Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck

Synopsis:
“She remembered when Hemingway had planted a banyan at his house and told her its parasitic roots were like human desire. At the time she’d thought it romantic. She hadn’t understood his warning.”

In Depression-era Key West, Mariella Bennet, the daughter of an American fisherman and a Cuban woman, knows hunger. Her struggle to support her family following her father’s death leads her to a bar and bordello, where she bets on a risky boxing match...and attracts the interest of two men: world-famous writer, Ernest Hemingway, and Gavin Murray, one of the WWI veterans who are laboring to build the Overseas Highway.

When Mariella is hired as a maid by Hemingway’s second wife, Pauline, she enters a rarified world of lavish, celebrity-filled dinner parties and elaborate off-island excursions. As she becomes caught up in the tensions and excesses of the Hemingway household, the attentions of the larger-than-life writer become a dangerous temptation...even as the reliable Gavin Murray draws her back to what matters most. Will she cross an invisible line with the volatile Hemingway, or find a way to claim her own dreams? As a massive hurricane bears down on Key West, Mariella faces some harsh truths...and the possibility of losing everything she loves.

My Thoughts:
Wow, how to put into words what I felt about this book? I could use as many positive adjectives that I could think of and it still wouldn't come close to describing how inspiring and life changing Hemingway’s Girl was. The book made me feel something for the characters. A book hasn't made me feel this way in a long time. I wanted to be with Mariella at Sloppy Joe’s watching all the drunk men argue. Hell, I wanted to be her. I was envious of the way she was getting attention from Gavin and Hemingway. When I read the book and she was happy, I was happy for her. When she was sad, I felt pity and sympathy for her. I fell absolutely head over heels for Ernest Hemingway. He had a quirky personality that I adored. He seemed wise beyond his years. Even when he was acting like a jerk and having a temper tantrum, he was still sexy. The ending left me emotionally devastated. I cried for about ten minutes. I’m still having troubles coming to terms with it, even though it’s the day after I finished it. Thank You Erika Robuck for making reading fun again and not just something I do for a job. 

I give Hemingway’s Girl 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.erikarobuck.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ErikaRobuck
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ErikaRobuck
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2867287.Erika_Robuck

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.