A Moveable Feast

I honestly didn't read any Hemingway until 20 year after I learned who he was (and that was mostly because of his super-model offspring). But after "Farewell to Arms" I quickly realized how this man drop-kicked a whole new level of intensity into literature.

But this work is nothing like the gut wrenching drama in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" or "The Son also Rises". This collection of memoirs reads more like short stories, and the short stories are even more fascinating because they're based on real people and events. Hemingway's view of the world is still pretty macho - but he's also struggling with money and not sure if he'll ever be a success at this point. He's also not sure if having to rub shoulders with these other soon to be iconoclastic characters is worth his while either. The frank and irreverant observations are even more fun considering our current celebrity obsessed culture.

So if you've thought Hemingway was too heavy for your taste, you still may really enjoy this book. If you enjoy reading first hand accounts of important literary figures, you'll love this book. And if you ever plan to go to Paris, you must hear this book!

A short Hemingway novel told in episodic splendor. I was lusciously transported to 1920's Paris. His stories with Gertrude Stein were an eye-opener to her life as were the ones with F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was fun watching him dodge their neurosis. I didn't want this novel to end. The reader was just serviceable. He sometimes sounded too dear to read Hem.

I was surprised when read few negative comments here. It looks like some readers were expecting detailed sex scenes while others were irritated by mentioning drinks often.

I value Papa Hem for his enormous ability to enjoy and capture the life "as is" without unnecessary exaggerations and extremes that some expect from literature (probably due their own boring life experience where nothing real happens).

In my view he's a teacher who helps us to appreciate life and be happy with its simple artifacts like eating, drinking and loving. He had an extraordinary talent to bring the artistic fragrance of Paris' of 20-th to everybody's life by few simple words that everyone could understand.

He is a phenomena that had never happened in the US or world's literature before and that will probably never happen again. I am so sorry for the people who can not see the great feelings and aroma of the real life behind his simple (not to be confused with primitive) straight-forward writing.

Narrator is just as great as the novel: it's like the author reads it himself.

The narrator was superb. A great listening experience.

The best parts are when Hemingway discusses his education in, and approach to, the craft of writing.

Very fun to listen. Well written..of course goes with out saying.

I just got back from Paris and this book was part of my pre-vacation immersion. James Naughton sounds like like I would expect Hemingway would sound and his delivery was great. Overall, the story is not super captivating, but it paints a vivid picture of a time in the author's life in Paris, which was exactly what I was looking for.

I loved the book, but I have a good Hemingway background. So many of my friends don't read the classics.

He did an excellent job narrating.

I did find myself amazed and amused at F. Scott Fitzgerald.

With little aforehand experience with Hemingway and his writings, I picked this title for its coverage of France, specifically Paris, in the 1920s. Little did I know that this would be a title my husband and I would listen to again and again, revisiting after reading other Hemingway titles, Fitzgerald, or works focusing on life with the "Lost Generation." The book is wonderful, covering a span of time whose creativity and vibrance seems unrivaled in a city which caters to creativity and vibrance. The narration by Naughton is masterful and interesting, and in the end, captures the moving intent of Hemingway's prose. So many narrators detract from the quality of the piece - Naughton lets the work stand on its own without interfering, which is something important in an audio title.

A Moveable Feast is a poignant memoir written at the end of Hemingway's life, in which he remembers his first wife, and the innocent years of their marriage, with a fine wistfulness. His anecdotes profiling the famous artists and writers are written with his hallmark spareness which, even so, is imbued with wit and humor made all the more delightful for its brevity - conveying so much with so little. A key component to enjoying this audible book is the narrator. James Naughton is simply outstanding. His pace is relaxed, and the inflections and rhythms of his voice bring the words to life. He so perfectly interprets the author's words and purpose that - truly - one can believe they are listening to Hemingway himself. A book and a listening experience not to be missed.