(NOVEL)
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (Ballantine Books, 2011). Also available on Kindle.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (Ballantine Books, 2011). Also available on Kindle.
Reviewed by Sally Dayton
The Paris Wife is a fictionalized version of Ernest Hemingway’s first marriage. The story follows Hemingway and Hadley Richardson as they meet and fall in love in Chicago, eventually moving to Paris so Ernest can become part of the vibrant arts community there during the 1920’s. McLain details the pair’s separate family issues so that the reader has some insight into what might have drawn them together as lovers. The novel is written mostly from the perspective of Hadley.
Much of the story revolves around Ernest’s interest in bullfighting, the writing of The Sun Also Rises and the “characters” in their lives who end up coming alive in the story he is writing. This book is enjoyable not only for Hemingway enthusiasts but also for anyone interested in the literary history of the period. Many famous Modernists make appearances in the book, including Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein.
The story covers five years, the length of Hadley and Ernest’s marriage. The last segment of the book is a summary of the rest of their lives until Ernest dies in 1961. I thought it seemed tacked on and unnecessary since most people are aware of how Hemingway's life ended. I don’t think that it really did anything to illuminate their marriage, which is the focus of the book.
I would definitely recommend this book. It is well written and engaging.
© 2012.
I also liked this book. I learned some things about Hemminway's life, and I enjoyed reading about the literary community in Paris in the 1920's.
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