From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
Entertaining enough, and taught me something about the characters and the lives of the literary set of the time, but I wanted to scream at Hadley on several occasions. And poke Ernest in the eye. Seriously- if another woman slips into bed on the other side of your husband and you just lie there and go back to sleep you deserve everything you get! The way this is written gives the feeling that the Hemingways are controlled by influences outside themselves and just drift along waiting for the inev
...more
It was tough to rate this book on its merit rather than my feelings toward the spinelessness of the main character. I had to sit back and realize that this was almost 100 years ago, and while it is historical fiction, research was done so I cannot complain that Hadley was drawn that way by the author, but rather, was probably very much like that for real. I liked the writing, I liked the story, I disliked everyone in it. Then again, I never did like Hemingway... the works or the guy. Further res
...more
Although Hemingway is considered one of the four great misogynists of American literature, this book rendered him human, emotionally vulnerable, and damaged. That said, I actually cried for Hadley, and envied her at once, as a woman who did not fear living for love and giving it up in the same of love for the other.
It took me a really long time to get through this book. I can't decide if it was the material, the characters, the story, or the writing style. This book is an interesting look at Hemingway's "Paris Wife" (Hadley). I am not sure whether I really like it or not. In some ways, I found it to be well written and interesting, and in other ways, it dragged on and on with lots of name dropping and facts that were dull and dry. This book felt much like an enigma the way Hemingway was described in the ve
...more
I'm enjoying learning about Paris in the 1920's through the fictional but historically based novel told through the voice of Ernest Hemingway's first wife. It seems that authors were the celebrities of this age - very similar to our movie and music stars and their often tragic lives. The book is not high literature and a little predictable, but it's an interesting read.
...more
I have been reading some of Hemingway's short stories, and realized that it isn't his writing that I don't like, it's the topics of his writing: Killing big-game animals in Africa, glorifying Bullfighting.
However, I did like this book. ...more
However, I did like this book. ...more
3.5 stars...
