I finished this book a few weeks ago but haven't gotten around to reviewing it. 'The Paris Wife' was the first book in the book exchange my friend Carolann and I are doing. I sent her The History of Love and she sent me The Paris Wife.
From Good Reads: A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wifecaptures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald...
...A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.
From Good Reads: A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wifecaptures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald...
...A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.
My Thoughts: I struggled with this book. I found Hadley to be remarkably dull and not at all a strong female character. The first time Ernest goes away on business after they move to Paris, she sinks into a terrifying depression after only two days of being separated from him. I just couldn't identify with a character like that. I didn't know anything about Ernest Hemingway before I read this book but their relationship was so twisted. He took a mistress and Hadley put up with it...going so far as to not say anything when she wakes up in the middle of the night to find the two of them in bed beside her. I thought the story was told well enough, but I didn't really enjoy it.
Have you read 'The Paris Wife'? What about anything by Hemingway?
i am actually reading this right now! I am having trouble with it as well. And I am not sure why she puts up with his shit honestly but i guess thats the era of women? I am half way through so I am hoping it gets a little better but seeing your review I feel like it will not!
ReplyDeleteSo I am iffy about it so far
of course the cover and title sold me.. and i think hemingway is a jerk for sure.