I'm glad we voted for The Paris Wife, because I really liked the book. Many of you know that I'm a former English teacher, and I think the time between the two World Wars is one of the most interesting literary periods. I don't care for Hemingway's writing, so I don't know too much about him. I'm assuming this book is well researched, and, if so, then I learned a lot about both the time period and Hemingway himself.
I've never understood why so many of the great American authors of that time became ex-patriots, often living in Paris. World War I was horrendous, and it left its mark on every man who fought. I'm not sure why these Americans would go to Paris, when France was the site of much of the worst fighting. Hemingway (at least as he's portrayed in this novel) never shook off the horrors he experienced. He was such a macho guy, and it must have been humiliating for him to be haunted by those nightmares. It seemed like he was running from his memories, trying to experience one over-the-top adventure after another, to erase what he had experienced. I suppose this turned him into a better writer, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted him for a friend.
I didn't find Hadley to be a very sympathetic character, etiher. She put up with a lot from her husband, but she also drove me a little crazy. When he needed to travel because of his work, she was so clingy. She was definitely set up to be a contrast with the "modern woman" who was emerging at the time. There's nothing wrong with relishing the role of wife and mother, but it caused her to lose her identity and independence, at least for a while. I did sympathize with her toward the end of their marriage. The social code of their friends made her feel that she was somehow an old-fashioned prude if she didn't turn a blind eye to Ernest's infidelities.
Despite not finding either of the main characters especially likeable, I enjoyed the interplay between them. Their relationship was complex, and it definitely reflected the time period. They lived a wild life, overindulging in everything...food, alcohol, sex... As a reader, I watched them spiral more and more out of control. I honestly don't think the end of their marriage was so much from his other relationship as it was from the effects of their social circle. The need to constantly out-do each other in terms of drinking, adventures, and even putting up with bad behavior created intolerable pressure. It's hard to see how any marriage could withstand that.
Finally, I enjoyed the insight into the creative process of an author. Obviously, there are many ways to approach writing; Hemingway's work schedule and determination were admirable. I enjoyed tracking his progress as a writer and his struggles to get his work published. He wasn't a pleasant man, but he took his writing seriously and had incredibly high expectations for himself.
With that, I'll throw the discussion out to the rest of you, with just a couple of minor questions:
What was your reaction when Hadley lost all of Hemingway's manuscripts on the train? I literally groaned out loud.
Was anyone else annoyed with the nicknames? I found it maddening, especially Hadley and Ernest calling each other Tatie. Tatie???
When I would sit down to read this book I would find myself thinking that I really didn't want to spend time with these people. But I enjoyed the author's writing and I enjoyed learning about this time period. I am very unfamiliar with the time period between the two World Wars.
ReplyDeleteI have not read Hemingway but believe I would feel much like his father did when he read his first printed story. Vulgar and no thank you.
OMG when Hadley lost his manuscripts. How could she not have backed them up on a disc? Oh yeah, wrong time period. I don't know how a person would ever get over that. Kris and I were discussing that over dinner last weekend and her husband Bill commented, he wants to know who took them and where they are right now!
The nicknames were annoying. But can we talk about their intake of alcohol? And how in the world does anyone have the stamina to socialize that much? Then there was the love triangle. When Pauline crawled in bed with Hem and Hadley, good grief. I had to google Bumby to see how that poor child turned out. Isn't it amazing that all of Hemingway's siblings committed suicide as well?
Is anyone up for toast points and sherry on Saturday morning?
I really liked this book. I have visited Hemingway's house a couple times and learned the basics about his family. I knew about the wives and his depression and all the suicides in his family, and I was really interested in learning more. I had seen the movie about his time in the war and felt like this book picked up right where the movie ended. Perhaps because his life has seemed to me to be so dramatic and he seems almost heroic in the way that bars and drinks etc are named after him, I have become more curious about him now qqqthan I was when I read his stories in school.
ReplyDeleteI liked this writer's style. I am not an English teacher so I do not have the language to explain what I liked so much, but I remember one place in the book where she described the way their shadows crowded the room as an allusion to the heaviness of their moods or something like that. I like authors who convey ideas with descriptive language, rather than spelling them out in the most basic way possible. I felt like this author was more of a writer and not as much of an ordinary storyteller.
I felt exactly like Jennie.....I would never want to spend time with them. I would get up early, pick up the book, begin reading and feel sick and hungover because of their continuous drinking. I kept wondering why they spent as much money as they did on going out and drinking when it seemed to bring them so little pleasure. Hadley never had any nice clothes to wear and she mentioned several times that she felt embarrassed about what she did have to wear. Why didn't she skip a few nights of drinking?
The manuscripts......that was bad. I was actually impressed with the way he handled that incident. I bet whoever found out that he/she had them thought they were just a bunch of papers, didn't know how to return them, and disposed of them somehow.
I was annoyed by the nicknames. I found them tiresome, embarrassing, and confusing since there were so many of them and they kept changing. I wondered why they had the same nickname for each other. Does Tatie mean something like Honey or Sweetie Pie in French?
I like this kind of book. I liked Clara and Mr. Tiffany and Loving Frank, two other books were about well known people who left something for us to appreciate. Both of those stories were also constructed through the use of letters and diaries.
