Rating: 
Summary: This was better than not releasing it at all
Review: This book shows what was right about Hemingway as well as what was wrong. His writing ability continues to shine through but his subject matter shows what was so disappointing about some of his later works. I'm not what I would call an environmentalist. I hunt occasionally as do most adult males in this part of the country. However, the trophy killing described here and in "The Green Hills of Africa" is a bit much to take. Many people might wonder at the irony of the main character also working as a game warden of sorts. The female characterization here is also a typical Hemingway short-coming. The female lead is just a little too dependent on Hemingway and doesn't seem to be bothered by his affairs with other women. Hemingways women are always incomplete and totally dependent on his men. The story line doesn't offer much except a life that must get boring after a few days and we're kept there a lot longer than that. Still, even when the subject matter is as bad as this, it is something of a pleasure just to read Hemingway.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing Posthumous Finale
Review: This book was published to coincide with what would have been Hemingway's 100th birthday. Unfortunately, it's not much of a tribute. Fortunately, it is supposed to be the final Hemingway work, so maybe the "picking at Papa's bones" has finally come to an end. Posthumous publications always raise the question of what would the author have wanted. Would Hemingway have wanted this book to see publication, particularly given the fact that it is need of heavy editing? I have my doubts that he ever intended for this book to see publication. He had shelved this project himself prior to his death and nothing I've read indicates he had any desire to see it to completion. The book is characterized as "A Fictional Memoir," and, rather than seeming to have been intended as a complete novel in and of itself, the book appears to be more of a collection of material out of which a novel might have been constructed. Hemingway began work on it in 1954, and it essentially describes Hemingway's trip to Kenya with his fourth wife, Mary Welsh. The line between what is fiction and what is memoir is fairly ambiguous throughout. Fans of Hemingway, such as myself, will be disappointed. There is no real plot or dramatic structure and what suspense there is, e.g., will Miss Mary kill her lion?, is disposed of before the book is half over. The book, which is reputed to have been edited down from over 800 pages, is in severe need of additional editing. Hemingway, who was famous for his self-editing, probably would have sheared off at least another quarter of the book. Still, there is enough of the old master present here to make it worth reading if you are a fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Happy 100th Papa!
Review: Well, seeing that EH has been dead for a while, he probably is not caring about the 100th anniversery of his birth, let alone having a happy one. Several readers voiced disappointment in this book, and rightfully so, as if they do not like it, no use in pretending they do. I really liked this book. It is true it is not at the level of his masterpieces, but what do you expect? Even Patrick, who edited it, humbly calls this book "a child's teddy-bear" when compared to the Urus horribilis that Papa could've shaped it into. But because it is not AFTA or TSAR, that does not mean it's bad. Hemingway paints the scenery with such beauty that you can smell the African morning air and feel the flying dust that the cars make. The hunt is exciting, and the tension between Ernest and Mary during the hunt is even more so. Really, this is a fun book to read, a book that possesses that beauty that Hemingway is known for. But I suggest to only read it if you have read at least a couple of his earlier masterpieces, or better yet, if you are already an admirer of his work, being familiar with several of his novels and short stories. But if you are part of the latter case, I'm sure you've already read this book, and if you haven't, then what are you waiting for? It is a good book.
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