The Paris Wife....By: Paula Mclain
In the past, I have had to read several books as a requirement for school and so I have learned what characteristics I especially enjoy in a book, and I have developed a similar kind of knowledge on the different projects or certain topics that I know I will enjoy learning about. Going into this project I knew that I would enjoy learning and reading about French history in the 1920's. At the same time however, I knew that I would not enjoy reading a dry, nonfiction book so I was up against a challenge to find the perfect book for the situation I was in and the specifications I was looking for. I ended up finding The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain which was perfect because it is a fiction novel written from the perspective of Earnest Hemingway's first wife during the time of the 1920's in Paris when Hemingway became part of the fabled, "Lost Generation".
I have had a strong passion for and a deep desire to learn French and to learn about the culture of France for many years. I have taken a few courses in French and have always said that I will someday live in Paris so it was highly enjoyable for me to read about what it is like to live in Paris, France. One of my favorite parts of the book describing the French culture was the food. There were many quotes describing what the Hemingway's would eat and do for fun. For example, when Earnest Hemingway rushed home to describe to Hadley that he had just had "the best fish he'd ever eaten" which was described in the book as being a, "perfectly crisped river trout stuffed with fried ham and onions" and that he was taking her to that cafe to try it right then.
From reading this book I have learned many new little facts as well as developed a better all-around understanding of what it was like to live in Paris in the 1920's. For example, before reading this novel, I did not know anything about Earnest Hemingway except for the fact that he was a writer. Now however, I know that he lost all of his manuscripts at the beginning of his career as a writer, committed suicide, had several wives, but only one child, moved from Chicago when he came to Paris, and more. I also found it interesting that his father, brother, and sister all died by committing suicide as well.
The impressions that I got from reading this book were that Hadley Hemingway was a very credulous wife as she seemed to be easily taken advantage of or "walked all over". Earnest Hemingway on the other hand came off to me as being an unloyal, sort of slimy guy who previous to reading this book I had thought of as probably being an honest man. Another character or characters that surprised me in the way that they were described were F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. After reading the Great Gatsby last year, I had pictured the author as could have only being a very strait-laced proper guy. On the contrary, this novel described the Fitzgerald couple as being very spontaneous and zany instead.
As someone who loves to learn about history, I would definitely recommend this book to another person. Not only would I recommend it to one of my piers to read for a school project or even simply as an enjoyment read, but I would also recommend it to any adult that I know because it truly was a book for almost all ages and a highly enjoyable one at that!
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