The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife - Paula McLain I've always been fascinated by Hemingway, the man and the writer, and this was cemented for me in college when I wrote a major thesis paper on Hemingway as part of my English degree. Boiled down into a perfect Hemingway nutshell- his mother really did a number on him.

Not that that's an excuse for the deplorable manner in which he treated his first wife, the Paris Wife. This novel explores their marriage and the complexities surrounding it in a gripping tale of love and betrayal. Paula McLain captured the atmosphere of Paris in the early 20s and the Lost Generation. I think Hemingway fans will truly enjoy this novel, though I'm not sure how it would read to a non-Hemingway fan. I could see how some may find that the story drags at times, though it picks up toward the end.

I'm anxious to re-read some of Hemingway's novels after getting a refresher course in his early years.