The Paris Wife

The book is The Paris Wife and the author is Paula McLain. Though I am not a big fan of Hemingway's work I thoroughly enjoyed this book, much of it set in Paris in the 1920's. Presented as fiction, the book does a thorough job of getting into the psyche of Hadley Richardson during the period she was Hemingway's wife. The book provides glimpses of their friendships with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and the hard drinking eccentrics Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The narrative takes us to Pamplona for the running of the bulls and into the mountains for skiing. I empathize with Hadley as she struggles to maintain equilibrium while trying to keep up with this crowd and still be a mother. The author has done her research and spun it into an engaging story. I am ready to read A Moveable Feast, Hemingway's own account of that period in his life.