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Hemingway's Girl

by Erika Robuck (Goodreads Author)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 932 ratings · 259 reviews

“She remembered when Hemingway had planted a banyan at his house and told her its parasitic roots were like human desire. At the time she’d thought it romantic. She hadn’t understood his warning.”

In Depression-era Key West, Mariella Bennet, the daughter of an American fisherman and a Cuban woman, knows hunger. Her struggle to support her family following her father’s death...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published September 4th 2012 by NAL Trade

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Nov 07, 2012 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Erika Robuck gave me a fly on the wall look not only into the great novelist Ernest Hemingway’s personal life in Key West, but the relationships he made and broke, the ruined economy of post WWI Key West and the multi-cultural residents who populated the area. With simple easy to read dialogue she painted a real picture of the area, the time and it’s people that was both informative and imaginative. Her protagonist Mariella Bennet was a fascinating specimen of fortitude, attitude and humility an...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Eileen Granfors rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, families, historical-fiction, local-color, women, men, love-story, marriage

Wow! Superior historical fiction. Hemingway, Key West, the hurricane and the vet workers.

I liked "The Paris Wife," and now I love "Hemingway's Girl." Erika Robuck approaches Hemingway through an independent and fearless heroine, Mariella Bennet. Mariella is a servant in the Hemingway household in Key West.

Mr. Hemingway, Papa, is known for his wandering eye. He can't keep his hands off a pretty girl. But Mariella has no intention of becoming another of his cast-off girls. She doesn't always get a...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Sacha rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Hemingway's Girl", the second novel by author Erika Robuck, begins in the early 1960's and quickly goes back in time to a brief period in the 1930's in the life of 19-year old Mariella Bennet, recounting the relationships she forms with two men. Poverty-stricken after her father's death and in desperate need of steady income to care for her widowed mother and two young sisters, Mariella secures a position as a maid in the home of famed author Ernest Hemingway. While polishing the silver and end...more "Hemingway's Girl", the second novel by author Erika Robuck, begins in the early 1960's and quickly goes back in time to a brief period in the 1930's in the life of 19-year old Mariella Bennet, recounting the relationships she forms with two men. Poverty-stricken after her father's death and in desperate need of steady income to care for her widowed mother and two young sisters, Mariella secures a position as a maid in the home of famed author Ernest Hemingway. While polishing the silver and enduring the cold shoulder from his wife Pauline, Mariella becomes infatuated with her employer, both unnerved and flattered by his attentions while trying to resist his charms. At the same time, she falls for war veteran and amateur boxer Gavin Murray, and the attentions from both men confuse and invigorate her. The time she spends in each man's company eventually reveals the viability of a future with one of them.

As you may have guessed from the first paragraph, there's no plot here, just a character-driven love story that tries too hard to pull in readers who are suckers for romance by using a real-life figure to boost interest. Robuck supplies a hum-drum narrative; there is no transportive description to swoon over, no psychological digging or extensive interior conflict, only straightforward prose that moves things along from one event to the next. For a setting as beautiful as Key West, FL, I was left wanting for passages painting beautiful sunsets, white sand beaches, and waving palm trees, not to mention other descriptive elements that could've evoked the time period better.

Mariella is a model protagonist: beautiful, hard-working, determined, compassionate...and a big yawn. She could've used some good flaws to flesh her out and make her more interesting. Gavin is an upstanding young guy - a gentleman but not overly so, strong but fragile, handsome but blemished. He's also lacking in flaws that would've added much needed complexity. Hemingway is portrayed as a hard-drinking, flirtatious, and temperamental man. Robuck's rendering of him as self-assured and spiteful fits but the winking and playful nice guy part does not. Pauline's haughtiness and petulance due to deep-seated insecurities make her hard to sympathize with (I felt annoyed whenever she showed up); Robuck seems to inflate her faults in order to make the adulterous Hemingway more likeable. Jane Mason, Gavin's friend John, and Mariella's mother and sisters round out the supporting characters and range from good to passable.

