Hemingway Times Two

I don’t like to reread books, even those that I have completely enjoyed.  However, in the interest of a good book discussion with my book club; I am rereading The Paris Wife (B+) by Paula McLain.

Based on actually events, Paula McLain relates her story through Hadley, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife.  Hadley and Ernest meet at a friend’s apartment in Chicago and  become a couple. Ignoring the advice of friends, they quickly marry and prepare to go to Italy where Ernest believes he can write.  At the urging of an acquaintance, their plans change and they head off to Paris where all the up and coming literary artists of the day are writing and living.  Writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein become their companions.

The goal of my book club is to read The Paris Wife and then The Moveable Feast which Hemingway wrote during the same time period.  We hope to compare and contrast events, opinions and outcomes and watch “fiction imitate life”.  When it was suggested that we find titles that would allow us to do some comparison The Paris Wife immediately came to mind.  I read the book when it first came out and was very impressed with it.  I had bought The Moveable Feast with good intentions but just never got to it.  The book club is now the perfect reason to move it to the front of the pack.

I don’t enjoy biographies too much and books such as this, as well as Loving Frank (B+) by Nancy Horan which is about architect Frank Lloyd Wright allow me to get the inside scoop without a heavy read.  I certainly recommend The Paris Wife and will keep you posted about our discussions after we have completed both books.

 A Bientot. (later).