When Hadley Richardson marries Ernest Hemingway he is 21. She is 29. Both come from families with domineering mothers and a history of suicide. Their vibrant and poignant love story is made all the more compelling because it’s true.
Author Paula McClain once again dives deep into the workings of the human heart and mind. The contradictions and idiosyncrasies are painfully wrought as she immerses the reader in the unconventional lives of the literati working in Paris in the twenties. Among the Hemingways’ friends were F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein.
McClain also gives us insight into the tragic genius of Ernest Hemingway himself, who most of us remember as an old man, not as the handsome young hunk he was back then. ”He was such an enigma, really—fine and strong and weak and cruel. An incomparable friend and a son of a bitch. In the end, there wasn’t one thing about him that was truer than the rest. It was all true.”
“No one you love is ever truly lost.”
At its heart this is a love story though. Hadley and Ernest never stopped loving each other, even after the break-up of their five-year marriage. As Hadley says, “I believe Ernest was his best self then. I got the very best of him. We got the best of each other.”
If you enjoy reading Hemingway, are fascinated by that time period in Paris, or are simply intrigued by the complex workings of the human heart, you might enjoy this book. It kinda makes me want to watch Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” again.
Have you read The Paris Wife? What did you think?
Lorie Smith Schaefer 
I’ve read this book and enjoyed it!
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Did you notice how even though they were “poor,” they had help with cooking and their baby? Different times. And they traveled so much!
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I will def take a look at the book you just recommended.
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Let me know what you think.
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I haven’t read The Paris Wife, but I will. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Lorie. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Hemingway’s memoir about the Paris years, A Moveable Feast, which I highly recommend. I’m hoping The Paris Wife will give me more of an insight into Hadley’s feelings and thoughts during the time period he describes.
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I’ll add A Moveable Feast to my list. Thanks for stopping by.
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