A Moveable Feast

The Restored Edition

By: Ernest Hemingway

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

When Ernest Hemingway died in 1961 he had nearly completed A Moveable Feast, which eventually was published posthumously in 1964 and edited by his widow Mary Hemingway. This new special edition of Hemingway's classic memoir of his early years in Paris in the 1920's presents the original manuscript as the author intended it to be published at the time of his death.

This new publication also includes a number of unfinished Paris sketches on writing and experiences that Hemingway had with his son, Jack, his wife Hadley, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ford Maddox Ford and others. A personal foreword by Patrick Hemingway, Ernest's sole surviving son, precedes an introduction by the editor, Sean Hemingway, grandson of the author.

©2009 the Hemingway Copyright Owners (P)2009 Simon & Schuster, Inc

restored version is fabulous

Would you listen to A Moveable Feast again? Why?

The restored version with additional content and format designed by the author is an excellent reason to read this classic again and again

What other book might you compare A Moveable Feast to and why?

For Whom the Bell Tolls - my favorite Hemingway reads

companion book to a Paris Wife

Would you listen to A Moveable Feast again? Why?

I don't read/listen to stories twice

What did you like best about this story?

Hemingway's perspective and his compassion for first wife

What about John Bedford Lloyd’s performance did you like?

it was good

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Early Hemingway

Perfection

I have always been a fan of Hemingway but this by far surpassed my high expectations. I've cried only twice while listening to audible book, this was one of them. I'm very picky about narrators in general and especially when they are reading Hemingway but the narration could not have been better.

Not much

I’ve read many of Hemingway’s books and have thoroughly enjoyed them, but not so much this one. I felt, at times, that he could not have even written this.

tread carefully

These are good stories. Narration is flawless. With that being said, I want to mention one should tread carefully with reading this book. Hemingway's other books are all semi-autobiographical. Stuff like Farewell and For Whom the Bell Tolls are real stories wrapped in the blanket of fiction. While interesting, these stories unfortunately show you the real man who wrote these fictions. It's akin to seeing the wizard in wizard of oz. So, it might ruin his other stories for you. But, if you can handle that, this is a good book with interesting stories about a young man trying to grasp writing and living in Paris with his wife.

Very interesting listen, great for an Ernest fan

I love Hemingway, while I haven't read everything he's done (something I've only the past few months started to work on), I decided that it was time to write the closest he ever came to an autobiography. I don't love everything about him as person (I'm more fascinated with his life than anything else) but he is certainly one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century and well deserving of the Pulitzer and Nobel prize that he received late in life. This book is the only way left to truly get to know him as person (except for what you can infer from many of his books but none so much as this one.) If you're interested in another of his unfinished books, you can read my review of "The Garden of Eden" here. As has been my preference this was an Audio book from Audible (a website I highly recommend). I chose the restored edition as I thought this would be closer to what Hemingway wanted. I had also read on a blog that a true Hemingway fan must read this, so I did.


Normally I wouldn't comment on a forward/introduction but here there are two that are worth a little discussion. This first one is by his son, Patrick. Patrick compares his father's work to the bible (in so much as there are different versions) and goes on to explain how tiny differences in writing can be significant. I would have thought he would have talked about his father, what he meant to him, what kind of man he was, what Paris meant to his Dad but no. It is wonderful that it's here but someone I would have done a lot differently. I just couldn't hear the love in his voice for his father and I am left to wonder how he truly felt about him. It is redeemed, though, by perhaps the most beautiful and saddest lines Hemingway ever wrote (and is genuinely haunting to hear read by his son)

"This book contains material from the remises of my memory and of my heart. Even if the one has been tampered with and the other does not exist."

Then we have Sean, his grandson, do an introduction. This one seems to brim with affection for a grandfather he never knew. This one is filled with information about what was left out and then subsequently put back in "A Moveable Feast". This was fascinating and Sean sounded like a great person who had a lot to say about his grandfather. I thought it was helpful to know which chapters were left out of the original publication and thus letting you know exactly how this was a restored edition. Sean also points out when Hemingway made obvious changes in the narrative about places and names, and explains why he did so.

Well as you can see this will be a very long review. This book is fascinating, sad, thoughtful, at times disturbing, useful to writers and ultimately a glimpse into both Hemingway as a young man in Paris (he was 25 I believe) and what he was like just before his death at 61. It is unusual because Hemingway himself clearly stated that he changed parts of the books, that it is technically fiction but yet I think it speaks volumes about him and his life as a young writer.

