Hemingway's Cats: An Illustrated Biography

by Carlene Fredericka Brennen, Hilary Hemingway (Foreword)

This unique biography of Ernest Hemingway, illustrated with more than two hundred photographs, reveals the legendary writer's affinity for the companion animals he kept throughout his lifetime.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Animals, Cats

185 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Carlene Fredericka Brennen, long a newspaper editor and publisher in southwest Florida, spent over 30 years researching Hemingway's life in Key West, Bimini, and Cuba. She co-wrote Hemingway in Cuba with Hilary Hemingway and worked on the award-winning documentary film by the same name. She coordinated the International Hemingway Festival on Sanibel Island and the First Annual Hemingway Flats Fishing Tournament on Captiva Island in 1997. She has also recently co-written two books with Randy Wayne White, a Gulf Coast cookbook and a book about tarpon fishing. She lives in Fort Myers, Florida, with her husband and a good many cats. Hilary Hemingway is the niece of Ernest Hemingway.

Reviews

[debbicat *made of stardust*]

My husband rescued a little gray and white kitten a few weeks ago. She was so shy she stayed under the sofa for a few days. But, then she came out! As I began to play with her I discovered that she is a polydactyl kitty! So cool! We had named her something else at first but when we discovered that little tidbit we jumped on google and looked up Hemingway. We picked the name of his first wife, Hadley, for her. It is such a cute name afterall. We have had her just over two weeks and last night my hubs gifted me this book on kindle and it has such great pictures. It is beautiful and I am very excited to read it.

More to follow

[Mike Prochot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not particularly well edited, but, if you are a Hemingway fan, wondering about the cats and/or are visiting or going to visit Key West - get a used copy and indulge yourself.

I am a fan of E.H. and a lover of cats so the cover was irresistible. I enjoyed the book overall, and the biography of the individual felines and other animal buddies was particularly fun as I could relate to my own experience with cats. However, I found parts of the book to be somewhat melancholy if not outright depressing.

Nevertheless, glad I found it in the bargain bin!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOT just a book about cats. A story of Hemingway’s life with his animals that accompanied him.♥️

[Angelea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely and fun book with a reminder how important our animals' roles are in our lives. I now dream of visiting Hemingway's homes in Key West and Cuba. And my past and present cats and dogs have literally been visiting me in my dreams since reading this.

[Michele Owrutzky Endick · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a cat lover I found this book very sweet and interesting. It discussed his many cats and dogs, had loads of photos and gave me a good insight into Hemingways life, marriages, homes and his love of his animals. Rather than being just a "coffee table" book, it actually was a very interesting read.

The one negative is that his Key West home is barely mentioned. I hope to visit there in the not too distant future and wanted info about the house and cats there. I will thus have to go to another source for that info.
If you are a cat lover, you will enjoy this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enthralled by all things Hemingway - his books, his love life, his way of life, and his cats. I have been to Key West twice to visit Hemingway's home there and I really enjoyed seeing all the six-toed cats wandering the premises. I bought this book in a local book store when I was in town last year. To my surprise, I learned from this book that the six-toed cats, known as Hemingway cats, were probably the neighbors' cats originally and that Hemingway did not have any of his own cats when he lived in Key West.

This book contains a well-researched summary of Hemingway's life in 32 chapters, focusing on his love of animals and nature. I learned quite a bit about Hemingway's most productive writing period when he lived at his farm, Finca Vigia, in Cuba. There, he established very strong bonds with quite a few cats, including Princessa, Boise, and Cristobal. According to Carlene Brennen, Hemingway cared very deeply for his cats and they cared for him, following him around in the yard, sitting with him at the dinner table and "assisting" him with his writing.

Carlene Brennen inserted quite a few excerpts of Hemingway's personal letters to family and friends, along with quotes from his mostly autobiographical novels, A Movable Feast, Islands in the Stream, and The Garden of Eden, highlighting his relationships with his cats and the people in his life. She included black and white photos from the Hemingway archives of Hemingway, his family and his pets (some of these photos had to be restored in order to be published). In addition, Carlene added her own black and white photos of cats and scenery in various locations, including Key West, Cuba and Idaho. At the end of the book, she included a list of all the cats and dogs in Hemingway's life, along with a list of other books to read. (Always nice to have suggestions for more books to read.)

As a cat lover myself, I really enjoyed reading about Hemingway's life from this perspective. It's not the most in-depth biography of Hemingway, but it is a special book worth reading if you are interested in Hemingway and his life.

[Jason Strayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a must read companion for those whose interests stand at the intersection of literature and animals. Hemingway's Cats is the de facto story of the fifty plus cats and dogs who shared their lives with Hemingway throughout his. Lavishly researched if not excessively eponymous, the book is full of gorgeous black and whites, as well as some photographs, and a bibliography that would make a doctoral student blanch. There's a full cast of characters here, and with the early to mid- twentieth century as backdrop, the book is able to biograph effectively while keeping a most unique four-legged perspective. There should certainly be more books about the cats of famous people.

At a certain point I had the epiphany: "wait, this isn't about Hemingway's cats at all!" All too often, good stories about cats turn into long stories about people. The source material starts to run thin, with many anecdotes told and re-told, and the author is forced to resort to using Hemingway's own stories to tell the tales (tails.) Albeit this is due to the challenge of resurrecting memories from a half millennium prior, but still, other readers should be wary that it will be difficult to keep reading unless you are passionate about the topic.

