Paris: Somewhere I'd Always Wanted to Visit

When I first began reading The Paris Wife, I could easily have been completing the "a book your mom loves" challenge. She read it when it first came out and loved it. I'd never gotten around to reading it until my lack of wifi and reading lists gave me the perfect opportunity. Also, a train headed to Paris seemed a rather appropriate time to read McLain's novel.

The Paris Wife is Hadley Hemingway's fictionalized memoir of her time as Ernest Hemingway's first wife. As you may have guessed by the title, most of that time was spent in Paris. Imagine it as a linear A Moveable Feast, told from Hemingway's wife's perspective. The novel was beautifully written and did a great job humanizing the mythic figure of Ernest Hemingway. I've always been a fan of his work, particularly the ghastly ending of A Farewell to Arms, so learning a little more about his personal life was fascinating. It's always refreshing to read a novel so well researched that you actually learn a lot along the way.

I would highly recommend all my readers to read Paula McLain's beautifully written and surprisingly touching historical narrative. Hopefully it takes you less time to heed this recommendation than it did for me with my mother's.

When I finally arrived in Paris, I was glad to actualize my dream. In honor of Hemingway--Ernest and Hadley--I made sure to visit the Left Bank, especially the book store which made such an impact in Ernest Hemingway's early career.