Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Renee at It’s Book Talk. Throwback Thursday is an awesome opportunity to share old favorites as well as older books in our TBR. I love this idea as I’m often distracted by all of the shiny, new books I see every day and don’t make it back to the ones that have been sitting on my shelves.
My pick of the the week is:
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Blurb:
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. 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 and Zelda Fitzgerald.
Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises. Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually 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.
My thoughts:
This is the book that began my obsession with all things Hemingway. I loved everything about it. The literary/art scene in 1920’s Paris is one of my all-time favorite bookish eras. I’m fascinated by all the glitz and glamour and the fast, partying lifestyle.
The relationship between Hadley and Ernest was unbelievably complex. Paula McLain did a suburb job of describing its many facets and nuances. I loved Hadley and, though he made me mad beyond words, I loved Ernest too. In the end, I felt gutted beyond all reason.
I’m so happy that Paula McLain’s newest book, Love and Ruin, is taking us back to Ernest via his relationship with Martha Gellhorn. I did see Hemingway and Gellhorn but it’s been a long time and I don’t recall many of the details. I’m really looking forward to learning more about Martha. I’m also looking forward to reading about some of her experiences in the Spanish Civil War as I’ve not read any books set in that time and place.
I own Circling the Sun and have an ARC of Love and Ruin. So excited for it!
I haven’t read Circling the Sun but I’d like to. I’m requesting my Love and Ruin ARC today. 🙂
The Paris Wife is such a favorite of mine, too. It’s a perfect choice for a throwback with Love and Ruin coming out soon. I grabbed an ARC of that one as soon as I saw it!
I have such high hopes for Love and Ruin but I’m trying to manage my expectations. The Paris Wife is a tough act to follow and I’m not sure I could love Martha in the way that I did Hadley. Thinking about it, I suppose Ernest may have had the same problem.
The Paris Wife was a supurb book. It’s on my top 10 list. And just like you Ann Marie, I also fell in love with Hadley & Ernest. I was thrilled to read that she’s continuing the story with Ernest & Martha.
Cheers!
Thanks, Anne. I was actually happy she skipped Pauline. I had quite enough of her in The Paris Wife. 😉
Oops – should have been “superb” – heh heh
Gotcha, Anne. No worries! I’m the Queen of Typos Which Cannot Be Edited.
I have not read this one but, now that she has a new book coming out, I really want to!
I absolutely loved it! I Hope you can find time to work it in at some point.
I’ve had this one sitting on my shelf FOREVER but never given it a go. I’ve actually only read one Hemingway book, The Sun Also Rises, but it wasn’t my cup of tea for the most part… Have you read many of his books? Do you have one you’d recommend? He led such a fascinating life… I saw his house in Key West when I visited last November.
I loved this book. I just finished “Love and Ruin” it was wonderful also. https://books6259.wordpress.com/2018/04/06/love-and-ruin-by-paula-mclain/
I can’t wait to read Love and Ruin. I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it!