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The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

The Paris Wife

A Novel

by Paula McLain
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  • First Published:
  • Feb 22, 2011, 336 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Nov 2012, 352 pages
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Reviews


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There are currently 20 member reviews
for The Paris Wife
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  • Cheryl W. (Faribault, Mn)
    Hemingway
    I enjoyed this book for the description of the 20's life style. The relationship was dysfunctional and Hemingway so needy. After reading this book my interest was peaked and I went on to do further research about Hemingway and his life.
  • Frances B. (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
    The Paris Wife
    What a beautifully written and entertaining book!

    It was a treat to be transported to Paris and experience life in the exciting 20's. Anyone who enjoys Ernest Hemingway will love the intimate story of his early years with first wife, Hadley. After reading this book, I wanted to read even more of his work!
  • Bea C. (Liberty Lake, WA)
    Early Hemingway: Behind The Scenes
    The first part of this book (about 130 pages) is about the courtship and first years of marriage of Hemingway and his first wife, before he became a known writer, and I found it kind of boring. Then I got to part where she takes all of his original manuscripts with her on a trip to meet him somewhere in Europe, then finds the valise, in which she has placed the sum total of his writing to that point, is missing. It is such a shocking moment that it jolted my interest to keep reading just to find out if she finds it. This book gives a behind the scenes view of Hemingway's life while he was writing some of his early books, and the reality was surprisingly close to the fictional books. It made me want to read his books that I missed and re-read the ones I read so long ago. I would recommend this book to Hemingway lovers.
  • Leann A. (Springfield, IL)
    The Paris Wife
    I liked this book, but I didn't love it. Something was missing. The facts were there, but I never quite connected with the main character, Hadley. I did, however, enjoy reading about "The Lost Generation"--American Expats in 1920s Paris. That alone was worth the read.
  • Susan H. (Charleston, WV)
    The Paris Wife
    The Paris Wife by Paula McLain was a disappointment to me. None of the characters, especially those of Hemingway and Hadley, became alive as I read the book. The relaxed pace of the book never gained enough speed to capture the excitement of running the bulls of Pamplona nor the intensity of the Paris when many of the most important literary figures of time gathered, or the intricate first marriage of Hemingway.
    Ms. McLain used reliable research sources for her fictional account of the marriage between Hadley Richardson and Ernest Hemingway, and the reader wanting a Lost Generation moment or two would be better off to stick to those sources than The Paris Wife.
  • AzKate (Glendale, AZ)
    The Paris Wife
    While I liked the book, I didn't LOVE the book. To me the characters were flat and stiff with the exception of Ernest who came away as a most selfish man. I felt deeply sorry for Hadley and her life with Hemingway.
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Beyond the Book:
  Hemingway's Leading Ladies

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