“A beautiful portrait of being in Paris in the glittering 1920s—as a wife and as one’s own woman.”—Entertainment Weekly
A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures the 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 … love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway. 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 Fitzgerald.
Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking, fast-living, and free-loving life of Jazz Age Paris. As Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history and pours himself into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises, Hadley strives to hold on to her sense of self as her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Eventually they find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.
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.
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I didn’t like it so I didn’t finish it.
A great, informative story about Ernest Hemingway and how he met and fell for his wives. A lot of facts I didn’t know about. Very interesting information into the life of a mysterious author.
I found this book boring.
I have read Hemingway since I was a college student. But it was not until all the books began to appear from all the wives and girlfriends, that I really got to know him as a person. Tragic, yes, with all the alcoholism. Unfaithful, yes, with all the other females in his life. Was he a great writer, yes, but only when he tried to be sober! In …
Another view of the 1920’s through 1940’s and the lives of the great American authors, many who lived in France. Hemingway was a wonderful writer but a man filled with his ego drives that over came what most consider good behavior. And this is the view from his first wife. Well worth reading.
Interesting look at Hemingway and his first wife.
Love to read anything about Ernest Hemingway or by him!
Loved reading about Earnest Hemingway’s Paris wife – what a great read 🙂
Heard about this book when we were in Cuba. Visited many of the places talked about in Havana. Learned a lot about Hemingway that I did not know.
I don’t think most of us can envision a life of constant parties, travel and a seemingly endless vacation. This is what Ernest Hemingway and his wife experience in Paris. The book is centered around Ernest’s first wife Hadley and their life together which is an endless vacation and with any vacation it is not always fun and sometimes ends …
Really fabulous historical fiction about Hadley, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife.
I loved this story of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley Richardson. It gives the reader a glimpse into what living in Paris during the 20’s must have been like. As a young married couple who were very much in love, they were distracted by their hard-drinking, fast-living friends. As Hemingway tried to find himself and a place for his writing, …
Well done
Wonderful book about the first wife of Ernest Hemmingway. Novelized but closely based on fact.
One of my all time favorite books. Tale of a period of Hemingway’s life that is seldom covered and a wife time forgot.
what a great story. Hadley launched Ernest Heminway’s career. Well researched and very interesting. Anyone who is a Hemingway reader or fan needs to read this book. His museum in Key West has wiped out Hadley’s existence, and she was very important.
Fun to learn about Hemingway, his personality, and life during the 1920’s.
I love all of Paula McLain’s books. her writer is spot-on and I love reading about these people. The book was well-researched and a great read.
“Paris Wife” by Paula McLain, is the extraordinary tale about Hadley Hemingway (Ernest Hemingway’s wife while he was becoming famous. She’s an extraordinary woman and it offers profound insight into Ernest’s writing. One of my favorite books.
Takes you back in time when morals were not highly looked upon.