Robuck's interchangeability with Hemingway's name annoyed me: Papa is used most of all, while Hemingway is tossed in here and there and Ernest is thrown in a select few times. I've been told that in fiction writing, a writer should choose one form of their character's name and use it consistently; other characters are permitted to address them differently now and then, but the author should not. Because Robuck broke this commandment, I found myself thinking once, "Who's Ernest? ...oh, yeah." But maybe I'm nitpicking.

Dialogue is good but some of the exchanges sound like they belong in a movie script rather than a novel. Even some events play out as if they should be on film. Though this makes the action easier to picture, it also makes it feel cliché, certain scenes mimicking the melodrama that Hollywood films love to churn out.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The ending leaves something to be desired. Robuck brings about a harrowing climax, yields to a clichéd outcome to appease the masses, and then rushes back to the 60's, filling the reader in on what's happened between now and then in a series of letters. Don't get me wrong - I appreciate happy endings but sometimes I enjoy a book more when it doesn't give me what I want in the end and this was another disappointing aspect. The conclusion harkened yet again to film in that it mimicked captions that reveal certain characters' futures/fates before the end credits roll.

**END SPOILERS**

Robuck is an average storyteller. Her style and execution don't excite me, both of which lack the polish, maturity, and beauty that I have sought and adore in other authors. I do take into account that this is her second novel and that there is potential for growth. Could this be a sophomore slump for her? I'm not certain, as this is the first book I've read by her. For that reason, I'm willing to give her work another go before I wave her off once and for all. Ironically, her book has me excited to read someone else's work; it will be interesting to see how Paula McLain perceives and characterizes Hemingway in "The Paris Wife" and how it aligns with Robuck's interpretation.

Overall, a satisfactory read, but I doubt I will feel compelled to read it again or recommend it to anyone. (less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Elle! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, 1930s, contemperary-classic, enjoyable, romance

One of those curl up and sip cocoa reads. I'll keep this review short and sweet!

First Sentence: "It was his introduction that caused Mariella to burn her fingertips.

Mariella is half Cuban and half white living with her family and estranged mother in Key West 1930 during the Great Depression. She takes a housekeeping job for the famous author Hemingway's house. Soon her life is changed with glittering dinner parties and long walks with "Mr. Author". Mariella is a spunky girl, she bets at boxing m...more One of those curl up and sip cocoa reads. I'll keep this review short and sweet!

First Sentence: "It was his introduction that caused Mariella to burn her fingertips.

Mariella is half Cuban and half white living with her family and estranged mother in Key West 1930 during the Great Depression. She takes a housekeeping job for the famous author Hemingway's house. Soon her life is changed with glittering dinner parties and long walks with "Mr. Author". Mariella is a spunky girl, she bets at boxing matches, isn't afraid to speak her mind which gives the story an extra kick. Her father recently passed away and Mariella is fixed on keeping her estranged mother and younger sisters together and fed. This Mariella, you've got to give her props! You can actually fall in love with her. It's difficult to do that in the book. The book is what I would qualify as a flirty romance. I was so relived that she and Hemingway didn't touch but it always feel like they are an inch away from smooching. Mariella has fantasies about Mr.Author and there are lots of long flitting gazes. Cheek grazing. This story I believe was inspired from a real life character that Robuck saw in a photo when studying Hemingway.

Oh gosh and we get to Hemingway....Yes him...The star...Hemingway isn't a likeable sweet character but you had to like him. He drank to much, he cursed to much and used slurs with a slightly possessive edge. Hemingway is a womanizer I can call this a suspense novel,"well technically" lol. I loved Hemingway's blunt personality, he seemed like a very cool infuriating guy. He put his wife through so much. Mariella was a very spunky girl so she handled it well. The turn out of the novel was surprising and a relief. I read this book in two days, I found it enjoyable! So pick up this book! It's a sweet read and the details are rich and looming with color. You'll feel like you're under that hot summer sun, ~~arguing~~ talking with Hemingway, sipping lemonade and eating pie. I love this book.Wonderful read!(less)

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Oct 20, 2012 Dianna Rostad rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: most-loved

First of all, I am terrified that I'm going to start smoking. Mariella is as tied to her cigarettes as she is to the sea. A living, breathing thing in this book and the only thing not smoking. The author clearly knows life near the ocean, and I'm convinced could survive with a fishing pole and some tobacco while the rest of us died in an apocalypse.

