“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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Loved, loved, loved this book.
Did not hold my interest. If you’re looking for romance in this book, forget it. Also, the characters did not hold up to the historical part of the book ie: the actual relationship (s) between Hemingway & his first wife.
I have never read anything by Hemingway but this book looked interesting so I bought it and it was wonderful and sad. It was the first Paula McLain book I had read and I got hooked. I’ve since read her other Hemingway wife book and I have decided I must have been subliminally protecting myself from reading Hemingway – I do NOT like him!!! His …
Should be read by every fan of Hemingway.
Love when history meets great characters and great locations
Delightful historical fiction
Love the era
An inside look at the early Hemmingway from his wife’s perspective. Made me hunt down their apartment when we went to Paris!
The book was about Ernest Hemmingway and I believe hid first wife.
Very well written, enjoyable
I fell in love with The Paris Wife right from the start. There was something so authentic about Hadley’s voice, the way she described the circumstances of meeting Ernest Hemingway, of being drawn to him—and vice versa—never knowing how their lives would entwine and separate again.
I was so impressed with the author’s observations; Hadley is …
As a writer and author, I was fascinated reading about Ernest Hemingway’s struggles and path to becoming a famous author. The love story between Ernest and Hadley was very poignant, moving, and, ultimately heartbreaking. This was a very touching read that will stay with me for a long time.
Loved this and the insight into The Hemingways’ lives.
After reading this I realized that I didn’t like any of the characters and felt very unsympathetic for any of them and the choices they made.
This was an engaging story. I enjoyed it very much and recommended it to others.
I loved this book. It is the prequel to Love and Ruin The same author, of course.
I didn’t know this back story on Hemingway and it was an eye-opener.
You missed bittersweet. Sad ending
Good enough to finish, not good enough to remember. Beach read material.
Somewhat engaging perspective of a woman who fell for the ego of the century, Hemmingway. Beware of marriage to a larger than life ego, little room for any one else in the relationship.