Book Review: Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures,1935-1961 by Nicholas E. Reynolds

Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures,1935-1961 by Nicholas E. Reynolds 

There is little argument against Ernest Hemingway cutting a large swath through his world. Bullfighter, fisherman, drunkard, and according to Reynold writer, sailor, solder, and spy are all titles we can hang on the man from Oak Park. But how true were all those titles? Just how much did Papa really get himself into? This book will let you know, yet leave just enough to make you question. Information abounds about the macro events described in the book. The Spanish Civil War, WWII, and the Cold War that followed. 

We know a lot of thinly veiled legends about Hemingway's actions during. Reynold tries, and does surgically slice through these legends to get as close to the facts as possible. I started this book once before, and I think put it down (a rare thing for me) because I had recently read a book on the Spanish Civil War and didn't need more of that. And to be...earnest...this one starts off a little dry. Once it gets going, and weeds out so many of the cluttering details, this is intriguing to say the least. 

Hemingway cut his teeth on action as an ambulance driver during the First World War but its not until Spain things get very interesting. After that, our story escalates with Hemingway eventually leading paramilitary expeditions from his famous Pilar in the Caribbean, and from Jeeps in France. This is where the action really picks up. Pages turn easier and you really get the feel for Hemingway. Then just like that, World War Two ends and the Cold War heats up. But by this point Hemingway is old, and will be left to meetings with far less lead flying. And just as the drama falls, so do this book. It wans at the end, but you have made it this far so why not keep it moving? 

With an intriguing subject matter, Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy is worth the time. If you're a Hemingway fan, you'll want to get every drop from the bottle. If you're not a Hemingway fan, this is still a compelling story about a larger than life character in American history. Give it the time to get started, and carry it to the end. Like most of Hemingway's books, the middle more than makes up for it.