The first thing you sense about this story is that Mariella is not going to hide in the shade of Hemingway. The story is all hers, and though he is...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Amy Siegfried rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book due to the fact I felt like I was really in Key West. The author did an excellent job of describing Key West in the 30's as well as developing her characters. Although Hemingway was a larger-than-life person his personality did not overshadow Mariella. I liked the letters that showed a continuing relationship- so many stories end as if the characters never were involved again in their lives (even if the story indicates they remained friends).
I rarely give books 5 star rating...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Marci rated it 5 of 5 stars

Phenomenal book! I devoured this novel by Erika Robuck! This story bring's the Key West of the 1930's to glorious, colorful life! I loved how the author blended fictional characters right in with Hemingway and his entourage, so real and complex. This has made me want to book a flight to the Key's and relive it all over again! Great characters, great plot, and an unforgettable romance! Loved it! Ms. Robuck has shot to the top of my favorite author pile! Can't wait to read whatever she comes out w...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Britta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely adored this read. Robuck makes it easy to fall in love with Hemingway and Mariella in this beautifully written novel. I laughed and cried and found this love story to be truly refreshing and anything but cheesey! Highly recommend!

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May 12, 2013 Gaele rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-book, edelweiss, independent-reviw

AudioBook Review
Like many, I too have an interesting relationship with Hemingway: the myth surrounding the man, the incredible skill with words, the end at his own hand. While many texts will refer to his ‘larger than life’ persona, calling him the ‘man’s man’, and anecdotes all hint at his less than patient personality, it is only through this mix of fact and fiction, bringing the essence of the man to light while essentially telling the story of one young woman who met the writer during his se...more AudioBook Review
Like many, I too have an interesting relationship with Hemingway: the myth surrounding the man, the incredible skill with words, the end at his own hand. While many texts will refer to his ‘larger than life’ persona, calling him the ‘man’s man’, and anecdotes all hint at his less than patient personality, it is only through this mix of fact and fiction, bringing the essence of the man to light while essentially telling the story of one young woman who met the writer during his second marriage.

Mariella is a strong, determined and solidly unorthodox young woman, struggling to maintain the family household after her father’s death and her mother’s slide into depression and lacklustre parenting. While drawn to Hemingway’s aura and solid masculinity, she is equally aghast at his often rude and spoiled behavior. Adding to her confusion is the appearance of a soldier that is as enamored of her as she is confused and confounded by him. The fictional relationships serve to throw spotlights on the fissures in Hemingway’s own second marriage, and serves to infuse Mariella’s youthful impulses with a sense of caution and maturity that was far beyond her years.

Tavia Gilbert as the narrator is polished, clearly spoken and wonderful to listen to. Her slight distinction in tone, tenor and even pacing to delineate the characters she is voicing helps to enhance the story, imbuing each voice with a sense of the character’s personality and weaknesses. Her mother, Eva, for example has that curious mixture of soft-spoken Hispanic lilt with the ennui common to depression, until her temper is flaring and her voice becomes more distinct and rapid-fire. These little nuances make a difference to a listener, emotional subtext and impact can be and is enhanced by professional delivery from the narrator.

This was a story that fuelled my desire and interest in Hemingway once again, and will have me searching for other titles in the same vein from this author. I found the mix of fictional and actual characters, the sense of Depression Era Key West, the realistic characters and the world building and description demanded I listen through the recording in one sitting. A not to be missed book for anyone curious or familiar with Hemingway and wanting to see more, even representations utilizing fictitious characters and conversations.