There are parts that are genuinely surprising, like when Hemingway talks about his paranoia with Gertrude Stein (he carried a knife at all times apparently) and had a rather uncomfortable discussion with her about the difference between gay men and women (in regards to how they have sex). Another time he is having dinner and casually compares the way the man with him drinks oyster juice (from an oyster of course) as that of a prostitute swallowing semen. Hemingway changes a few names and places but pulls no punches when he talks about people he didn't like.

I also quite enjoyed the parts when he discussed growing his hair, how it was a small act of rebellion and how he wanted it to be the same length as his wife's. This was a great tie-in for me as I just finished "The Garden of Eden" (which deals with the main character growing his hair) recently. He gives advice to writers and we learn of his writing habits. You also get the distinct impression that Hemingway loved his wives and that he felt regret and guilt over cheating on his wife Hadley.

There are moments that are quite funny with F. Scott Fitzgerald . The famous story (well I heard about it) of Scott asking Ernest to look at his penis is really quite funny and ultimately shows he good a friend Ernest was to him.

Others that are hard to listen to/read, as when he continually mixes of T.S. Elliot with this Major Elliot, why this was not fixed or taken out seems odd to me. He also has a very hate filled talk with a fan after he interrupts him while he is writing (I think he overacted, telling the man to kill himself!) and then finally gives up and says he will be a great critic. Finally other parts are just deeply sad, he talks about how writing is about the struggle with nothingness and how he thought a man could smell dishonest (he even describes the odor). It seems clear that Hemingway not only suffered from depression but may have also had been in the early stages of dementia (perhaps brought on my his shock treatments). Hemingway also gives us a glimpse about how he felt about getting older,

"His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred. Later he became conscious of his damaged wings and of their construction and he learned to think and could not fly any more because the love of flight was gone and he could only remember when it had been effortless."


My apologies for such a long review, Hemingway would not have liked it but I had to. I'll add that many parts of the book need to be listened to quite closely. There is this habit of his where he seems to be speaking to his younger self and there is one chapter where this gets mixed up when he was also speaking to a dying friend. This review does need to end though, I'll start with due to language I would have to say ages 17+. If you are a writer or if you want to know the real Hemingway, read this. His descriptions of Paris are wonderful and his life in those early days is fascinating to learn about. I do recommend it, just keep an open mind and remember despite all the incredible things he did Hemingway was just a man, full of flaws and problems just as is anyone. While some parts are amazing, others are just so uncomfortable or sad but I still give the reader does a wonderful job, I think he speaks the way Hemingway himself would have and he puts a lot of emotion into every scene.

Restored Edition was worth the wait

I am a big Hemingway fan, but interestingly I had never read A MOVEABLE FEAST. I'm not sure why, but it was poorly reviewed when it came out and I was a busy young wife and mother putting my husband through law school and didn't get to read much at the time. Earlier this year I read THE PARIS WIFE, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and decided it was time to read A MOVEABLE FEAST. I was delighted to see that there is now a restored edition available, and was especially pleased to listen to what both Hemingway's son and grandson had to say. I believe this edition, which was restored to their best belief, to the way Hemingway had wanted it, makes a lot of sense. It is easy to understand why Mary Hemingway, Hemingway's wife at the time of his death, would be sensitive to material about Hadley, Hemingway's first, and many, including him, would say his best marriage. She edited those passages out in the original edition. The passages about Fitzgerald were especially interesting. I also loved hearing about how Ernest and Hadley lived in Paris - their apartment, their friends, the French lifestyle, etc.

The narration was excellent. Sounded just as I would imagine Hemingway would sound.

Adequate telling of an interesting story

What aspect of John Bedford Lloyd’s performance would you have changed?

The performer has a good voice, but his tone is aloof at times and the longer sentences are read flatly. The content of the story carries this performance. The book is good despite these qualities.

Autobiography that ready like fiction (but better)

Anyone who is a fan of Hemmingway and/or of the artists, writers, etc. living in Paris during the 1920's will enjoy listening to this audio. I like the intro by Patrick and Sean Hemmingway, that was a nice touch and I would have wanted more narration from them.

His true voice.

The forwards and the excerpts provided in Hemingway's original text are masterful. It's like sitting down with the man himself. Truly a pleasurable experience.