Adios Hemingway

As a thriller, Adiós Hemingway is moderately diverting, if a tad under-par. It's my first introduction to the author's Mario Conde detective novels and not a wholly convincing one. Leonardo Padura Fuentes is a capable enough writer, but there was nothing in this book, from a crime or mystery perspective, which stood out. There's only ever one logical, credible solution to who killed the dead man and that's how it plays out – unremarkably and without fireworks. In a strange way, the lack of twists and turns means it's actually hard to follow Conde's straight-line deductions, in the same way that keeping focus and attention when driving down a long straight road is hard.

However, for a certain cadre of readers the book has an added show more layer of interest. The book centres around the retired detective Conde drawn back into action as a storm uncovers a buried body on the Finca Vigía estate of Ernest Hemingway, now a museum. While he is not an uncritical admirer of Papa, Padura's success in fitting this fiction into the real facts and lore of Hemingway creates a real sense of verisimilitude and compensates – for readers who share that interest – for the otherwise muted pacing and disappointing mystery. As Hemingway aficionados are likely to be the only new readers drawn to this title, this does no harm to the book's prospects and you close the book with a benign fondness for the diversion it has provided. show less

If you're going to read one of Leonardo Padura's Mario Conde novels in English, read this one - the translation is so much better. The story is told half in flashbacks to Ernest Hemingway's final days at the Finca Vigia - and living in a place that celebrates the iconic Hemingway to a sometimes obnoxious extent, I can sympathize with Conde - and Padura's - love-hate relationship with the writer.

This book is definitely a neat twist on the classical murder mystery. The inner turmoil of the main character and his love-hate relationship with Hemingway provides a great opportunity to cast Hemingway in a new light. The dark tones, the heat, the delving into a past long gone give the story a noir quality which I thoroughly enjoyed. I stumbled on this book and was glad to have read it.

Padura struggles with his feelings toward Hemingway as he writes a mystery with his conscience-in-chief, ex-cop detective Conde, struggling with his feelings about Mr. H. A good back and forth (the book alternates between the past with H doing his Papa and Conde doing his detecting (and wearing Ava Gardner's tired old panties on his head at one point--is this a spoiler?) while rum drinking with another ode to his friendships with his long term comrades.

Easy read, easy review. Adios Hemingway is a quick, light, but still entertaining read. If you're not offended by some occasional crude language or, somewhat typical for the genre, sexism, this is a great read. The plot is not overheated and the treatment of Hemingway provides a nice backdrop. Fuentes' detective, Mario Conde, is human, thoughtful, and likable. Not high literature nor a fast-paced thriller but a very enjoyable and interesting read.

Former Havana police inspector Mario Conde is persuaded to assist in the investigation when a body is found buried on the property of Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s former home. Conde searches for the truth about what kind of person Hemingway was while he tries to identify the victim and establish the facts of his death.

Fictionalized scenes of Hemingway in 1958 and a pair of Ava Gardner’s panties play a prominent role. As in all of Padura’s Mario Conde novels the mystery is enhanced by Conde’s observations on life in Cuba and the complexities of friendship and love.

This is an interesting semi-fictional mystery novel that uses a fictional plot while exploring the last years of Ernest Hemingway's life. Using an alternating time frame, a modern ex-detective and writer examines the character of the great writer and attempts to reveal why he committed suicide. While difficult to tell which is fact and which is fiction, Fuentes nevertheless does a nice job of bringing the character of Hemingway back to life.