I received a copy of the AudioBook from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
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Apr 13, 2013 Joanne Guidoccio rated it 4 of 5 stars

While researching Ernest Hemingway’s personal papers, Erika Robuck discovered a photograph of the famous author on the dock in Havana, surrounded by poor fishermen and a young Cuban girl.

The image of the intense young woman stayed with Robuck. Later, she channeled that memory into Mariella Bennet, the independent and fearless protagonist of Hemingway’s Girl. Born of a Cuban mother and white father, this feisty young woman takes on the responsibility of supporting her widowed mother and sisters...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I visited Key West this year and Hemingway stole his way into my mind, so I had to read this historical fiction. The book's fictional main character, Mariella, a young woman in Key West in 1935, is trying to keep her mother and sisters afloat during hard times. Not only is it during the depression, but also her father has died leaving her mother in deep grief and her family in great need. She is fortunate to find work keeping house for the world-famous writer, Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Paul...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Cindi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Mariella, a young woman supporting her family after the death of her father, is hired as a maid by Ernest Hemingway. There is immediate tension as Mariella fights against the intense feelings she experiences whenever Hemingway is near. These feelings threaten to destroy a newly formed relationship with Gavin, a vet who treats Mariella and her family with tenderness.

The setting of Key West during the Great Depression where Hemingway lived with his second wife Pauline and their two boys is brought...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Melissa Crytzer Fry rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of my friends joked with me recently that I am officially becoming a historical fiction fan. And, based on my reaction to this novel, she just may be right!

I learned so much while reading Erika Robuck’s second novel, a tender love story and fascinating tale of loss and growth interlaced with so much history about Depression-era Key West and the personal life of Ernest Hemingway (I had no clue about the veteran camps at Matecumbe Bay or even about many of Hemingway’s personality quirks, or th...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Claudia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-book-challenge-160-books, historical-fiction

It's been a long time since I rated a book a five...but wow. This was everything I hope for in a historical novel. I have always said I learn my history through fiction, and Erika Robuck taught me about Key West, about the hurricane of '35, of the building of the highway through the Keys (I once pulled off onto the shoulder while driving...I was about to drive onto a bridge, the end of which I could not see!), a monumental human endeavor. I learned about the shabby treatment of our WWI veterans...more It's been a long time since I rated a book a five...but wow. This was everything I hope for in a historical novel. I have always said I learn my history through fiction, and Erika Robuck taught me about Key West, about the hurricane of '35, of the building of the highway through the Keys (I once pulled off onto the shoulder while driving...I was about to drive onto a bridge, the end of which I could not see!), a monumental human endeavor. I learned about the shabby treatment of our WWI veterans during the '30s, so many of them suffering horrible Shell Shock. And I learned that Hemingway actually DID write a scathing article about the abuse of the workers during the hurricane, leaving them to fend for themselves...them and their families. I never knew any of this!

All that and Hemingway too! I spent the summer with Hemingway, but in Paris. This book ambushed me and still leaves me returning, thinking of Mariella and Gavin...of Papa and Pauline.

Mariella goes to work in the Hemingway household in Key West, and we can see immediately trouble's afoot. Pauline may have stolen Ernest away from Hadley, who's only mentioned in passing, but she knows at some level her days are numbered. She pouts and lashes out. But she can't stop his wandering eye, his wandering heart.

Robuck has done her homework...I can hear echoes of MOVEABLE FEAST, of the biographies. I can hear echoes from Hemingway's letters...she KNOWS this man and the influences on his life. His and Mariella's conversation about suicide is so sad...Robuck is writing with foreknowledge and we read with the same knowledge.

Robuck says the letters at the end almost wrote themselves. I can believe that...they feel true to Hemingway's voice. They cap the novel to perfection.

So, who is this beautiful Mariella? A servant? A friend? A lover? She collects people to her, just as she accuses Hemingway of doing. But she doesn't use them...she makes them better.Mariella's trying to hold her family together after her father's death...working for the rich author and his richer wife seems to be an answer to her prayers.

She learns about love and redemption and sacrifice...all the big themes of Hemingway's work...but somehow her struggle resonates with me more than his books.

