True At First Light : A Fictional Memoir Of His Last African Safari

Rating:
Summary: Trash
Review: I've read quite a bit of Hemingway's work. Some good and some fair. This books is at a new level, Trash. Ramblings of a sick drunk bickering with his wife. Do not waste any money on this book. Will probably be available as garage sale item, or pick up out of trash can.

Rating:
Summary: Rough Cut
Review: "True at First Light" is a book that would not have received Hemingway's blessing for publication in its current state. In fact, I can imagine he would have been quite mad it was released. In a letter to Alfred Rice in 1954 he writes: "I have a diamond mine if people will let me alone and let me dig the stones out of the blue mud and then cut and polish them." He was referring to his last trip to Africa and the wealth of material it could yield from his experiences. For those who have read his work, the various biographies, his letters, and the countless scholarly works, it becomes clear that Hemingway, had he lived, would have spent considerable time cutting and polishing "First Light" into a well crafted story. Perhaps the end result would have reflected the minimalist lessons he learned from Cézanne, the caring for characters he felt in Dostoevski, and the suspense building battle scenes of Stendal and Tolstoy. He would more than likely have attempted to create a vivid and entertaining story rivaling the economy and penetration of one of his favorite books, Turgenev's "A Sportsman's Sketches." It is nonetheless interesting to discover in First Light's pages those motifs that crop up from earlier works: The quirky repartee between Hemingway and G.C. is reminiscent of dialogue in "The Sun Also Rises." The notion of loving something hunted is a theme found in "The Old Man and the Sea" and "Islands in the Stream." Even the phrase "moveable feast" makes a quick appearance, but not in regard to living one's youth in Paris. For those new to Hemingway's work, "First Light" is not a moveable feast and you won't find yourself hungering to return to the meal. You might in fact find it rough going. It is largely a factual journal only Hemingway himself could manipulate to create another "Francis Macomber" or "Snows of Kilimanjaro," had he the time. Unfortunately an unfinished manuscript doesn't hold up as well as an unfinished symphony or an oil sketch. "First Light" is interesting foremost to the Hemingway scholar and those Hemingway aficionados genuinely intrigued with the man and his times. For those wishing to explore his work for the first time, it is best to read the finished works to appreciate true craftsmanship. "A Moveable Feast" was for me a stepping stone into the world of great literature thanks to Hemingway's personal book reviews sprinkled liberally on it's pages.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely boring book
Review: i have heard wonderful stories of how good a writer is Hemingway... having heard so... i decided to find a heminway book... and as it was on display in the bookstore... i gave it a try... i found it laborious to go through the 1st 100 pages... after which i gave up... maybe it is not very interesting for a teenager... so teenagers... beware... maybe u should read other hemingway works... definitely not this one.

Rating:
Summary: Very Fine Hemingway treatment of Eastern Africa
Review: Considering its vague "fictional memoir" designation and the fact that it is a posthumous work, "True at First Light" is a surprisingly good book. It came out of Hemingway's 1953 Kenyan safari (two decades after the trip that resulted in "Green Hills of Africa") and tells the story of the narrator's hunting and game warden adventures, his affair with an African woman, and his wife's pursuit of a lion. The safari party is vividly portrayed and the local Africans are documented with respect and understanding. Hunting and the African flora and fauna are well described, as the British colonial administration and the ensuing Mau-Mau comprise the background. As usual, Hemingway shares his philosophy of life, love, art, and death, and shows himself well versed on things African and literature related to Africa. Son Patrick Hemingway, who was there in 1953 and who worked in Kenya as one of the last generation of white hunters, did an excellent editing job, forging the book from the original manuscript and providing a very useful introduction, cast of characters, and Swahili glossary. This is highly recommended for any Hemingway fans and anyone interested in Africa.

Rating:
Summary: clearly scissors & paste but glad it's here
Review: If the writing is good, you become as interested in the writer as the work itself. Clearly a paste-up job. Does not have the genius cohesiveness of all other Hemingway work. But his life & work is so interesting that anything new is worth the time. I wish they had just published the entire 850 pages as Hemingway left them and let us sort it out. That would be a great exploration.

Rating:
Summary: I Bought it off a Homeless Guy for a Dollar
Review: ... and it's worth its weight in shillingi. Kudos to E. Hemingway and his son, Patrick, for being such a (semi-posthumously) talented pair. If you haven't read much (or any) Hemingway, this book makes for a beautiful foray into his works. True at First Light is a gorgeous, tantalizing description of his time as a game warden, with phrasing so rich and narrative so taut, one can barely refrain from booking a one-way flight to Kenya. Hemingway deftly transforms what one American reader may consider the somewhat mundane business of hunting, washing and drinking into an extraordinarily attractive life; the allure is in the escape from this complicated and hectic society. Perhaps his connection with the reader is best explained in Hemingway's own words: "Everything had been taken out of my control and I welcomed, as always, the lack of responsibility and the splendid inactivity with no obligation to kill, pursue, protect, intrigue, defend or participate and I welcomed the chance to read."

Rating:
Summary: True at First Light
Review: This wasn't a book that captivated my attention. Hemenway has superficial relationships with both his wife and Debba, who wants to be his second assistant wife. While culturally interesting, the frequent exchange of African dialogue created breaks in concentration. The interpretation guide for this dialogue was incomplete and not alphabetized, adding to frustration during reading. I usually pass my books along to friends when I finish but don't feel comfortable doing so in this instance. The finest passages are descriptions of the scenery and surroundings in Africa.

Rating:
Summary: A hell of a 'first draft'
Review: Hemingway apparently once said that "The first draft of anything is s--t." This book is certainly a cut above that at any level. There are passages that ring with essential truths, as per the title--eg., where Percival talks about short-range shooting, pp. 48-49, and says "Never trust any man until you have seen him shoot at something dangerous or that he wants really badly at fifty yards or under. Never buy him until you've seen him shoot at twenty. The short distance uncovers what's inside of them." Could Amis, Rushdie or Ondaatje even think in those terms? They couldn't bear H's rifle.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable reading!
Review: Too many reviewers of this book seem to be trying to convince us that they can can out-write Hemingway. They call him "Papa" as if they knew him personally and try to leave the impression that they could have given him writing lessons. If you enjoy reading a decent story, like the outdoors, have ever done any hunting (whether you liked it or not or approve of it or not), have a respect for living things, like to hear stories about Africa -- any, all, or maybe none except the first of these things -- you will probably enjoy this book. It is a bit rambling, somewhat like listening to reminisces enjoyed and shared around a campfire, but worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: should have been left unpublished
Review: Gee...where's the plot. I ploughed through the book looking for one but came up with one anticlimax after another. The threat of an invasion in the first five chapters and the hunt for Mary's lion were both disappointments after the build-up. I can't believe Mary actually let Papa get away with taking a fiancee, Debba, with no protest. The needless killing of animals was also a sore point. Like Kafka, Hemingway should have ordered that all his unpublished works be destroyed after his death, at least I would have been spared this "fictional memoir". I hope that's the last we'll hear of any "newly discovered" works by the great Hemingway.