Despite the fact that the author has the same last name as me (though I don’t believe she has ever been at our Thanksgiving table), I wasn’t enthusiastic about reading this book. I have tried Hemingway in the past, and he just hasn’t grabbed me. My impression (probably false) is that he writes for men. Though his father called his writing vulgar, I wouldn’t describe it that way (what little I’ve read). He isn’t vulgar in the way that some contemporary authors are; his topics are just difficult and depressing.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all this, I was surprised to find that I liked this book a great deal. I didn’t share other’s feelings that they didn’t want to spend time with the characters. On the contrary, while I could never like any of the people with whom the Hemingways spent time in Paris, I found the stories about them compelling. Now, in the Annie-Funeral-Book, I had no interest in spending any time with those characters.
I am really drawn to historical novels. You never actually know how accurate they are, but my impression is that McLain was fairly reliable in her depiction of these characters. One of the things I like most about historical novels is that they teach me something about history – and literature, apparently. I had my smart phone next to me while I read, and when a character peaked my interest, I googled him or her. Ezra Pound, for instance. I didn’t know anything about him. I learned from Wikipedia that he was a fairly despicable fellow! McLain portrayed him fairly accurately. I particularly loathed him when he remarked (about the time he spent in Indiana) that all they have is high moral ground and cornhusks between their ears. Really!
Clearly, both Ernest and Hadley were screwed up people. That’s probably why they were drawn to one another. He needed to be adored, and she needed to adore. Like Beckie, it was disheartening to find her so clingy and unable to cope when he was gone. But that clinginess was probably a result of having been catered to as a child because of her illness.
It was interesting to me that she felt as though he liked her critiques of his writing, but it seemed to me that he only liked her comments if they were favorable. It was when she expressed her dislike of the mean-spirited book about his friend that he began reaching out to Pauline, who claimed to like the book.
The mean-spiritedness displayed in his writing disturbed me. Leaving Hadley totally out of his book, for example, was just plain mean.
While I was surprised and pleased to see that he didn’t totally blow up when she lost his manuscripts, I don’t think he actually ever forgave her. It’s hard to imagine what you would feel like when you have spent so much time and energy in writing, and then have it gone in a heartbeat. I can’t imagine that she left that suitcase unattended.
Being a romantic, I want to think that he never loved anyone else like he loved Hadley. He went on to have three more wives, and killed himself in the end. I was happy to see that Hadley found happiness with Paul.
By the way, as for the nicknames, I found them totally annoying and, in fact, it made it hard sometimes to know who was speaking to whom. Ach!
I’m glad we chose this book.
When you take the tour of the Hemingway house the guides do say that Hadley was the love of his life.
ReplyDeleteI was also glad that she found happiness with Paul. I didn't dislike her at all. I did dislike her lifestyle.....or at least the lifestyle I envisioned.
I wasn't that enthused about Hemingway because For Whom the Bell Tolls was required High School reading for me. I didn't care for the book -- perhaps I wasn't mature enough to read it. I really liked this book. It's my favorite so far from the list we have read. I loved the author's writing style. Her style helped me feel what Hadley felt, and I like that connection when I read. I wonder if she'll write about the other three wives?
ReplyDeleteI was interested in what $2,000 per year would mean in today's dollars; it's about $26,000. And since the exchange rate was favorable, at least the first year, it makes sense that they could make it on that amount. But when Hadley inherited the $8,000, that was quite a windfall. I'm glad Hadley ended up with the royalties from The Sun Also Rises.
I liked the way the author wove in Hemingway's real writing as chapters of the story, and I think I would have liked to read his newspaper accounts had I lived in that time.
In my view, leaving Hadley out of the book was metaphorical for Hemingway being done with her as his wife. I found the whole Pauline/Hemingway/Hadley arrangement just plain gross, and I'm glad Hadley left. It's also funny to me that Pauline wanted to get married in a Catholic ceremony after having that affair. I suppose she refrained from eating meat on Fridays and went to confession....
I can't believe Hadley didn't chain the valise to her wrist. My thought is that some theif was really ticked when he got the stories and threw them away. But maybe they'll turn up in somebody's attic someday.
The nicknames were annoying, and they must have come from drinking eposides; in college, I was called "Marble" in my Freshman year after a night at The Purple Pub.
I want a Marie around! She was always taking care of Bumby. At least he had someone to take care of him.
Earlier this month, Kris shared with me that she was reading this as an e-book. Are you glad you read it as an e-book? I was thinking about you when I read it. I'm glad I had a three dimensional experience with this book. I liked the font, the texture of the pages, and the edging on the pages.
I've been out of town, so while I could read everyone's comments, this is my first chance to join back in. I'm glad everyone else enjoyed the book as much as I did, and for the same reasons.
ReplyDeleteI agree that while Ernest was pretty easy on Hadley about losing his manuscripts, he probably never really got over that. I also agree about McLain's writing. I found myself highlighting a number of passages, especially toward the end of the book. And I liked the way she handled Hemingway. She didn't idealize him, but she didn't demonize him either.
Finally, I, too, am glad Hadley ended up having a better second marriage. Despite the fact that Ernest didn't include her in that book, she had a big impact on him and his art. She certainly deserved some happiness after what she went through with him.