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erintowner's review against another edition
3.0
First, it sounds like Ernest Hemingway was the most childish, codependent person in. the. world. Just reading about him disgusts me.
There's something about Paula McLain's writing that I love. After reading more about Martha Gellhorn, I'm not sure her portrayal in this novel is accurate (the real-life Martha sounds interesting and cool while her character in the novel was juvenile and annoying at times), but I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I've read The Paris Wife and plan to read Circling the Sun, other books by this author.
There's something about Paula McLain's writing that I love. After reading more about Martha Gellhorn, I'm not sure her portrayal in this novel is accurate (the real-life Martha sounds interesting and cool while her character in the novel was juvenile and annoying at times), but I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I've read The Paris Wife and plan to read Circling the Sun, other books by this author.
_changingtime's review against another edition
3.0
Available at bit.ly/2sOu3iD as part of the Love and Ruin Blog Tour by Fleet and the Little, Brown Book Group UK
alyssajcori's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this historical novel and learned a lot! "Love and Ruin" is about Martha Gellhorn, a war correspondent and the third wife of Ernest Hemingway. This book allows you to experience Martha before and after meeting Ernest and closely follows her professional career that is influenced, and impeded by Hemingway.
Gellhorn is such an interesting person that I decided to write an entire post dedicated to her in the history portion of my blog!
Gellhorn is such an interesting person that I decided to write an entire post dedicated to her in the history portion of my blog!
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
"Love and Ruin" is a five star book as far as readability but four stars in the Paula McLain body of work. I've liked all her novels but "Circling the Sun" was my favorite. "Love and Ruin" takes on Ernest Hemingway's third marriage, and one of his most contentious, matched closely as he was to a woman of equal ambition and guts. Martha Gellhorn traveled to war zones at a time when few women did and her work was appreciated on it's own merits despite her sex. Sex had a lot to do with her relationship with Hemingway, a lot of passion and strife--the strife mostly coming from his jealousy of her writing and the praise she earned--but their relationship was real and deep. Martha loved Hemingway's kids and they loved her back.
McLain channels the guts of Gellhorn's writing into her descriptions of her war reportage. The novel ends with the finish of her marriage to Hemingway, but Gellhorn worked until the 1990s when her vision was so poor she could not read he own manuscripts.
Fans of McLain will not be disappointed in "Love and Ruin." I look forward to another novel from her about a remarkable woman outside the Hemingway realm.
McLain channels the guts of Gellhorn's writing into her descriptions of her war reportage. The novel ends with the finish of her marriage to Hemingway, but Gellhorn worked until the 1990s when her vision was so poor she could not read he own manuscripts.
Fans of McLain will not be disappointed in "Love and Ruin." I look forward to another novel from her about a remarkable woman outside the Hemingway realm.
novelvisits's review against another edition
5.0
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
Martha Gellhorn – Prior to reading this book, I knew little more about Martha Gellhorn than her name and connection to Hemingway. What a delight to get to know this amazing writer/journalist while reading Love and Ruin. Told in first person, it quickly became obvious that Martha Gellhorn was a powerhouse in her own right. Before she’d ever met Hemingway, Martha had published two books and traveled the world on her own. Writing and reporting were her passions and throughout this story, McLain made that clear. I appreciated that Gellhorn was willing to take some advice and even some help from Hemingway, but that she always followed her own instincts. Gellhorn’s relationship with Hemingway and her career as a war correspondent both began in Spain at the time of the Spanish Civil War, but with or without Hemingway, she carried on reporting from war zones.
Life of Writers – The contrast between the writing lives of Hemingway and Gellhorn was fascinating. During the years of Love and Ruin, both had periods where their writing was stalled. McLain made you feel the frustration of living with another writer who was writing like crazy and, for Martha, she also dove into the pain of failure.
“I piled the pages up and rested my head on them for a moment, saying whatever prayer it is writers have for the gifts that come from somewhere both inside and outside. And then I walked through the dark house to the pool and shed my clothes at the edge and slipped through the cool skin of the surface, plunging down and kicking hard, my mouth trailing bubbles. This too was a prayer.”
The balance of power between Gellhorn and Hemingway never quite tipped in Martha’s favor, but she, more than Hemingway, never lost sight of what was truly the essence of who she was, a writer. It was impossible not to admire the lengths Gellhorn would go to get a story. Despite being a woman she eagerly covered wars in the 30’s and 40’s.
