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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I enjoyed reading about Ernest Hemingway, but this book seemed to go on and on and on.
While I was reading this, my husband was reading The Sun Also Rises. It made for interesting conversation, to see how Hemingway had transformed real life (thinly) into his first widely published novel.
I’m still not totally convinced I love this author. Her voice sounded put on in the beginning of the book, and it was obviously a 21st Century writer trying to sound like the 1920’s. However, what she is able to do well is tell a story. She has fictionalized the bits we don’t know about Hadley and Hem and turned it into a lovely, tragic romance.
The most intriguing portion of the book was the who’s who of Hemingways’ Paris circle of friends. It was like a European Algonquin Table. Sherwood Anderson, Gertrude Stein, Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, and on and on the list goes, even mentioning Dorothy Parker. Their lives were so interesting- the ex-pat nature of so many of them, their obnoxious spending habits, the booze, the drugs, the affairs- the stuff of soap operas, but with more refined tastes and a better storyline.
Confession: I cried a lot at the end of the book.
I’ve read several reviews in which readers claimed they didn’t feel any real connection to Hadley. They didn’t care for her as a character, couldn’t sympathize or empathize with her. It is here I must disagree. I found a kindred spirit in Hadley, silly as it may sound. The more she spoke, the more we read her thoughts, the more I felt like I had so much in common with her. As much of an ass as Hemingway was, theirs is a love story that is bitter, passionate, and ultimately forgiving, though to say it leaves with a happy ending is a lie. It ends with a real ending, and we all know real life endings are rarely positive. You’ll walk away from this book still tasting their sadness and anger, but you’ll also understand how it all came to pass and how they, especially Hadley, were able to go on with their lives.
I’m still not totally convinced I love this author. Her voice sounded put on in the beginning of the book, and it was obviously a 21st Century writer trying to sound like the 1920’s. However, what she is able to do well is tell a story. She has fictionalized the bits we don’t know about Hadley and Hem and turned it into a lovely, tragic romance.
The most intriguing portion of the book was the who’s who of Hemingways’ Paris circle of friends. It was like a European Algonquin Table. Sherwood Anderson, Gertrude Stein, Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, and on and on the list goes, even mentioning Dorothy Parker. Their lives were so interesting- the ex-pat nature of so many of them, their obnoxious spending habits, the booze, the drugs, the affairs- the stuff of soap operas, but with more refined tastes and a better storyline.
Confession: I cried a lot at the end of the book.
I’ve read several reviews in which readers claimed they didn’t feel any real connection to Hadley. They didn’t care for her as a character, couldn’t sympathize or empathize with her. It is here I must disagree. I found a kindred spirit in Hadley, silly as it may sound. The more she spoke, the more we read her thoughts, the more I felt like I had so much in common with her. As much of an ass as Hemingway was, theirs is a love story that is bitter, passionate, and ultimately forgiving, though to say it leaves with a happy ending is a lie. It ends with a real ending, and we all know real life endings are rarely positive. You’ll walk away from this book still tasting their sadness and anger, but you’ll also understand how it all came to pass and how they, especially Hadley, were able to go on with their lives.
Very good, but it really showed Hemingway as a total ass. Maybe he was.
A great book about Hemingway's first marriage. I have just finished the book and am ready to devour all the info I can get on Hemingway. Mcclain's novel made me curious. The dialogue between Ernest and Hadley! Even between them and their friends-- people don't talk like that anymore. I loved it!
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had to sit on this one for a while before deciding on my rating and review. The book is a beautiful slow burn and brilliantly written. The story itself is rather somber, and the characters are difficult to relate to. There were a lot of frustrating moments, and I feel like if this book were solely fiction, I likely would have been super bothered and enjoyed the book less. However, with it being based on letters and journals from real life, the author wasn't given a whole lot of choice. I just wish I had been able to understand Hadley and get behind her and her decisions more than I was. Despite my inability to connect to these characters, I can't ignore the fact that Paula McLain did her research and brought every single one of them to life!
I don't really know how I feel about this. The first third of the book I really liked, the second third I thought was okay, and the final third made me angry and cynical. I don't know why I cried. It wasn't the book being beautiful or tragic. I think I am very angry at both Hadley and Ernest and scared that true love doesn't exist or prevail. Three stars might be generous. I kind if wish I didn't read this.
I know, I know, I preached about giving authors a chance even if they aren't super nice people, but i don't think I could ever read a Hemingway book ever after reading this book. All I want to do is hate him and hit him for what he did to Hadley. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a different time and that it wasn't that easy to take your child and leave your husband.
