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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
Merrrrrh. So many forced metaphors, unnecessary foreshadowing, and generally cumbersome or pointless writing. The story should have been interesting, yet I was incredibly bored. The saving factors include: F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda's appearances; Paris, generally; and these lines near the end: "You are everything good and straight and fine and true—and I see that so clearly now, in the way you've carried yourself and listened to your own heart. You've changed me more than you know, and will always be a part of everything I am. That's one thing I"ve learned from this. No one you love is ever truly lost. —Ernest" (p. 307).
I'm not sure this type of historical fiction is for me. It felt like reading out of that creepy corner of fanfic that is about the actors rather than the characters. I like a firmer line between my fiction and non-fiction. Still, the writing isn't bad, though there are some major ups and downs in quality (a beautiful paragraph may be followed by a clumsy paragraph; kind of odd to find such unevenness), and the story itself is fairly engaging. Clearly Hemingway was an ass. Tortured too, sure, but an ass.
I loved this a lot, I love Hemingway and lost gens and I thought the writing was sharp and clear and lovely and idk I really did like this book, especially having read some of Hemingway's short stories (some of the nick adams ones, on the quay at Smyrna), a moveable feast, and the sun also rises. watching the Pamplona trip unfold and seeing the similarities between it and tsar was also great; this is a good book if you like Hemingway and are familiar with his work and probably still a good book if you're neither of those things
you get kind of annoyed with Hadley in the midst of the divorce because she doesn't really stick up for herself but she does kind of eventually and the epilogue is well done, also
tbh I kind of just want Paula McLain to write books about all the lost gens now like where's my book about Alice and Gertrude??? Zelda and Scott??? she should just make a lost gen historical fiction series
you get kind of annoyed with Hadley in the midst of the divorce because she doesn't really stick up for herself but she does kind of eventually and the epilogue is well done, also
tbh I kind of just want Paula McLain to write books about all the lost gens now like where's my book about Alice and Gertrude??? Zelda and Scott??? she should just make a lost gen historical fiction series
I've read several of these fictionalized first person accounts. As I've opined before, I do so with mixed feelings. I always hearmthe writer's voice and not the historical figure's in my mind as I read. I never completely buy the characterization.
This is book is written better than any of the others I've read. I genuinely came to care about Hadley Richardson. Ernest Hemingway (Hadley's husband) didn't interest me as much as Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Lindbergh, or Albert Einstein (the other first person wife novels I've read). I'm not a fan of Hemingway, his writing is too macho for me. My dad loved his books. Hemingway the man is portrayed very sympathetically here. I was sad that he made the choice he did and left Hadley for Pauline.
This is book is written better than any of the others I've read. I genuinely came to care about Hadley Richardson. Ernest Hemingway (Hadley's husband) didn't interest me as much as Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Lindbergh, or Albert Einstein (the other first person wife novels I've read). I'm not a fan of Hemingway, his writing is too macho for me. My dad loved his books. Hemingway the man is portrayed very sympathetically here. I was sad that he made the choice he did and left Hadley for Pauline.
3.5 stars for being really well written (which is what kept me going) but still kind of boring and SO frustrating at the end >:( For me, F Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda outshone Hadley and Ernest even in their brief cameos and I would love to read a McLain novel detailing their marriage, because this novel was gorgeously written and I think they are much more compelling characters.
Hemingway was a selfish arsehole. I was not very familiar with his personal life story and therefore this read like any other novel for me - I didn't know what was coming. My heart broke for poor Hadley but I also wanted to shake the hell out of her for being so weak and spineless. Especially when she allowed her "friend" to come stay with them towards the end. Seriously?! Seriously?? Very captivating story that effectively captured the culture of the time for me. It was all the more interesting to know it was based on truth. Would love to read this one in a bookclub - I imagine it would foster intriguing discussions quite well.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It’s so interesting to get the perspective of Ernest Hemingway’s wife. I’ve definitely wondered about her and how she could put up with him. yes it’s fiction but totally plausible and very entertaining. It was hard to watch her make bad decisions and be treated terribly. But fascinating. This was very well written
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes