Customer Reviews

Misadventures of a Fly Fisherman

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Jack Hemingway was the son of the famous novelist Ernest Hemingway, a larger than life character who dominated Jack's entire life. Even after "Papa" committed suicide, Jack continued to live in his father's shadow. I cannot say I envy his position. To make matters worse, Jack's daughter, Muriel, who was a film actress, also committed suicide.

This book is the story of Jack's life, in particular of his passion for fly fishing - passion he shared with his father - and his relation with his father (the subtitle of the book is "My life with and without papa"). His entire life is actually told as a series of fishing trips, which are then expanded into a description of his non-fishing life at those times. For instance, one chapter deals with Jack's role in World War 2,when he was dropped behind enemy lines in France, but still found time to do some fishing in between military activities.

Although Jack was not of the same literary calibre as his father, I found this formula original and very enjoyable, the more so since Jack gave it to me and I read it in Sun Valley, where Jack lived until his death a few years ago. I would highly recommend the book, if you can find a copy.