Hemingway and The Paris Wife

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."         -Ernest Hemingway (Brainy Quotes)

 

I've been reading a good book this week, but I haven't gotten very far. Still, it's hard to put down. I'm reading a historical novel, The Paris Wife by Paula McClain, 2011.  I was reading something else, but once again, I took a detour and I'm not sorry about it. I've been attracted to books set in Paris ever since I had the opportunity to visit Paris for the first time just three years ago. So when my friend loaned me her copy of McClain's book, I couldn't resist. The reader must realize that this book is a novel, not a documentary or a biography, and yet it provides us with some thoughts as to what Hemingway's life might have been like. McClain used historical documents to frame her story, yet some of the details are "filled in" by her as they relate to the things about Hemingway that no one could really know. At the end of the book there are some questions provided for group discussions so that literature students or reading groups may find a jumping off place for their discussions.

The narrator in the story is a young woman, Hadley, who is in her late 20s and on the verge of being a "spinster" according to the "rules"of society at that time in 1920. She meets a young man named Ernest Hemingway in Chicago, and she is intrigued by this young man who is several years younger than her. After a short courtship, mostly a long-distance relationship, they get married. Hadley has been warned by her friend, Kate, that she shouldn't get involved with this man, but she ignores that advice. Kate had said that Ernest was something of a lady's man, and that "He likes women, all women, apparently..." so Hadley should stay away from him. But there were things that drew her to the young writer, and she fell in love. They got married and struggled financially as many young couples do, but when Hadley's relative dies, she receives $8,000 so they finally realize Hemingway's dream and they set off for Paris. Hemingway had been told that Paris was the place for writers to get their start, so they heeded the advice and set sail for a new life. When they arrived they found that they couldn't afford to live in the area of Paris where most of the writers and artists lived, so they had to settle for a run-down apartment in a poor neighborhood. After a while, the couple is drawn to people such as Gertrude Stein, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, and others. Hemingway learns from these authors, and the feedback that he receives from his work is invaluable. This is about as far as I've gotten in my reading, so I'll make more comments about it after I have finished the book.

I've read quite a few books set partially or completely in Paris or France during the past few years. I've read War Brides; All the Light We Cannot See; Paris: The Novel; A Year in Provence (memoir); The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris; The Wright Brothers, and others. Of these books listed here I think I enjoyed The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris by David McCullough and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr the most. The former is yet another example of the amazing research McCullough does in order to write the facts about the person, place, or thing that he is writing about. His book is a word of history, for sure, so I learned a lot about the many American doctors, writers, and artists who traveled to Paris to learn and to "make it big." While All the Light We Cannot See is a novel, it reveals the war-time culture that destroyed much of Europe. It tells the story of a blind girl who is wrapped up in the suffering that so many people had to endure during a very dark time in Europe.

Now that I've been able to visit Paris myself, these types of stories come alive for me. I'm drawn to books and movies set in France. Have you seen the movie, "Midnight In Paris" (2011) starring Owen Wilson? It's a fun romantic comedy in which Owen Wilson's character meets many of the great writers and authors from the past, men and women who once lived in Paris. He meets Picasso, Stein, Hemingway, and others sometime after midnight each night. If you're interested in history, literature, or Paris, you'll enjoy this movie. You can probably borrow it from your public library as we did.

Have you seen the new movie, "Suffragette"? Chances are you haven't made it to see this one yet, since it just came out. Meryl Streep has a small role in this movie, but it carries itself very well with leading ladies Carey Mulligan and Helen Bonham Carter. I saw this movie yesterday at the Carolina Theatre, and I enjoyed it a lot. The movie is based on the true story of the fight for voting rights for women in London. The story begins in 1920 during a time when many women were mistreated in the workforce and were not allowed to vote or to have any say in the government. The suffragette movement was led by Emmeline Pankhurst, played by Meryl Streep in the movie, and it led to the eventual acquisition of voting rights for women in England and elsewhere. Practice up on your British accents before you go - you may find some of the dialogue difficult to understand but this won't detract from your understanding of what's going on. 

I'm off to go work at the school magnet fair now...have a great weekend. A penny for your thoughts about Hemingway, Paris, or anything else that you're interested in!

-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com
Amazon used book seller: mch seller