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The Paris Wife [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Paula McLain
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Hardcover, Deckle Edge CDN $18.77  
Hardcover, Large Print, April 1 2011 --  
Paperback, Deckle Edge CDN $15.88  
Audio, CD, Audiobook, Unabridged CDN $28.22  

Book Description

April 1 2011 Center Point Platinum Romance (Large Print)
“A beautiful portrait of being in Paris in the glittering 1920s—as a wife and as one’s own woman.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures the love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
 
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
 
Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking, fast-living, and free-loving life of Jazz Age Paris. As Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history and pours himself into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises, Hadley strives to hold on to her sense of self as her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Eventually they find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.
 
A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.
 
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
WINNER—BEST HISTORICAL FICTION—GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS
 
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PeopleChicago Tribune • NPR • The Philadelphia Inquirer • Kirkus Reviews • The Toronto Sun • BookPage
 
Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Review

“A beautiful portrait of being in Paris in the glittering 1920s—as a wife and as one’s own woman.”—Entertainment Weekly

“[Paula] McLain has brought Hadley [Hemingway] to life in a novel that begins in a rush of early love. . . . A moving portrait of a woman slighted by history, a woman whose . . . story needed to be told.”—The Boston Globe

The Paris Wife creates the kind of out-of-body reading experience that dedicated book lovers yearn for, nearly as good as reading Hemingway for the first time—and it doesn’t get much better than that.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
“Exquisitely evocative . . . This absorbing, illuminating book gives us an intimate view of a sympathetic and perceptive woman, the striving writer she married, the glittering and wounding Paris circle they were part of. . . . McLain reinvents the story of Hadley and Ernest’s romance with the lucid grace of a practiced poet.”—The Seattle Times
 
“A novel that’s impossible to resist. It’s all here, and it all feels real.”—People

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Paula McLain received her M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Michigan and has been awarded fellowships from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the author of two collections of poetry; a memoir, Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s Houses; and a first novel, A Ticket to Ride. She lives in Cleveland with her family. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Remember Paris?! Nov 14 2011
Format:Hardcover
(...)Hemingway remains one of my favourite writers. I am not sure if Paula banked on Hemingway's work being cherished by millions when she selected the topic, I strongly suspect she did. And I dare say she was not disappointed, the book is a success.
I devoured it. Some of the critics I respect did not give the book too much credit because it hangs on so tightly to the reality of Hemingway's existence and depicts Hadley, his first wife, 'the Paris wife', as a weak melodramatic of sorts, who you sympathise with but also want to slap out of her misery. Finally, after five years of being in his shadow, following him around like a well trained puppy, she has the opportunity to do something for herself: the piano concert; she has everything prepared and a booked full house but she does not find the strength to go on with it because it coincides with the moment when Hem is leaving her. I expected Hadley to react differently up until one point when I realised she will not, that she will patiently let herself driven all the way through as long as Earnest would stand it. Then I tolerantly followed along and enjoyed the story and the times, the wonderful animated twenties. (...)
For the entire review go to allwords.ca
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been exciting... April 7 2011
Format:Hardcover
The Paris Wife is a well-researched fictional account of Ernest Hemingway's early years from the point of view of Hadley Richardson, his first wife (of four).

Before I delve into the review, a bit about me - I prefer reading non-fiction over fiction. Upon reflection, I think it is because prose can make or break a book for me and in my experience, more often than not, it breaks. Novels can be particularly prone to hollow voices, unconvincing dialogue and painful efforts to move a story along.

I think I could really have enjoyed The Paris Wife, but for the prose. It contained so much material that could be exciting subject matter for a novel: Paris in the 1920s, eccentric artists, bohemian values, travel, great love affairs, cameos by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and, of course, the giant personality that was Ernest Hemingway himself! I was so looking forward to reading about all of the above.

McLain is a good writer, so I managed to get through the novel, but despite the great many interesting events in Richardson and Hemingway's life, the characters and their circumstances never managed to come alive for me. Hadley's narrative, and even Ernest's voice, came across flat and boring. But, I do think many people will love this book - the reviews on Amazon are overwhelmingly positive. Maybe it is because I am not a big fiction reader that it didn't do much for me.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Heart-felt and accurate...but not moving. Dec 6 2011
By Schmadrian TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
I didn't know much about Ernest Hemingway when I began this novel. No more than the average person. I knew that he was a literary icon, I knew that he was a 'man's man' and I knew that he committed suicide. I'd read of his whatever had been obligatory in high school, but no more. So to a great extent, I was a blank slate.

I enjoyed the novel. It's written well. And -I think, anyway- it captures the quite-different speech patterns of the era. It has an authentic feel to it.

And I did learn about Hemingway.

I learned about his writing proclivities. I learned about how and why he became the man (and the writer) he did. And I learned about how much of a cad he was, how much of an unevolved man he was, how brutally flawed, how out-in-left-field arrogant he was.

But no surprises, there.

Would I have missed something in not having read it? Nope. I don't think my life is any richer for having spent the time reading it. And yet I gave it four stars. I guess that just goes to show how good Ms McLain is at her craft.
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Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for book club discussion
I likely would never have read this book had it not been a selection for our book club. I'm so glad I did read it, however. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Diane M. Schuller
3.0 out of 5 stars OK
I learned about Ernest Hemmingway, and ideas of what his wife's life could have been like.
Gave my an idea of the times living in Paris.
Published 14 days ago by Mrm
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
I found this book hard to follow at first, but appreciated the association they had with the other well known personalities living in Paris during this time - it gave an insight... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Loretta Shannon
5.0 out of 5 stars The Paris Wife
Great . She paints a clear picture of life in that great city and the interactoins between the famous people who were there in the 20's
Published 3 months ago by john white
4.0 out of 5 stars Behind the scenes of a famous marriage
Really enjoyable look behind the scenes of a marriage from a previously unknown point of view. In this book, we get to hear what a jerk Hemingway was to his wife, from his wife. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mark Young
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, excellent writing
As a writer, I sometimes enjoy the way a book is written even more than the story. I remember reading Hemingway long ago and wondering if I would ever be able to write a novel. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Tara Benwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written TRUE love story
As it happens I learned a great deal about Hemingway albeit from the perspective of another person - his first wife Hadley who clearly loved him totally & completely & he her. Read more
Published 12 months ago by little lady blue
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating account
I am so happy that I read this novel after watching Midnight in Paris because the film provided a level of background information that enhanced my ability to visualize the story,... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Blood, Sweat, & Carbs
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Highly recommended for anyone interested in Hemingway, or historical fiction. Provides a great account of 1920s Paris. This book made me fall in love with Paris and the 1920s!
Published 19 months ago by Amanda
1.0 out of 5 stars Awful
The only good thing about this book was the author's rich historical detail to the hemmingway's early life and the times they lived. Read more
Published 21 months ago by catterwally
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