author's best writing, H. Lea Lawrence in "A Hemingway Odyssey" offers a sort of biographical travelogue in which he retraces Hemingway's footsteps to some of the special places in his life. -- Myrtle Beach, S.C. Sun News

[Lawrence's] descriptions of Hemingway's old stomping grounds could make any reader want to take up fly fishing....You don't have to be an outdoorsman to appreciate this biography, but it may inspire you to become one. -- Bookpage

About the Author

H. Lea Lawrence is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in more than fifty magazines, including Audubon, Field & Stream, and Natural Wildlife. His other writings include The Fly Fisherman's Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing; First Edition edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581820240
• ISBN-13: 978-1581820249
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A true delight for Hemingway fans, April 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hemingway Odyssey: Special Places in His Life (Paperback)

H. Lea Lawrence. A Hemingway Odyssey. Cumberland. May 1999. c.201p. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 1-58182-024-0. pap. $12.95. LIT

One of Hemingway greatest strengths is his ability to place readers in the physical location of his stories so deeply it engages all five senses. Employing snippets from Hemingway's letters, memoirs, and fiction, this volume is a collection of biographical travelogues recalling the places that loom large in the Hemingway legend-Michigan, Europe, Key West, Cuba, Idaho, etc., most of the which are buttressed with photographs. A true delight for all Hemingway fans.--Michael Rogers, "Library Journal"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hemingway's Favorite Places, July 11, 2010

By 

Gene Pisasale "booklover" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hemingway Odyssey: Special Places in His Life (Paperback)

"A Hemingway Odyssey- Special Places in His Life" is a wonderful book that takes you to many of the spots Hemingway loved: Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Cuba and Key West among them. H Lea Lawrence clearly enjoyed walking in the footsteps of the great author- and takes the time to seek out the locals still there who remember and knew Hemingway. We are introduced to residents of the places who in some cases spoke with Hemingway, met him at hotels, directed him to local fishing spots and had cocktails with him. The book explores many sites which Hemingway fans themselves have wanted to visit over the years- and unfortunately many of the people who knew him are passing away, to be gone from the scenes forever....

Interesting is Lawrence's investigation of the many small local hotels in existence in the 1920's- 1950's where Hemingway stayed. Many of these are now private residences or closed- but several still exist and are the focus of his book. The author meets the current owners, managers and support staff who tell him of the day when Hemingway stopped in for a drink or for the weekend- and although some of the stories are once removed (second hand accounts), the conversations are interesting and informative.

Most Hemingway fans have thought of travelling to his famous haunts- most famous of which in the U.S. is Sloppy Joe's Saloon in Key West- and Lawrence stops in there for a brief visit, along with describing Hemingway's local exploits fishing in the Gulf Stream. A picture of the Hemingway House and Museum- with its famous six-toed cats- is included and it is a welcome addition to the story line. Having been to Sloppy Joe's myself for my 50th birthday in 2007, I enjoyed not only this, but all the other descriptions of Hemingway's favorite spots- and I plan to vist many of them in the years ahead.

-Gene Pisasale
Author, "Lafayette's Gold- the Lost Brandywine Treasure" and
"Vineyard Days"