History Lesson – I’ve read many, many books on WWII, but Love and Ruin covered parts I knew very little about. It was especially interesting to read about how journalists covered wars during that era. Like now, they were able to get remarkably close to the fighting, reporting on it and the human-interest stories created by war. I had never even heard of the Winter War that took place during 1939-1940 as Russia repeatedly bombed Finland and the Finish bravely fought back. Martha covered this war while Hemingway stayed at their home in Cuba.
That Writing – As in her other recent books, Paula McLain takes a woman, finds out everything she can about that woman, and then creates a character that is so full of life the reader feels like she’s a friend or a relative. She stays with the story and can beautifully turn a phrase. I highlighted dozens of passages, all gorgeous and rich in meaning.
“I didn’t want to cause trouble; I only knew what I knew. That Ernest could eclipse me, large as any sun, without even trying. That he was too famous, too far along in his career, too sure of what he wanted. He was also too married, too dug into the life he’d built in Key West. Too driven, too dazzling.
Too Hemingway.”
What Didn’t
Hemingway – There were very brief chapters told from Hemingway’s perspective and while they didn’t bother me, I thought they were unnecessary.
Occasionally Slow – Just that. Every once in awhile, Martha’s story bogged down just a bit with the history. I found this mainly true during the Winter War.
{The Final Assessment}
Love and Ruin is a beautifully told story of a strong, independent woman. Years ahead of her time, Martha Gellhorn tried to balance career with marriage. Being married to a famous, powerful man she was in direct competition with made her journey even more difficult. Like today, balance isn’t always possible. Ernest wanted a wife. Martha wanted a career. This is her story! I already trusted Paula McLain, but with Love and Ruin I’m even more devoted. Grade: A-
Note: I received a copy of this book from Ballantine Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/love-and-ruin-by-paula-mclain-review/
What Worked For Me
Martha Gellhorn – Prior to reading this book, I knew little more about Martha Gellhorn than her name and connection to Hemingway. What a delight to get to know this amazing writer/journalist while reading Love and Ruin. Told in first person, it quickly became obvious that Martha Gellhorn was a powerhouse in her own right. Before she’d ever met Hemingway, Martha had published two books and traveled the world on her own. Writing and reporting were her passions and throughout this story, McLain made that clear. I appreciated that Gellhorn was willing to take some advice and even some help from Hemingway, but that she always followed her own instincts. Gellhorn’s relationship with Hemingway and her career as a war correspondent both began in Spain at the time of the Spanish Civil War, but with or without Hemingway, she carried on reporting from war zones.
Life of Writers – The contrast between the writing lives of Hemingway and Gellhorn was fascinating. During the years of Love and Ruin, both had periods where their writing was stalled. McLain made you feel the frustration of living with another writer who was writing like crazy and, for Martha, she also dove into the pain of failure.
“I piled the pages up and rested my head on them for a moment, saying whatever prayer it is writers have for the gifts that come from somewhere both inside and outside. And then I walked through the dark house to the pool and shed my clothes at the edge and slipped through the cool skin of the surface, plunging down and kicking hard, my mouth trailing bubbles. This too was a prayer.”
The balance of power between Gellhorn and Hemingway never quite tipped in Martha’s favor, but she, more than Hemingway, never lost sight of what was truly the essence of who she was, a writer. It was impossible not to admire the lengths Gellhorn would go to get a story. Despite being a woman she eagerly covered wars in the 30’s and 40’s.
History Lesson – I’ve read many, many books on WWII, but Love and Ruin covered parts I knew very little about. It was especially interesting to read about how journalists covered wars during that era. Like now, they were able to get remarkably close to the fighting, reporting on it and the human-interest stories created by war. I had never even heard of the Winter War that took place during 1939-1940 as Russia repeatedly bombed Finland and the Finish bravely fought back. Martha covered this war while Hemingway stayed at their home in Cuba.
That Writing – As in her other recent books, Paula McLain takes a woman, finds out everything she can about that woman, and then creates a character that is so full of life the reader feels like she’s a friend or a relative. She stays with the story and can beautifully turn a phrase. I highlighted dozens of passages, all gorgeous and rich in meaning.
