Published by Random House 2011
“The Paris Wife” is the story of Hadley Richardson, Ernest
Hemingway’s first wife (of four), and their years together in Paris. It starts with their romance back in
Chicago and paints a scene of youths full of life and striving to make big
dreams actuality. Their decision
to move to Paris is all part of Hemingway’s desire to make it as a writer, and
Hadley’s belief in him. From the
beginning she accepts and even seems to relish her role as his supporter. She often says that Hemingway needs her
to be the stability in his life, to be the place he can go when he is not
working. For those first years, it
works for them.
Written in the first person, almost as if a diary by Hadley, the
book can be boring. Part of the
trouble may be that most fans of Hemingway tend to be males and this book is
written in the first person from woman’s point of view. As a woman, it can be hard to relate to
Hemingway’s greatness and Hadley’s willingness to support his work. As a man, it can be hard to believe in
the romance of this first marriage.
Especially when the reader knows the romance is doomed to fail. It is a bit like watching a car race
and waiting for the crash.
Much has already been written about The Lost Generation in Paris as well so there isn’t anything terribly
shocking that happens. Unlike many
current best sellers, nothing horrendous happens to the protagonists. Hadley and Ernest were poor and
struggled with awkward public facilities, social drunkenness, missed meals,
lost manuscripts, and shabby clothes but no children were abducted, neither
parent succumbed to alcoholism, and no friends died in freak accidents. There is a sense of incredulity at some
points, when Hadley and Ernest leave their son for weeks at a time for
instance, but these serve as good book club fodder if nothing else.
McLain does do a good job of entertaining without all the doom
and gloom. Paris in the 20s was
enough excitement on its own.
Hadley herself may not have been an artist in Paris but she is dead
center to all of them and able to tell their stories through her encounters
with them. Readers meet other
literary greats like Stein, Joyce, and Scott through Hadley’s experiences. They also share the excitement of
skiing the Alps and bull fighting in Spain.
Key to this novel’s success, and the reason the boredom doesn’t
win out, is that the reader doesn’t feel sorry for Hadley at the end. She dedicates her life to this man, has
a child with him, suffers through his pride, and endures humiliation because of
his lustfulness, but she still comes across as a strong and remarkable
woman. Hadley loved a man who was
great, who dreamed big dreams and lived life. In the end she walked away strong enough to live her own
life. McLain never portrays her as
a poor romantic who lived only for her husband, nor does she allow Hadley to
whine about her circumstances when things go wrong,
