Misadventures of a Fly Fisherman

by Jack Hemingway

The author, eldest son of Ernest Hemingway, recounts his childhood in Paris, education at Dartmouth, work as an OSS agent in World War II, escape from a German POW camp, and experiences fishing around the world

Genres: Biography

326 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1986

Reviews

[DeWayne Neel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 1986 book by the son of a famous and elite father. It was given to me based on the "fly fishing" title and did not disappoint. The book contains three stories with the first being about a son who spends the first part of his life in Paris with his mom without riches, but access to the famous of the world. Mr. Hemingway "tells it like it is" in his eyes in a romance novel pattern: a free-wheeling man who was under-employed for most of his life. Booze, women, fishing, travel, high society, and private boarding schools best describe the life of a young man who had few real roots.
He describes in detail all the streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans he has fished, talking in great fishing terms understood by a common sportsman. Having fished some of those rivers fifty years later, I was amazed at how little has changed and much detail he described with accuracy.
I found most exciting his military exploits most, especially those with the French resistance. The description of the madness of war is deeply felt. A masterful writing job.
Despite its age, this is a worthwhile read.

[HJ Vanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

John (Jack) Hadley Nicanor Hemingway was the oldest child of Ernest Hemingway and the only child Ernest had with his first wife, Hadley. It’s a fine read if you are interested in all things Hemingway. Jack provides his own candid perspective of the great writer and the book is full of amusing anecdotes. Most of the book concentrates on Jack’s earlier years of life and there’s minimal information on his own family.
Jack’s World War II service as an OSS agent and later POW was remarkable and he writes about it in depth. His three step-mothers are referenced in the auto-biography and he does dish some dirt. His beloved mother, Hadley, is also dissed in my reading but that was probably not his intent. Any mother who sends her crying eight year off to boarding school so she can work on her marriage to her second husband should be ashamed. And again, when Jack, as a POW is freed at the end of the war, receives a 2 month leave and gets to spend only one day with his mother because she has to leave the next day to join her husband in Paris.
As the title suggests, there are a lot of fly fishing descriptions but he writes well about them, even if you’re not into fishing. But there are way too many references to his sexual activities, something readers really wouldn’t care about. Jack did become a noted fly fisherman, conservationist, and writer, and his book is worth a read for all Hemingway fans.

[John Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Hemingway was the son of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley. He writes that when he became an old man, he realized he had spent the first half of his life being known as the son of a famous father, and the second half being known as the father of famous children (his daughters Margaux and Mariel). The part of the story dealing with his famous father and his adventures serving in the OSS during WWII is at least moderately interesting. However, Jack Hemingway ultimately became something of a ne'er-do-well who was saved from financial crisis by his inheritance from his father. Most of his life was not interesting in and of itself, and Hemingway Jr. lacked the penetrating insight shown by his father in his best work. This book makes a reasonably interesting read for Hemingway afficionados like me, but probably is not worth going back to, and I doubt I ever will re-read it.

[Míceál Ó Gealbháin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up with & without Papa, being taken POW by the Germans in WWII and of course, fishing. A fun and interesting read.

[Paul Raymond]

Wonderful account of Ernest Hemingway's son's fishing experiences.