“I didn’t want to cause trouble; I only knew what I knew. That Ernest could eclipse me, large as any sun, without even trying. That he was too famous, too far along in his career, too sure of what he wanted. He was also too married, too dug into the life he’d built in Key West. Too driven, too dazzling.
Too Hemingway.”
What Didn’t
Hemingway – There were very brief chapters told from Hemingway’s perspective and while they didn’t bother me, I thought they were unnecessary.
Occasionally Slow – Just that. Every once in awhile, Martha’s story bogged down just a bit with the history. I found this mainly true during the Winter War.
{The Final Assessment}
Love and Ruin is a beautifully told story of a strong, independent woman. Years ahead of her time, Martha Gellhorn tried to balance career with marriage. Being married to a famous, powerful man she was in direct competition with made her journey even more difficult. Like today, balance isn’t always possible. Ernest wanted a wife. Martha wanted a career. This is her story! I already trusted Paula McLain, but with Love and Ruin I’m even more devoted. Grade: A-
Note: I received a copy of this book from Ballantine Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/love-and-ruin-by-paula-mclain-review/
gwalt118's review against another edition
3.0
"Even on the far side of the world, he would be the great Ernest Hemingway, of course. And I would be his wife first, and myself only if I fought to make it so."
I read For Whom The Bell Tolls when I was in college and thought Hemingway was a master of words. I went on to read The Sun Also Rises and learn more about Hemingway - the fact that he had four wives and was a terrible husband, his excessive drinking problems, his undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues, and his eventual tragic suicide. Throughout all of that learning, I never discovered much about his wives. It was always all about Hemingway. Paula McLain changed that.
Hemingway wrote For Whom The Bell Tolls when he was married to his third wife, Martha Gellhorn. Gellhorn was a writer in her own right. She fell in love hard for Hemingway, but when the marriage ended - that's not a spoiler - she went on to become one of the most famous war correspondents of the 20th century. I loved learning more about her through McLain's extraordinarily well-researched novel. Gellhorn struggles with how much of herself she is willing to give up in marriage, how much she is willing to live in Hemingway's shadow, and how much she can tolerate his moods and his drinking. Throughout the novel, we watch her develop as a writer while her husband takes the spotlight. McLain brings us into the individual struggles of both Gellhorn and Hemingway and shows us how those struggles manifest themselves in their marriage and their writing.
As I mentioned earlier, the book is extremely well-researched. Of course that is admirable, but I confess that I did skim over some of the detailed aspects of war because I just wanted to keep reading about Gellhorn. She is truly a fascinating and extremely underrated woman in American history and journalism. McLain writes a beautiful Author's Note at the end of the novel in homage to her. I enjoyed this novel and would like to read more of McLain's work.
I read For Whom The Bell Tolls when I was in college and thought Hemingway was a master of words. I went on to read The Sun Also Rises and learn more about Hemingway - the fact that he had four wives and was a terrible husband, his excessive drinking problems, his undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues, and his eventual tragic suicide. Throughout all of that learning, I never discovered much about his wives. It was always all about Hemingway. Paula McLain changed that.
Hemingway wrote For Whom The Bell Tolls when he was married to his third wife, Martha Gellhorn. Gellhorn was a writer in her own right. She fell in love hard for Hemingway, but when the marriage ended - that's not a spoiler - she went on to become one of the most famous war correspondents of the 20th century. I loved learning more about her through McLain's extraordinarily well-researched novel. Gellhorn struggles with how much of herself she is willing to give up in marriage, how much she is willing to live in Hemingway's shadow, and how much she can tolerate his moods and his drinking. Throughout the novel, we watch her develop as a writer while her husband takes the spotlight. McLain brings us into the individual struggles of both Gellhorn and Hemingway and shows us how those struggles manifest themselves in their marriage and their writing.
As I mentioned earlier, the book is extremely well-researched. Of course that is admirable, but I confess that I did skim over some of the detailed aspects of war because I just wanted to keep reading about Gellhorn. She is truly a fascinating and extremely underrated woman in American history and journalism. McLain writes a beautiful Author's Note at the end of the novel in homage to her. I enjoyed this novel and would like to read more of McLain's work.
meshuggeknitter's review against another edition
4.0
I would have liked to have gotten more on Martha Gellhorn’s writing, especially her reporting. I don’t feel like got a good appreciation of her style and subjects, but I guess this book was more focused on her relationship with Hemingway.