Adiós Hemingway

I had no expectations for this book. I was taking a chance, having an interest in Cuba and mysteries. The book is very engaging; it grabbed me from the first page, and my interest and appreciation increased with every page. Now I am anxious to read more by Padura Fuentes. It is a good story, very well told. Padura Fuentes is an exceptionally talented writer, and the English translation, in my view, is excellent. Contrary to other reviews, I don't think you have to be a Hemingway fan to appreciate this; I'm not. But I did learn a lot that was interesting about Hemingway. Both he and Conde, the fictional detective at the heart of this story, are complicated characters, with lots of faults but some admirable qualities.

I haven 't read the book yet but the quality of the book and the delivery of it was superb.

I was disappointed, when I finished this lovely book, to see that there are no other novels in the Conde series that have been translated into English. This book is delightfully sophisticated, with sympathetic yet complex characters and an amusing light touch. It is just the sort of work that would have a wide readership among mystery cognoscenti if sufficiently publicized. Please bring on the rest!

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!

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!