Reviews

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

lmb3393's review against another edition

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Too slow and the narrator of the audiobooks voice was grating. Did not enjoy her tone.

janmaj's review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Read it in advance of a trip to Paris, hoping to immerse myself in a bit of the culture. It wasn’t that, but interesting to learn about Hemingway and the literary giants of the 1920’s

james_anderson's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dianerc's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved this book! Read it in one day!

abbeyhar103's review against another edition

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3.0

More like 3.5 stars. I'm glad I recently read "A Moveable Feast" which was also about this time in Hemingway's life. A solid, fun read, although it certainly doesn't make me admire Hemingway or his writing any more than I did.

hannahfrimodig's review against another edition

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5.0

Absolutely amazing, even if you’ve never read anything of Hemingway’s this is an awesome read. I’ve never been so emotionally invested in a book and felt like I rode along with all of the intense and complex emotions

kalliste's review against another edition

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4.0

A few reviews I read of this suggested the book was like a history text and rather dull. I don't agree. I really loved this book and having it the narration was excellent.

The Paris Wife is the story of Hadley, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. The wife that saw him through the hard, poor times. The times before he was successful. She was an incredible wife and adored him completely. She was completely devoted to him.

Some of the book was so devastating, I really felt for Hadley. She really had it tough but she did it all for the man she loved.

I don't think this could have been written any other way and had the same impact. I was cheering for Hadley the entire time.

anasof's review against another edition

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5.0

Romanticized and makes Paris feel like a fantasy

lynnbettencourt's review against another edition

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3.0

A book club read: I enjoyed the novel though it was a bit depressing to read. Perhaps because it was summer and I enjoy happier endings when I am reading in the sun, or maybe because I knew the real life ending. The clouds of divorce and suicide just hung over the novel for me.

I did not know much about Hemingway's life and apparently knew very little of his actual works. I may or may not read some in the future but I think I will wait until the fall or winter to pick one up.

The novel itself provided good discussion and it was brought up that many of the words in the novel were pulled from Hemingway's printed words.

megangraff's review against another edition

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4.0

Four stars is a bit generous but I did enjoy the book. It also made me contemplate reading some Hemingway. I'm now reading a memoir by the same author about growing up in foster care.