Author: Paula McLain
4 out of 5 Stars
Plot Background:
This is the untold story of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley. The story begins in Chicago in 1920, when a young Hadley Richardson meets the very charismatic Ernest Hemingway. Soon after marrying, they move to Paris and become members of a social circle that would greatly influence modern literature (this circle included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, among others). The couple is very deeply in love, but Ernest quickly finds the Paris "Jazz Age" lifestyle tempting, causing him serious trouble keeping monogomy afloat in their marriage. As Ernest struggles to find his voice and his ideal life, Hadley struggles to keep her marriage together. Hadley is faced with a choice, stay with the man she loved even though he courts another woman, or break ties with the alchoholic quickly breaking her heart.
My Thoughts:
Before reviewing this, I would first like to give a disclaimer that I broke my rule and read something that is not considered a "bargain book", however, as a huge Hemingway fan I could not pass it up.
The first Ernest Hemingway book that I ever read was A Farewell to Arms, and I was in love. I knew coming into The Paris Wife that Ernest had been in World War I, and I knew he was an alchoholic in his later years with many ex-wives, so it was with a heavy heart that I started the book, knowing they would not end up together. (I do not count this as a spoiler because it is history.)
The author did such a great job harnessing the voice of Hadley. McLain definatly put in a lot of time and research on their relationship and who Hadley was as a person, and the work definatly comes through in the book. It was easy to see why Ernest and Hadley fell in love, and even though I knew the end of their marriage would come, I felt so attached to it. I saw so much of my own relationship in them, it was so easy to feel Hadley's heartbreak (and Ernest's heartbreak for that matter).
I was also really surprised with how much I liked Ernest. Knowing that he would have issues being faithful in his marriage and knowing that he was an alchoholic going into the book, I had it in my head that I would hate him for what he has done. However, I genuinly liked Ernest. He was just a young man, struggling to pursue his dream, which I can relate to. He had such a tenderness with Hadley, and the author really did a fantastic job sharing that tenderness and showing his softer side.
I also loved how well the author captured the Jazz Age. I always have enjoyed learning about the "Roaring 20's" and the idea of what changes took place then. This book definatly taught me a lot about what life was like in Paris in the 1920's, it really helps me understand how our cultures have gotten to where they are today. This is another example of where the author really did a great job with her research to make the novel really beleivable. So many times I will read a period peice where the author did not do their homework, and there are gaping holes in history and plot-- this is not one of those books. The lines of history and fiction are easily blurred in this novel and I really love it. I would also like to quickly mention that I enjoyed getting to know F Scott Fitzgerald (another of my favorite authors) a little bit in the novel.
So, having said all of these positives, there were just a few negatives I would like to point out. One negative would be pacing. There were some points where it felt really slow, and some points where it felt like we were flying through some scenes (like the "bull run" scenes in Spain). I also did not understand entirely the relationship that Ernest had with his children, I felt they could have had more interactions, but overall it wasn't a deal breaker for the book or anything.
In general, this book was work the extra money. It was a book I will likely re-read in the future. The author painted such a beautiful and clear picture. If you can't afford to buy this book now, add it to your wishlist!
Here is a link to the Kindle edition of the book or you can use the Amazon searchbox on the side of the screen-- again I would like to warn THIS IS NOT A BARGAIN BOOK! It is $12.99:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Paris-Wife-Novel-ebook/dp/B004DEPELY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345076549&sr=8-2&keywords=the+paris+wife
Happy Reading!!!
(Like this review? Disagree? Sound off in the comments!)
Like all of the great writers, there was always something tragic in their lives; some inner torture that somehow formed the way they wrote. I think Hemingway's true tragedy was a woman named Agnes, not Hadley...
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting to see what made the man who so many authors have crafted their work after. I also read he was in love in Agnes, perhaps the author should write a sequel about their relationship :-) I would read that!
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