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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
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
Interesting, but not gripping. Learned a lot about Ernest Hemingway; enough to know I would not have liked him!
I found this book to be completely boring. I bought it after learning about Hemingway while visiting Cuba and decided to read it after visiting Paris, hoping to relive some of what I saw there. Hadley was so spineless to me, Hemingway was a jerk, and the dialogue between them was very cliche. The other characters were very much fluff with very little character development. You were always left wanting more from Earnest & Hadley’s interactions with them. This made it very difficult to relate to any of the characters in the book. The book was a very slow read until the last 100 pages or so, when the demise of their marriage begins to play out and more details were shared about Earnest’s affairs. Ultimately, it just wasn’t for me.
I really liked the concept. The style was fine as well. My problem was that Hadley's behavior near the end of the novel was never explained. Why would someone put up with that? Obviously she did because this is based off real events, but I wanted better explanation. I wanted into her head to know why she'd do that.
I also have to admit that I really don't like Ernest Hemingway, not his writing or values or really anything. Don't know if that made me like the novel more or less, but figured I should admit my bias.
I also have to admit that I really don't like Ernest Hemingway, not his writing or values or really anything. Don't know if that made me like the novel more or less, but figured I should admit my bias.
After the all the rave reviews on Amazon I wanted to give this one a try. The Paris Wife just wasn't for me. The book is a fictional story based on Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley (love that name!). McLain did extensive research prior to writing the novel, but I am always left wondering if the details were non fiction or something the author created to make the story more dynamic. Ernest had me infuriated with his infatuation with himself. Hadley was equally maddening with her lack of backbone throughout their marriage. It could be those were two reasons why the book didn't resonate with me, although it was also the writing itself.