CANNOT wait for the new book...this time about Fitzgerald and Zelda. (less)

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Sep 05, 2012 Barbara Mitchell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Key West was a place dear to my heart in the 1950s and up to about 1962. When I revisited in the 1970s, it was a different place. That's why I was anxious to read this story set in 1935 Key West when Hemingway was in residence and the overseas highway was under construction.

The main character is Mariella Bennet whose Cuban mother was disowned by her family for marrying an American fisherman. As the story begins, Hal Bennet has died and Mariella's mother is so deep in grief that it is up to her t...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Viviane Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mariella Bennet is the daughter of an American father and Spanish mother; her mother is paralyzed by grief after the death of Mariella's father. Mariella not only loved her father beyond words but also loves her Key West, Florida community which is struggling to survive during the Depression. Her dream is to save enough money to start a tourist business by running a charter boat. The sea is her home away from home; but her real life at the moment is earning enough to allow her family to eat and...more Mariella Bennet is the daughter of an American father and Spanish mother; her mother is paralyzed by grief after the death of Mariella's father. Mariella not only loved her father beyond words but also loves her Key West, Florida community which is struggling to survive during the Depression. Her dream is to save enough money to start a tourist business by running a charter boat. The sea is her home away from home; but her real life at the moment is earning enough to allow her family to eat and her to pay the rent. Into this world a miracle happens, one that will transform her life forever!

One evening at fight on which she recklessly gambled away the rent money, she meet "Papa" Hemingway, famous writer. Hemingway is attracted to her and eventually hires her as "help" in his Key West home, a place where the Depression is notably absent and luxury abounds. A statement from Hemingway aptly exemplifies the novelist's relationships and is a warning to Mariella about the future, comparing a banyon tree to a parasite, feeding on others for its huge survival and strength.

Hemingway's second wife, Pauline, is riddled with jealousy and Hemingway himself displays something of the same, albeit not as severely as his wife, when Mariella meets a fighter, Gavin. A romance clearly is growing between Gavin and Mariella, although Hemingway exerts a sexual attraction to her that confuses her. Meanwhile, her mother warns her about "desire" being dangerous and capable of wrecking her life.

Gavin is a survivor of the famous Argonne battle of WWI and later in the novel describes the horror of losing his best friend and saving the lives of two other friends, one, John, who becomes a good friend of Mariella. These are men who are wounded beyond physical problems but who survive to live life to the fullest. In one way, Mariella's relationship with these three men and her family are a beautiful coming of age story, about the difference between real love borne from the highs and lows that life throws in one's path.

The rest of the story depicts riveting scenes of illness, accidents, betrayal, a terrible storm, revelation of a secret, and letters of truth and honesty. Hemingway's Girl is a stunning, amazing read - a superb work of historical fiction that deserves best-seller status!!!(less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Jade McDonough rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction, literary

I feel like I should start by saying that I am not a huge fan of Hemingway. It's really as simple as I don't completely dig his writing style and that little fact that I'm a woman. I am also impossibly drawn to reading about great authors that I don't love in historical fiction. I'm not really sure why that is, but I always have been.

This book is set from the late winter to summer of 1935 in Key West. Told from the perspective of Mariella, a struggling young girl supporting her grieving mother a...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Tamara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that I would not consider myself a fan or non-fan of Hemingway, I read one of his classic novels in high school (over 16 years ago) but besides that I did know much of anything about his private life, so I went into this without any expectations of him. I picked this book up on a whim because it was a Nook Book deal of the day and I thought it seemed interesting enough.

This book is historical fiction at its best! I felt like I was transported to Key West in the 1930’s and...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Abby rated it 3 of 5 stars

TL;DR: A great historical depiction of both the Hemingway's experience in the Florida Keys and the veteran life in the 1930s that is unfortunately marred by the addition of an average, predictable plot with a main character who grates for most of the book. This review has some spoilers.

