February 2014- A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

[Nigeyb]

^ Thanks again Val.


Stephen Fry has done so much to help explain what it's like for people with bipolar disorder.

It must have been so much harder before science had yielded these insights and the drugs were invented to help manage the condition.

[Judy]

A great point about the hoarding and his depression, Val. It's just struck me that this ties in with the last paragraph of the final piece in the restored edition, 'Nada y Pues Nada' (Nothing and for Nothing):

“But there are remises or storage places where you may leave or store certain things … and this book contains material from the remises of my memory and of my heart. Even if the one has been tampered with and the other does not exist.”

According to his son Patrick Hemingway in an introduction to this edition, his memory had been 'tampered with' by electric shock therapy.

Nigeyb, on the Murphys being upset, Hemingway had decided not to include the piece which mentioned them - so I'm wondering if anyone would even have seen it if he hadn't killed himself? I'll admit I'm totally confused now by the publishing history of this book, but it looks as if a bit of that piece was included in a final chapter added in by the editors to the original book after Hemingway's death, and the whole sketch was only added to the restored edition in 2009. I've just read an article by Stuart Mitchner complaining about both editions restoring pieces Hemingway wanted left out, so the whole thing seems to be rather a can of worms!

[Val]

This book certainly has a confusing history Judy.

[Nigeyb]

Thanks Judy. Very interesting. Could it be as simple as the family wanting to make some money out of a manuscript never intended for publication, at least in its current form? It would certain explain the uneven tone and frequently tedious content.

[Judy]

Nigeyb, from all I've read the book was definitely intended for publication - but Hemingway didn't retain his health long enough to finish preparing it, so it had to be edited.

I must just say again that, although it is uneven, I think it is beautifully written and certainly never tedious... I could hardly put it down.

[Judy]

Just wondering, which other Hemingway books would anyone recommend? I really like the spare style in both this and A Farewell to Arms- I also remember reading and liking To Have and Have Not and For Whom the Bell Tolls years ago, but I don't remember either of those very well .

[Amanda]

Judy, The Sun Also Rises is probably my favorite of Hemingway's books. It was his first novel but it still has the same type of prose as his other works. I think Hemingway wrote it towards the end of his marriage to Hadley and it's loosely based on real events, so it's set around the same time as A Moveable Feast.

[Judy]

Amanda, thanks, that sounds great - I'll hope to read it before too long. It will be very interesting to see something he wrote nearer to the time. What wonderful titles he chose for his books!

[Val]

For Whom The Bell Tolls and To Have and Have Not are my favourites, but you have already read those.
I like The Old Man and the Sea and The Snows Of Kilimanjaro And Other Stories as well, but the style is somewhat different, in that although there is a physical battle to be fought, it feels like more of a mental one.
He is still developing as a writer in A Farewell to Arms and Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises, but a lot of people prefer his early style to his later books (more action, less thinking about it).
I did not like Death In The Afternoon so much, but that is because I find bullfighting repellent, not because there is anything wrong with the writing.
You could just start with the early ones and keep reading until you have had enough or run out of books. Some of his non-fiction works and his short stories fit quite well alongside fiction set at the same time or in the same place. All the African stuff could be read together, although the latest writing was not completed by Hemingway himself.

[Nigeyb]

^ Thanks Val and Amanda.


All I can offer you Judy is this little informational nugget...

I've only read "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and I thought it was a good read. I read it as part of a fascination with the Spanish Civil War and it fitted in well It would definitely be in my ten "must-read" Spanish Civil War books, if I ever was to create such a list.

I am looking forward to reading "A Farewell to Arms" as part of our 2014 WW1 reading challenge. Will you be joining us for that one Judy?

[Judy]

Thanks, Val - I read The Old Man and the Sea when I was a teenager, so it must be time for a reread as I'm now in my 50s! I'm with you on bullfighting so won't be rushing to read Death in the Afternoon.

Nigeyb, I read A Farewell to Arms in January and have already posted quite a lot about it in that thread (it sparked my current Hemingway obsession!), but I'll continue to join in as others post on it!

[Nigeyb]

Keep up Nigeyb :-))

[Judy]

You're the one to keep up with when it comes to reading - though I've little chance of doing that! :)

[Nigeyb]

^ It's all relative Judy. I can only look on in awe at Susan (also of this parish)...


https://www.goodreads.com/user_challe...

40 books in 2014 (and counting) - with a target of 300 for the year!

[Val]

Has anyone here read Across the River and into the Trees?

[Nigeyb]

^ Not me, but it seems to divide readers. I notice three of our Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society members have read it...

Greg gave it 4 stars
CQM gave it 1 star
Lobstergirl gave it 2 stars

...I'm wondering if Ernest Hemingway is a more divisive author than many. This thread giving plenty of evidence of how different readers respond in very different ways to the same work.

[[deleted user]]

Val wrote: "Has anyone here read Across the River and into the Trees?"

I don't usually bother to give marks to books that I don't like but with Across the River and into the Trees I hated it to the point of anger. I'm not opposed to Hemingway himself, I really loved Fiesta and For Whom the Bell Tolls, and liked The Old Man and the Sea a lot but, Across the River drove me to absolute distraction. I haven't read another Hemingway since and it may take me some time before I can again. It struck me as a hugely self indulgent, self congratulatory, rambling book with very little in the way of interest for the reader.
Mind you, what do I know?

[[deleted user]]

Val wrote: "Thanks CQM."

As I say it's just my opinion.

[Val]

I have just compared books we have both read and apparently our tastes are 79% similar, so I will trust your opinion.

[[deleted user]]

Val wrote: "I have just compared books we have both read and apparently our tastes are 79% similar, so I will trust your opinion."

79%, not too shabby. I'd trust that as well.