The initial courtship between Hadley and Ernest was sweet, if not rushed. I think that she should have listened to her friend, Katie, who tried to warn her against rushing into a relationship with him. As I was reading this I wondered where he would be if he hadn't married Hadley, would he still be such a famous name? Would we even care who Hemingway was?
Hadley started to story off telling you that he had an affair, so you know thats coming. What you don't know or realize is how much more than an affair it was. The actual affair doesn't happen until the last hundred or so pages of the book, but there are moments where you suspect something is happening. Such as when they begin hanging out with Duff (a woman) and they go to Pamplona where he pens The Sun Also Rises.
I couldn't imagine being Hadley and realizing that he wrote you out of a book and then essentially being forced to live with your husbands mistress. I couldn't imagine what that would be like because the entire time I was reading it, I just kept getting mad and wanting to hit them both. There was a point where Hadley could have saved her marriage, but she let him walk all over her.
The worst moment was when he suggested that they all move in together for good back in the states. That just made me so mad, and I could only imagine the hatred that Hadley felt for the situation. Her entire retelling is told from hindsight, so there are moments where you can tell its a new suspicion as its being told. What I also liked where the occasional chapter talking about Ernest and what he was doing whether it be while away from Hadley or what, but each of these highlights instances where he was unfaithful to her.
The reason that I gave this book a higher rating was because it made me feel. Some books can't do that they can't make you feel for the characters and root for them, but this book made me want Hadley to succeed and leave him, and find her strength. I found Ernest charming at some points but entirely selfish and conceited at other points. They were quirky together which made them work, but in the end, Ernest was unable to do anything for anyone but himself.
Even if you aren't familiar with Ernest Hemingway or his works, you don't have to be to read this books, but if you have read his early works like The Sun Also Rises, I imagine it would be interesting to get this other view of his life as he worked through writing it.
The initial courtship between Hadley and Ernest was sweet, if not rushed. I think that she should have listened to her friend, Katie, who tried to warn her against rushing into a relationship with him. As I was reading this I wondered where he would be if he hadn't married Hadley, would he still be such a famous name? Would we even care who Hemingway was?
Hadley started to story off telling you that he had an affair, so you know thats coming. What you don't know or realize is how much more than an affair it was. The actual affair doesn't happen until the last hundred or so pages of the book, but there are moments where you suspect something is happening. Such as when they begin hanging out with Duff (a woman) and they go to Pamplona where he pens The Sun Also Rises.
I couldn't imagine being Hadley and realizing that he wrote you out of a book and then essentially being forced to live with your husbands mistress. I couldn't imagine what that would be like because the entire time I was reading it, I just kept getting mad and wanting to hit them both. There was a point where Hadley could have saved her marriage, but she let him walk all over her.
The worst moment was when he suggested that they all move in together for good back in the states. That just made me so mad, and I could only imagine the hatred that Hadley felt for the situation. Her entire retelling is told from hindsight, so there are moments where you can tell its a new suspicion as its being told. What I also liked where the occasional chapter talking about Ernest and what he was doing whether it be while away from Hadley or what, but each of these highlights instances where he was unfaithful to her.
The reason that I gave this book a higher rating was because it made me feel. Some books can't do that they can't make you feel for the characters and root for them, but this book made me want Hadley to succeed and leave him, and find her strength. I found Ernest charming at some points but entirely selfish and conceited at other points. They were quirky together which made them work, but in the end, Ernest was unable to do anything for anyone but himself.
Even if you aren't familiar with Ernest Hemingway or his works, you don't have to be to read this books, but if you have read his early works like The Sun Also Rises, I imagine it would be interesting to get this other view of his life as he worked through writing it.
A novel written about Ernest Hemingway's first wive, Hadley Richardson, from her perspective. It is a novel, but the author seemed to follow the documented information very closely. It was interesting to read about this man that is so Larger Than Life, from a wife's perspective. Added to that the wonderful setting of Paris post WWI and pre WWII, it was a great book.
What a beautiful, well-researched and well-executed novel of Hemingway's first (and arguably only) true love. At times equally heartbreaking, maddening, exciting and tearful, I found this book to shed light on a part of Hemingway's life that was so crucial to his success, but that few authors have focused on in the past. This age of Americans in Paris is my favorite time... and I'm glad I got around to reading this book and adding it to my bookshelf.