Even before starting this book, my feelings were mixed. Historical fiction? Questionable, usually, but about one of my favorite authors to read about? This was either going to be a book that blew me away or left...more TL;DR: A great historical depiction of both the Hemingway's experience in the Florida Keys and the veteran life in the 1930s that is unfortunately marred by the addition of an average, predictable plot with a main character who grates for most of the book. This review has some spoilers.

Even before starting this book, my feelings were mixed. Historical fiction? Questionable, usually, but about one of my favorite authors to read about? This was either going to be a book that blew me away or left me grossly disappointed.

Interestingly enough, though, this book didn't even make a strong enough impression on me to land in either camp. Most of my major bellyaches pertained to the writing, which was plain and at times awkward to read. I could tell that the author tried to use "short, declarative sentences" like the famed author, which at times worked but mostly felt forced.

In addition, the main character, Mariella,is poorly written and annoying for the majority of the work. She is one of those "too perfect because she has so many 'flaws'" heroines, the tomboy girl who disdains 'fake' women who wear makeup, wants to punch people, and smokes. Despite seemingly never taking a bath and wearing mens' clothes, though, she is a rare beauty loved by all: sassy but bashful, devoted to her family but independent, outspoken but victimized; the list of qualities goes on. I am never one to bash a strong female character and truthfully I liked both her backstory and a lot of her qualities, but it was her attitude towards other women- especially the women who came near Hemingway- that really irked me. In one instance she is thrilled when Hemingway rudely insults a woman who is trying to flirt with him; in another she wants to deck a girl who dares to even smile at Gavin. It's annoying.

What saved this book, for me, was the rather truthful depiction of Hemingway (at least until the end). His masculine bravado comes across as bluntly as possible and Robuck is not afraid to portray him as the jerk he could sometimes be. His and Pauline's relationship is fairly realistically written and I enjoyed noticing the little factual details the author took pains to include: Hemingway shooting himself in the leg, Hemingway knocking out a friend when he gets angry, even the silly song the bartenders make up about it later.

The only other thing that made it worth reading was learning about life on the Florida Keys in the 1930s. Gavin, though again one of those annoyingly perfect characters, is an interesting glimpse into the lives of the veterans shipped there as part of a recovery and reform program, and the hurricane at the end, also factually accurate, serves as a really good tie-in to both the historical era and the story. Those two reasons are what really garnered this book its meager three stars. The other saving grace: Mariella gets substantially easier to deal with nearer to the ending.

One last critique: the Hemingway letters at the end seem grossly out of character and come across as a desperate attempt to both make him relevant and play up his relationship with Mariella (one again, the special snowflake that she is). In truth, Hemingway near his death was irritable, depressed, and paranoid of almost everyone; though he had moments of tenderness as always, the pure sap in those letters, how his heart was hers and no one elses and whatnot, are extremely hard to believe.
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Apr 18, 2013 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eminently readable; I truly had a hard time putting it down. While The Paris Wife was more a fictionalized biography that made you feel like you were really getting to know Hadley and Ernest Hemingway, this was a novel that happened to have Hemingway and his second wife, Pauline, in it. So don't go into this thinking that you're going to get any deep insights into Hemingway's character. Even so, Mariella's struggle to choose between her attractions to the larger-than-life celebrity and a down-to...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Miranda (M.E.) Brumbaugh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-2013, leisure

Wow. This book blew me away. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in love, writing, the military, or history. The writing was great, but the material about Ernest Hemingway was enlightening. Now I'm set on reading all of his work and other biographical information about him. The setting, the tropical islands around Key West, was such a warm and refreshing change from the foot of snow outside of my house.

As for the love story? I never, ever read love stories; just have never been in...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Stephanie Mellon rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am getting addicted to Hemingway. I absolutely loved the writing, character development and plot. It was an amazing book start to finish. It also gives a look into life after the Paris Wife. Looking forward to Robuck's next book about Zelda Fitzgerald!