[Nigeyb]

At the risk of some unnecessary digression...

I am 80% similar for the books we both rated with CQM
and 81% similar for the books we both rated with Val

I trust both of you.

[Jan C]

I've read The Sun Also Rises 3-4 times. Once I finish Green Hills of Africa I hope to get to For Whom the Bell Tolls soon as it is on my shelf.

[Nigeyb]

This article by Jeremy Allen examines the US's ongoing love affair with Paris, and the disconnect between the city's romanticised reputation and the day-to-day reality for artists in the French capital..

http://thequietus.com/articles/14495-...

Whilst not exclusively about "A Moveable Feast" it references it and is another interesting take on the broader issues raised by the book.

[Barbara]

I really liked A Moveable Feast. Have read it 4 times now. It's not that the writing is so great--and this restored version made clear to me just how unfinished/unpolished the book is. Yet the descriptions of Paris transported me there. I've walked through all those streets, gone through the Luxembourg to St Sulpice, searched for books at the stalls along the Quais, seen the fishermen at the Square du Vert Galant. While I didn't see Paris until 60 years after Hemingway was there, it was a magical time and place for me as it was for Hemingway and Hadley. Probably if the book had been set in Rome or Madrid, I would have read it and liked it, but not given it a second thought. Because it took place in my own golden city of dreams, it means a lot to me. I'll probably read it again.

This is pretty much the only Hemingway I've read, so I have no idea how it compares with his other work. I read the Old Man and the Sea in high school and thought it was ok. I've tried For Whom the Bell Tolls and either gave up or was unimpressed enough to forget whether I finished it or not. I liked the Snows of Kilimanjaro and some other short stories that were in the same collection, but they didn't make a huge impression on me. Next up is A Farewell to Arms. I'm hoping to get a better picture of Hemingway the writer from that.

[Nigeyb]

^ Thanks Barbara, that's a very interesting review. I enjoyed reading it.


I am sure if you recognise the path that Hemingway took, through familiarity with the city it would add a whole level of appreciation to the experience of reading this book. I've been to Paris a few times but, sadly, am not familiar enough to visualise any of the places he described.

I look forward to your reaction to "A Farewell to Arms".

[Barbara]

Nigeyb wrote: "^ Thanks Barbara, that's a very interesting review. I enjoyed reading it.


I am sure if you recognise the path that Hemingway took, through familiarity with the city it would add a whole level of..."

This isn't really the place for this question, but I'll ask anyway. How much time do you spend on BYT? You post constantly, read everything, respond immediately to others' posts--how do you do it? With my busy life (80 hours a week of visiting my husband who has Alzheimer's, taking care of my two young grandkids, practicing/performing/teaching music) I struggle just to READ the books. I'm trying to be more of a participant and less of a "lurker" but I'll never have the time and energy to write well-reasoned reviews. You're an inspiration!!

[Judy]

Barbara, I really enjoyed your thoughts on this book and am glad to hear that you liked it so much - I've only been to Paris once, many years ago and very briefly, but did find the descriptions very atmospheric, and they must have been even more so for you. I have just got The Snows of Kilimanjaro collection of stories out of the library and hope to get to those soon.

Nigeyb, I think you are right about Hemingway being a divisive writer - I had a look at some reviews of The Sun Also Rises at Goodreads, and found that quite a lot of people had given it five stars and said it was their favourite book of all time and that they constantly reread it... but others had given one or two stars and couldn't stand it. I do suspect I'll be in the former camp, but will see!

[Nigeyb]

^ ^ Thanks for your kind words Barbara. I am sorry to hear about your husband - my father has dementia so I have an idea about the demands of caring for someone who can no longer look after themselves. Grandkids and music too - I'd say you're the inspiration!

To answer your question, reading is one of my main passions, and I am lucky that my current circumstances allow me time to read quite a bit. I also really enjoy discussing books so it's a pleasure to be able to post on here regularly. I have the GoodReads app on my phone so whenever I add an update on whatever I am reading, via phone, usually using the voice dictation function, I can also see any updates. I am only a member of BYT and one other GoodReads group - so don't stretch myself too thin.

Judy, I am looking forward to my next Hemingway too - like Barbara, it'll be A Farewell to Arms - despite quite liking For Whom the Bell Tolls I suspect he's never going to become one of my firm favourites, but you never know. I'll report back on the A Farewell to Arms thread.

[Barbara]

Thanks for your response, Nigeyb. Looking forward to Farewell to Arms and the rest of the wonderful discoveries to be made here.

[Judy]

While taking a peek round Waterstone's yesterday, I noticed a new novel, Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Wood , about the end of each of his marriages and the start of the next.



I've now noticed that the Guardian has just reviewed this, and the review is actually by Lara Feigel , who wrote The Love-charm of Bombs: Restless Lives in the Second World War , one of the books in the running to be our non-fiction read here in April!

I was slightly surprised that there is now another novel about Hemingway's wives, after The Paris Wife - it seems his personal life continues to exert a fascination, I suppose maybe because he included such a lot of it in his own work that we are left wanting to find out more?

[Nigeyb]

Just a quick reminder of a point I made earlier in the thread, our March 2014 non-fiction choice "Everybody Was So Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy: A Lost Generation Love Story" follows on beautifully from this book. Hemingway regularly appears (as does F Scott Fitzgerald) and it puts a lot of events in perspective. See you there.

[Judy]

I was reminded of our read of this book by seeing a story in The Guardian about how it has returned to number one in the French bestseller lists following the terror attacks in Paris - apparently the French title translates as 'Paris is a Celebration'.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...

[Barbara]

Thanks, Judy. Very interesting. You always find the most fascinating supplementary articles/podcasts, etc.

[Judy]

Thanks Barbara, very kind of you to say so. I came across this piece purely by chance, though!