The Paris Wife

A Novel

By: Paula McLain

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Hadley.

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet 28-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises.

Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold onto her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.

A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.

©2011 Paula Mclain (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“McLain smartly explores Hadley's ambivalence about her role as supportive wife to a budding genius.... Women and book groups are going to eat up this novel.” (USA Today)

“By making the ordinary come to life, McLain has written a beautiful portrait of being in Paris in the glittering 1920s - as a wife and one's own woman.... McLain's vivid, clear-voiced novel is a conjecture, an act of imaginary autobiography on the part of the author. Yet her biographical and geographical research is so deep, and her empathy for the real Hadley Richardson so forthright (without being intrusively femme partisan), that the account reads as very real indeed.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Written much in the style of Nancy Horan's Loving Frank ... Paula McLain's fictional account of Hemingway's first marriage beautifully captures the sense of despair and faint hope that pervaded the era and their marriage.” (Associated Press)

excellent story of its times

I thoroughly enjoyed this interesting portrait of Hemingway and of the artistic community of Americans in Paris in the post-World War I era. Told from an interesting perspective, it offers insights into the life of an important author and the early influences on his writing.

Overall, quite good....

I found I struggled a little after about the half way point because not a lot seemed to be happening. Once I finished the book, I realized that there was a great deal happening in a subtle way! I really enjoyed this book. Carrington MacDuffie was extremely easy to listen to and to believe!

More Biography than Novel

I like biographies, and this book was more like a biography than a novel to me. The author displayed some bright moments in the writing style in some descriptions. Otherwise, it didn't stir much emotion in the writing. What grated on me was nearly every conversation began or ended with "she said" "he said" "I said." I can't remember the author using other words that described *how* something was said. The narrator was the only clue to emotion. I still wasn't thrilled with the narrator. She did well enough for the most part; but during some conversations, the only way I could differentiated between the speakers was those dreaded words "she said" "I said" and yes, even "he said."

Great

The five stars says it all. The story though is the typical story of the up & comer future star and the love of his life and all the pitfalls they encounter in keeping a relationship together. The road to success is hard enough without trying to get there living in the fast lane of life which only leads this Paris wife to loneliness & self-doubt while being married to a sick, selfish, self-centered alcoholic. She comes out above it all in the end a strong, independent woman who finds herself & her self-worth despite it all.

Not just Hem's favorite girl!

I loved this book, Hadley's life was interesting and exciting. Definitely worth reading and learning about life in the 1920's.

Thoroughly enjoyable!

A wonderful story that gives us a glimpse into the world of Ernest Hemingway and other notable authors of his time!

A great opportunity wasted.

While historically interesting, the over-consumption of alcohol seemed to be more the focus of this novel than the characters themselves. The concept of this novel was such a good opportunity to build upon the complexities of Hemmingway's personality and all the odd-ball characters that he surrounded himself with but every character (including Hemmingway's) seemed one dimensional and lifeless. And, the narrator's depiction of Hadley was awful - it was just not believable that she was a stupid, blind fool on one hand yet a confident socially astute woman on the other. The narrator made her sound like a whiny & whimpering child. The one thing this novel did inspire in me is a desire to learn more about Hemmingway --- he certainly couldn't have been as flat and boring in real life as he was characterized in this novel. The beginning of this novel was so promising, the middle so boring and the end so predictable. . .

Very Moving.

I loved the intertwining of the historical and the imagined. Hadley and Earnest were very real, and I felt sympathy and compassion for both of them. Well, OK, I felt more for her. Now I want to know more about her life; hopefully someone has written a book about the rest of it.

I now understand why Hemingway had so many cats.

What an enlightening story. The Paris Wife told a side to Hemingway you might not ever know. There were times when I laughed out loud and then there were many more where I cried.
I will read this again.

Better as a book than as an audio book

What did you like best about The Paris Wife? What did you like least?

I have this book, but haven't had the time to sit down and read it, instead opting for the audiobook while i was driving long trips, doing computer work, etc. The book itself is an excellent love story, I found myself feeling the despair at the end right along with the character. The story has inspired me to read Hemingway's other books. The narrator, however, is awful. I forced myself to keep listening simply because I used up a credit. I hated the narration and didn't enjoy the book until 3/4 the way through. The first 3/4 is a slower story, the last 1/4 is more intriguing. Either way the narrator's voice is irritating. Hadley sounds like a childish immature girl, and the fake-man voice she uses for Earnest Hemingway is awful. I actually skimmed the book itself at times to "catch up" on important parts I had tuned out while listening to the book. If I could do it again, I would read the book itself rather than listen to the audiobook. At best, 3 out of 5 as an audiobook. I'm glad I finished it though, because the end is better than the beginning, and I really wanted to know how this love story ended.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Carrington MacDuffie?

Anyone else. Using a man for the male parts and a woman for the female parts would have worked better.

Could you see The Paris Wife being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Read the book, not the audiobook, unless you are bored and have no choice.