He can offend her good friends, his own mother, even herself, and Hadley will love him and stay devoted to him. Hadley’s love for Hemingway is undying, as she admits late in the book. I try to focus on the main themes of the novel: devotion, love, and the complications of friendships. I know that some of my frustrations with Hadley come from a difference of almost 100 years, such as her letting the maid raise her child and the focus on wealth and the desire to be so rich that life is a game. He was unappreciative of all he was given, including Hadley’s love. He started off very likable, but when his first stories got good reviews, he stepped on the people who helped give him a shot. What was most memorable to me was the picture painted of Hemingway. She was foolish in a lot of her daily decisions and seemed overall weak. Hadley was not a very likeable protagonist from the beginning and never grew on me. They begin a wild life and parties, vacations, friends, and love.Īs I’ve already discussed with my friends on Facebook, this book seemed to fall flat to me. There are homosexuals, polygamists and of course more alcohol than she knows what to do with. The life in Paris is like nothing Hadley’s ever experienced before. The two marry and soon enough are off to Paris to pursue the writing scene that Ernest feels he has to involve himself in to be the writer he wants to be. When she meets a young man named Ernest Hemingway, she’s swept off her feet, despite the warnings of her good friends.

Hadley doesn’t think much of herself as she reaches her late twenties and has been turned down by the one man she loved. I love his no-frills writing and that he writs about Michigan, something I hold dear to my heart.

He was a womanizer who love big game hunting and bullfighting. If you’re not familiar with Hemingway’s personal life, he is considered to be something like the jock of the writing world. McLain’s story is about Hadley Richardson, the first wife of Ernest Hemingway. It was a recommendation of of my book calendar (I’m telling you, that thing is killing me slowly).

I love historical fiction and I love the 1920s so The Paris Wife seemed like an obvious choice. Read on for a review, but be forewarned of spoilers! This one was an audiobook and not my favorite one at that. I’m flying through books, trying to meet my Reading Challenge goal of 70 books this year! I’m currently at 51, 2% ahead of schedule.

The paris wife review