Okay, so I needed to join another book club like I need another hole in my head, but I just couldn’t help myself when I saw the list of titles this book club, which meets out at Indigo Books in Lakeshore, have been reading. So here I am, reviewing their January selection, The Paris Wife. And a fine read it was too!
Paula McLain’s debut novel is a fictionalized tale of Ernest Hemingway’s first marriage told from the point of view of wife Hadley Richardson, and let me tell you, McLain has done her research! Hemingway was a larger than life literary figure in the early half of the 20th century, and he simply jumps off the pages of McLain’s book, but Hadley is no less an intriguing character, and together, their love story simply unfolds from page one, right through to the end.
Hadley and Ernest meet in Chicago in 1921. Hadley is eight years Ernest’s senior, but has lived a rather sheltered life, looking after an ailing mother. Ernest, a young, exuberant writer falls for Hadley and convinces her to marry him. Unwilling to spend a lonely spinsterish life living in apartments above her sister’s family, Hadley agrees and together they sail for Paris, where the next few years Ernest hones his writing skills amongst literary greats as Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The two travel to various locales in Europe (Pamplona to the bullfights, which inspires his first major novel, The Sun Also Rises, and skiing vacations in the Swiss Alps). It is a carefree time when expatriates can live relatively cheaply abroad, and where artists flock together to feed off each other’s collective genius.
Unfortunately, Ernest is not as carefree as his surroundings. Troubled by his experiences in the Great War, and cursed with literary genius, he relies heavily on Hadley to calm his soul. Unlike the progressive women around her, who wholeheartedly embrace the ideas of first wave feminism, Hadley is content to be a supportive wife to Ernest, keeping his house and propping him up whenever needed. Theirs is a marriage harking back to earlier values, and at odds with the rampant infidelity in their circle of friends. It is not long, however, before the cracks begin to show as Ernest falls under the influence of the company he keeps and Hadley must evaluate what’s most important in life.
McLain writes beautifully of the early stages of Hemingway’s career, and showcases not only a remarkable love affair, but the dissolution of a marriage that under other circumstances could have lasted forever. Hadley may have been Ernest’s rock in a creative tempest, but it is her own journey to find herself that fascinates and makes this more than just another tragic love story.
What my fellow book clubbers had to say:
I have to say I very pleasantly enjoyed myself with the ladies of Lakeshore last night. They are a very friendly and welcoming bunch and we had a good chat about the book. The book club moderator went above and beyond with setting up a Parisian bistro scene (red-check cloth draped our table, and candles in wine bottles were nicely accented centerpieces) around which we could discuss the art scene in that great city in the 1920s. The only thing missing, upon general consensus, was the absinthe. Ah well, perhaps another time we will raise a tipple to Hemingway and friends. Our discussion was also greatly enhanced by pictures of the people we read about in the book. It was really nice to put a face to such familiar names and enriched our reading experience and discussion.
The group overall liked the book, but didn’t consider it a must read. We all liked the fact that neither of us knew much about Hemingway, and certainly his early life as depicted here, despite having read him in school, so for that alone, the book was worth our time and would be recommended. We felt that none of the people portrayed in the book turned out to be favourite characters, perhaps with the exception of Kitty who plays a small role as Hadley’s friend but who came off as the most genuine, and nicest person in the book.
With our more modern, 21st century sensibilities and stereotypes of the early part of the last century, we were all to a one shocked at the openness of Gertrude Stein’s homosexual relationship, and the rampant affairs and infidelity practiced by this group of artists in 1920s Paris. We concluded that though societal mores and norms were much more open and different in Europe at that time from North America, the Great War likely played a large part in the behaviour of those who had faced death and survived. The war certainly played a huge role in Hemingway’s own character development and his choices in life.
Of the relationship between Hadley and Ernest it was felt that it was one of convenience on each of their parts with Hadley narrowly avoiding a life of lonely spinsterhood and Ernest getting to live off her inheritance while pursuing his writing. It was suggested that Ernest never loved Hadley, and could never love any woman, being far too concerned with his own interests and desires. Re-reading my review above, which I wrote shortly after reading the book last month, I’m not sure I completely agree that there was no love present in their marriage. Should you, dear reader, read this book, please do let me know what you think.
Till next time, happy reading!
L J
