Thanks to Anais Nin, I'm such a sucker for the lost generation, more specifically the Paris of the 20's and 30's. This, peppered with my respect for Hemingway (despite him never being my cup of tea in the literary sense), made The Paris Wife a must read. And Paula McClain did not disappoint. Although she could get a little lost in the minutiae, she still painted a lovely portrait of Paris and the life of a very enigmatic writer.
My heart ached when I learned that Hadley's father suffered a similar fate as Hemingway. As the spouse of someone who suffers from depression it was easy to build a connection to Hadley. And while McClain often teetered on the edge of making Hadley into a helpless victim, she quickly found a way to show her resilience, strength, and individuality which left you feeling that no matter what Ernest (or life) threw her way Hadley was going to be just fine. As love can be oh so beautiful and oh so ugly, I thought McClain did a great job showing both sides of Hadley and Ernest's relationship in a very enriching and lovely way. And I can't help but wonder if The Paris Wife is also an ode to the loved ones of artists, who often get the short end of the stick, but who are so pivotal to their success.
And I'll always appreciate a book that can enrage me so, that I can't help but to punch the hubby in the arm, but still find myself turning the pages. (For all his incredible talent Hemingway could be an real bastard). Overall though, If you are a fan of those great writers from bohemian Paris this book would be right up your alley.
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