Scan barcode
kerinl's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting insight into the literary world of the early 20th century,
mrsdryoder's review against another edition
3.0
Makes me want to go and reread Papa. I haven't read A Moveable Feast yet, but will add that to my to-read list. Overall, quick and easy read
bsolarz's review against another edition
1.0
Having not read any of Ernest Hemingway's books, it could have been a faltering factor in my decision to stop reading the book... but I know it isn't. The characters in this book were tedious and repetitive and most of all, made me angry. All Hadley seemed to ever do was see what Hemingway was doing to their marriage but insist she didn't want to do anything about it due to it possibly getting in the way of his writing.
There is no plot to this story and no excitement. Shame... the concept had great potential.
There is no plot to this story and no excitement. Shame... the concept had great potential.
vi_petrikaite's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Book on CD narrated by Carrington MacDuffie.
When Hadley Richardson arrives in Chicago to visit her friend Kate, she has no idea that she is about to meet the man who will change her life. At a party that night she’s immediately attracted to a tall, darkly handsome and charismatic young man who is eight years younger than the 28-year-old Hadley, but so much more worldly than she. One dance leads to another, and before long Hadley lets herself be led towards happiness … at least for a while. The young man is Ernest Hemingway and after a whirlwind courtship they’ll marry and move to Paris, where they’ll absorb the atmosphere and enjoy the company of the likes of Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, et al. It is the Jazz Age, and while their money is limited, it’s enough for fine dining, more than a little drinking, some gambling and even skiing. Of course, it will all end much too soon, but their story will captivate the reader.
For love, as we know, is not enough by itself. The Hemingways have love, but they are not prepared for the whirlwind that is 1920s Paris and find themselves ill equipped to deal with the realities of their life together. Ernest is moody and ill-tempered as he struggles to find his creative voice. Hadley does her best to support and help him but often finds herself feeling lonely and insecure. She suspects he is unfaithful but doesn’t really want to know, so she continues carrying on. When the end of their journey together finally comes it is nevertheless tragic for being expected.
I have been a fan of Hemingway’s writing since I first read The Old Man and the Sea when I was in about 8th grade. There is something about the immediacy of his writing that just draws me into his novels and stories. Most of the book is written from Hadley’s point of view, but there are sections where McClain emulates Hemingway’s style, giving us a glimpse of his point of view. This is very effective when read on the page, partly because the change in font clearly alerts the reader to the different narrator. But the audio book doesn’t have any such clue, and I found it confusing and distracting. Nevertheless, Carrington MacDuffie did a good job of the narration on the audio version.
I had previously read Hemingway’s memoir, A Moveable Feast. This is a wonderful companion piece.
Update 17June16 - I listened again to refresh my memory for book club meeting. I really noticed that Carrington MacDuffie does NOT do Zelda Fitzgerald justice at ALL - where is her southern accent?
When Hadley Richardson arrives in Chicago to visit her friend Kate, she has no idea that she is about to meet the man who will change her life. At a party that night she’s immediately attracted to a tall, darkly handsome and charismatic young man who is eight years younger than the 28-year-old Hadley, but so much more worldly than she. One dance leads to another, and before long Hadley lets herself be led towards happiness … at least for a while. The young man is Ernest Hemingway and after a whirlwind courtship they’ll marry and move to Paris, where they’ll absorb the atmosphere and enjoy the company of the likes of Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, et al. It is the Jazz Age, and while their money is limited, it’s enough for fine dining, more than a little drinking, some gambling and even skiing. Of course, it will all end much too soon, but their story will captivate the reader.
For love, as we know, is not enough by itself. The Hemingways have love, but they are not prepared for the whirlwind that is 1920s Paris and find themselves ill equipped to deal with the realities of their life together. Ernest is moody and ill-tempered as he struggles to find his creative voice. Hadley does her best to support and help him but often finds herself feeling lonely and insecure. She suspects he is unfaithful but doesn’t really want to know, so she continues carrying on. When the end of their journey together finally comes it is nevertheless tragic for being expected.
I have been a fan of Hemingway’s writing since I first read The Old Man and the Sea when I was in about 8th grade. There is something about the immediacy of his writing that just draws me into his novels and stories. Most of the book is written from Hadley’s point of view, but there are sections where McClain emulates Hemingway’s style, giving us a glimpse of his point of view. This is very effective when read on the page, partly because the change in font clearly alerts the reader to the different narrator. But the audio book doesn’t have any such clue, and I found it confusing and distracting. Nevertheless, Carrington MacDuffie did a good job of the narration on the audio version.
I had previously read Hemingway’s memoir, A Moveable Feast. This is a wonderful companion piece.
Update 17June16 - I listened again to refresh my memory for book club meeting. I really noticed that Carrington MacDuffie does NOT do Zelda Fitzgerald justice at ALL - where is her southern accent?
kjm9773's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
epotts's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
laelbasore's review against another edition
I could not get into it, I felt like I could somewhat tell what was coming so it felt fairly predictable. It was just a bit too slow for me.
kkonda's review against another edition
3.0
Very good beach read material, although only as a very optimistic take on why anyone would be married to such a misogynistic, dysfunctional jackass as Hemingway.