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Jan 15, 2013 Paula rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic! I really loved this book that takes us on a historical journey to the Key West of the 1930's and into the lives of Ernest Hemingway and his wife Pauline. "Hemingway's Girl" is Mariella Bennet, a feisty 19 year old Cuban-American who has just lost her father. Mariella's mother is in a deep period of grief so it has fallen to her to support her family any way she can. When she lands a job as housekeeper to the Hemingway family, she finds herself immersed in a different lifestyle and the...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Lindsay Heller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, antiquity-nostalgia

I don't particularly enjoy reading Hemingway. I don't think this is a particular fault, not everyone can love everything and I just don't like Hemingway. I find him overly dour and misogynistic with plots that meander for hours but never really get anywhere. I am one hundred percent certain that he never wrote a realistic and well rounded woman. Yet, despite this, I am fascinated with his life, so when I saw this title peeking out at me from the shelves at the library I had to pick it up.

In the...more I don't particularly enjoy reading Hemingway. I don't think this is a particular fault, not everyone can love everything and I just don't like Hemingway. I find him overly dour and misogynistic with plots that meander for hours but never really get anywhere. I am one hundred percent certain that he never wrote a realistic and well rounded woman. Yet, despite this, I am fascinated with his life, so when I saw this title peeking out at me from the shelves at the library I had to pick it up.

In the middle of the Great Depression Mariella Bennet, the daughter of a Cuban mother and white father, lives with her mother and two sisters in Key West. Scraping by since her father's early death Mariella takes a position as housekeeper in the Hemingway household. Fascinated with "Papa", Mariella begins a dangerous flirtation. With a family to support, and torn between the famous author and a hardworking Argonne vet Mariella must make some difficult choices. Especially when it comes to Hemingway's jealous second wife, Pauline, Mariella's desire to start a boat charter company, and a deadly Hurricane bearing down on the tiny island chain.

This could have been a complete story without Papa, but it wouldn't have been a very good one. Though Mariella and her life is very much it's own story it weaves around that of Hemingways in the capacity we've never really seen from Hemingway about a woman before, mutual respect. Mariella's beer drinking, men's clothes wearing, love of fishing, tough girl exterior is obviously appealing to Hemingway, as it likely would have been in real life. Whatever else can be said about the man, no one could accuse him of putting on airs about class and Mariella's no frills attitude would have been doubtlessly appealing to him. However, I'm not convinced he could have ever really met someone quite like her because then he might have a better opinion of women. Towards the end Hems confesses that, despite an earlier promise, he did use her in fiction, as the sea in 'The Old Man and the Sea'. Sure, but I don't think his respect of her wouldn't have leaked into other characters. Still, it was a great story. The interactions between Papa and Mari were heartfelt and real. Mariella's life was painted fully, her home life of as much importance as her work one. Gavin, Mariella's veteran love interest, was also well developed.

But of course I have criticisms. First being that the good were just a little bit too good. Gavin was just a bit over the top good, running around to save people in a storm, devoting time and money he didn't have to his amputee war buddy, John, and Mariella's family, never drinking with 'those rowdy vets'. I wouldn't have minded a few drunken evenings, he is a human being after all. We do see some negatives with his jealousy towards Hems, but even that is quickly apologized for and forgotten.

The second, and more important, is the writing style. Most of the time it was so simplistic that it was almost painful. The author didn't go to any pains in order to make this prose pretty. It's straight forward and plain, telling the reader exactly what happened but not going very far to describe it. The sort of classic stuff that's covered in Intro to Fiction Writing. It was distracting at times, in fact, but mostly counteracted by the plot. Had Robuck been a better writer this would have been better, but as it is, it's pretty damned good.(less)

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Jan 28, 2013 Mrs. Eggleston rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hemingway's Girl was a sweet fictional story revolving around the real author. Set on Key West during the Great Depression, it tells the story of Mariella, a Cuban American girl trying to keep her family going after her father's sudden death. Mariella has what we'd call chutzpa. She is single-handedly feeding her family at any costs while her mother grieves, including dressing like a boy to bet on a fight in a rough neighborhood. It's here she meets Ernest Hemingway, who instantly draws her in a...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Karen A rated it 5 of 5 stars

Enjoying this book so much. This is such a sweet book and wonderfully written.