[Lisa Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the beginning of this book to be really boring. It was akin to reading a textbook full of dates and events. However, once the book delved into Heminway's life in Cuba, the book became far more tolerable. The focus was on his relationships with his animals more than on his writing. I was struck by the compassion that Hemingway had with all animals, but particularly cats and dogs. One major myth this book dispels is the notion that Hemingway had a colony of cats living with him at his Key West home. In fact, he never owned a single cat while he lived there! Fortunately, his Key West home, which is now a museum, has also been turned into a cat sanctuary, which I know he would deeply appreciate. I would only recommend this book to ardent Hemingway fans, who will get a distict glimpse into another aspect of this writer's personality, or to Crazy Cat Ladies (like me!).

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it came to animals, Hemingway was a enigma. He loved animals his entire life; had cats and dogs his entire life. Yet, he was a big game hunter in Africa, loved bullfights (though this books suggest he felt differently about bullfights later in his life), hunted ducks and other birds. This short book basically reflects a different, softer portrait of the artist, still that paradox remains.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are Hemingway and/or cat fan this is a must for your collection. The photographs of Hemingway along is worth the cost. The chapters are short and can stand alone. Learned a great deal about his life just prior to his life. Love the extensive bibliography.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this. For some reason I found it occasionally dull and strangely depressing. Loved the pictures and the stories though.

[Andrew Shaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Papa Pussy Hound.

[Madison Povelaitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! If you like Hemingway and cats (or any animals really) well then, why are you reading this? Buy the book already!

[Deedee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect example of the author never becoming the "Hemingway hero" he so desperately craved. He was troubled, depressed for most of his life and his love for cats allowed him to treat his depression in a kinder, more loving way than the self-medicating alcoholism which ultimately took his life. His love of cats was beautiful, an almost acceptable way of getting the love he needed. Possibly weak for the "hero" he sought, yet so Hemingway.
I've always loved Hemingway for his self-despised vulnerability. I love all cats for their embodiment of the "hero" and their endless supply of love. Key West is the closest I've ever been to heaven.
This book is a heart-wrenching look at the artist. Couldn't take all of the emotion it provoked in one sitting.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t believe im actually saying this, but I loved this book (perhaps because it wasn’t written by Hemingway himself). I would literally rather be water-boarded than read another one of Hemingway’s works, but I can’t help but feel we would have been friends. As the title suggests, this book cataloged the many animal companions, especially feline, Hemingway had throughout his life. His constant, unwavering selflessness he showed to all wildlife he encountered, especially stray animals he would find on the streets and promptly adopt, is nothing short of admirable.

Unfortunately, I can’t give this book 5 stars simply due to some of the editing errors and whatnot, but overall this was a charming and humanizing account of Hemingway and his cats.

[Christine Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

I never had an interest in books about or what Hemingway wrote until I visited his home in Key West Florida. Love that he loved animals so much. I am a dog and cat person so it made him more interesting to read about him.

[Chans · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[Andrea Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom brought this book back from Key West for me. I finally got around to reading it during quarantine and it was better than I expected.

[Dr Susan Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised to find this book in the local Kenmore library and hadn't known of Hemingway's love of cats. Interesting to see how he interacted with them in his final home. Some nice photos

[Summer Devlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is not just about Hemingway's Cats (and a couple of dogs). It is also about the women in his life that he loved. Great black and white pictures, too.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the best book I have read about Hemingway's cats.

[Ryan Bastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because two of my favorite things in life are felines and classic literature (Hemingway's cats, how appropriate!). I was surprised to see that the author called this a novel, when it was more like a picture book. The pictures are cool but this is a way shorter read than a novel.

The book was pretty dull at moments, and it quickly switched back and forth from a biography of Hemingway's life to seemingly relevant correlations regarding his love of cats. A lot of the information about Hemingway's life was interesting, but I could have found these facts in a normal Hemingway biography. Perhaps the author was struggling to compose an entire novel about just Hemingway and his cats. As a cat lover, I was deeply touched by moments where Hemingway had to deal with the death of his pets and to me those were the strong points of the book. I'm glad I read this, but I was still a little disappointed.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being a Hemingway fan due to the mostly macho subject matter in his novels, I nevertheless became intrigued with him when I came across an article describing his great affection for cats. This didn't seem to jibe. How could a man known for boozing, and bullfighting be a feline aficionado?
Carlene Brennan's photo biography clarifies this aspect of Hemingway in a conversational and entertaining manner. For those looking to go beyond the usual author biography, it's suggested to check out Brennan's approach.

[June G]

Must own. Must own. Must own. Must own. Just look!-> http://www.amazon.com/Hemingways-Cats...

[Sandi Roddy]

Cute and shows a side to Hemingway that I didn't appreciate until I visited his house in Key West.

[Deedee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pictures and interesting info. I learned many things I didn't know, which is a primary goal of reading.

[Vera Lazera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely for any cat lover!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photos were excellent, stories were well researched and extremely insightful, but ultimately I wasn’t crazy about her writing. Nevertheless, this will be enjoyed by any cat fan.

[Susan Johnston]

good story of Hemingway"s Key West life. Went right along with his Key West house tour.