“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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A great read.
Loved this story!
Very interesting read. Great information on the Paris scene.
In real life I am not a Hemingway fan. I love F.Scott Fitzgerald and regard Hemingway as a blowhard and a liar. The Paris Wife allows a look at his first marriage and how he became his own creation.
An excellent fictional account, thoroughly researched, of Hadley R. Hemingway, first wife of Ernest Hemingway. Descriptive characters, settings, vocabulary, reveals into the inner persons, at times very sad wth a beautiful resolve. An insightful, touching look from those outside the inner circle of one of the famous writing groups of all time.
I like reading biographies – this one is about Ernest Hemingway his beginning as an author and his time in Paris.
A well written and thoroughly enjoyable read.
Very interesting, but no happy endings here.
Interesting story on the life of Ernest Hemmingway and his first wife. It mainly focuses on his young life before he became so famous. It was good to learn how adventurous he was and the things he did.
Captured the feel of ex-pat life in Paris. Don’t know how accurate the picture of the Hemingway’s relationship is but it certainly seemed plausible.
This is a wonderful historical novel from Paula McLain about Ernest Hemingway’s wife Hadley Richardson. The majority of the novel is centered around their time in Paris delving into the love and tribulation of their marriage. McLain lovingly and honestly portrays the best and worst parts of these two people bringing their relationship full …
This book was part of my book club, as it wasn’t one I would usually choose. I was entertained and glad to learn more about Ernest Hemmingway and his life and family. I’m glad I read it, but also glad to move on to something else now.
Great
Discovered that I wasn’t fond of Hemingway. I thought the book was too apologetic of his selfishness due to his “genius”
Truth and fiction. Informative on Ernest Hemingway. Not happily ever after.
Very readable story, and even though fictional, a great deal of care was taken with the feel of the time.
If you are interested in Ernest Hemingway, this will give you insight on the early days of his writing and marriage.
A window into Ernest Hemingways life. I’ve read all the books that describe his wives.
One of my very favorite books!
Another view of Paris during the occupation.
Excellent book!