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Mar 11, 2013 Kerri rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was one of those rare books where the ending was truly satisfying and made me like the book all that much more. Interestingly I read this one on an ereader and missed the prologue as I opted to click on Chapter One instead of flipping through the dedication and table of contents. Unfortunately, there was no indication in the Table of Contents that there was a prologue so I missed it. I only discovered my error by reading the interview with the author at the end so I went searching for it an...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Jenh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

December 2012 - Stacey's pick

I didn't think I was going to like the book when I first started it. It was a little slow at first, and I think because I was so busy with Thanksgiving I had a hard time getting into it. But by the middle I was enjoying it. It is a great snapshot of Key West in the 30s, and a cool peek into what Hemingway may have been like. I think this will make a great movie, and I have cast Tom Selleck in the role of Hemingway.

Here is a summary from another site:

"In Depression-...more

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Feb 01, 2013 MJ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorite, books-i-own

Its 1935 In Key West Florida and Mariella Bennet is struggling to hold her family together after the tragic death of her father. Doing odd jobs and when necessary gambling to pay the rent and her sisters hospital bills. On one fateful day her path crosses that of Ernest Hemingway the famous millionaire writer and she ends up as the Hemingway's housekeeper.

Her life is not instantly better her mother doesn't want her to work for The Hemingways because of Ernest's bad reputation, Paulette Hemingwa...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I writing this review about two weeks after I finished reading. I loved the description of Hemingway's Key West.

This is a story about a young girl, mixed blood. Her mother is Cuban, and her father American. Ambriella, has to support her mother financially, and emotionally, as well as her sisters. They don't have much money, and her father died tragically.

She meets a veteran, and Hemingway at a bar, called Sloppy Joe's. There is a bet, and a boxing match. This is how she connects with both of th...more I writing this review about two weeks after I finished reading. I loved the description of Hemingway's Key West.

This is a story about a young girl, mixed blood. Her mother is Cuban, and her father American. Ambriella, has to support her mother financially, and emotionally, as well as her sisters. They don't have much money, and her father died tragically.

She meets a veteran, and Hemingway at a bar, called Sloppy Joe's. There is a bet, and a boxing match. This is how she connects with both of the men.

Pauline, Hemingway's second wife offers her a position in the house. luckily, Ambiella holds her ground and doesn't allow it to get to far. She is wise to realize that he is much older than her, and the relationship will not lead to anything. But, still there is a conflict between the two men for her affection.

The description of Sloppy Joe's I could visualize it like, Harrison Ford's Raider of the Lost Ark. There is a scene of a bar. This is how I visualized Sloppy Joe's.

I have not read many novels, that take place in the Key's so this was a nice read, to get away.

I read this before reading Paris Wife. Unfortunately reading Paris Wife was much better than Hemingway's Girl. I did not enjoy it as much as Paris Wife.

It Tells the story of young Hemingway, as a struggling artist, in his early years. Possibly that is the reason I loved it more than Hemingway's Girl because that time of he's life was more interesting, in Paris with the "lost generation".

Reading about the Key's and The war vets was the most interesting. There is a part of history that is not known to many people. The bridge that connects to Miami and to the Keys back in the 30's was in the process of being built. They hired many vets from the war to build. They took advantage of these poor souls.

There was a hurricane in Florida, while the bridge was being built and many vets were killed. Because the management of the bridge did not take the danger seriously and tell them to evacuate. They were more interested in building the bridge than these vets lives.

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About Erika Robuck

ERIKA ROBUCK self-published her first novel, RECEIVE ME FALLING. Her novel, HEMINGWAY'S GIRL (NAL/Penguin), was a Target Emerging Author Pick, a Vero Beach Bestseller, and has been sold in two foreign markets to date. Her forthcoming novel, CALL ME ZELDA (NAL/Penguin), will be released on May 7, 2013, and begins in the years “after the party” for Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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