The Paris Wife

This story gets so much into the mind of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife, it feels real-I had to keep reminding myself it was fiction. Set mostly in 1920s Paris during the Jazz Age, the dialogue, descriptions, and gentle, clean writing style pull you in and make you care about Hadley. Hemingway is notorious for being a womanizer; even knowing this you like him and can understand Hadley's attraction. It's bittersweet to witness their marriage and love before things begin to deteriorate-they are so well matched, yet doomed.

In summary, a very engaging read that brings to life the Hemingways, the era, and the artists who made the cafes of Paris their workshop. It also made me want to revisit Hemingway's work-he was a damaged but fascinating personality. Recommended for anyone who enjoys a good story and historical fiction. Great women's fiction.

The Paris Wife reimagines the courtship and marriage of Hadley Richardson and a young Ernest Hemingway. Newly wed, they move to Paris, where the heady swirl of the Jazz Age-Gertrude Stein's salons, bullfights in Spain, ski trips in Austria, late-night cafes, fuels Ernest's ambition and strains the marriage. Hadley, more traditional than the bohemian circle that surrounds them, struggles to balance loyalty, motherhood, and her husband's rising fame as temptation and betrayal edge closer. McLain offers an intimate portrait of love and art colliding in a city that made-and unmade-them both.

1. In many ways, Hadley's girlhood in St. Louis was a difficult and repressive experience. How do her early years prepare her to meet and fall in love with Ernest? What does life with Ernest offer that she hasn't encountered before? What are the risks?

2. Hadley and Ernest don't get much encouragement from friends and family when they decide to marry. What seems to draw the two together? What are the strengths of their initial partnership-and the challenges?

3. The Ernest Hemingway we meet in The Paris Wife-through Hadley's eyes-differs from his later public persona. What do you see as his character strengths? Can you see what Hadley saw in him?

4. The Hemingways choose Paris over Rome after advice from Sherwood Anderson. What was life like when they first arrived? How did Hadley's early feelings about Paris differ from Ernest's-and why?

5. Hadley often refers to herself as "Victorian" rather than "modern." In what ways does she feel out of step with bohemian Paris? How does that affect her relationship with Ernest and her self-esteem? When can her "old-fashioned" qualities be seen as strengths?

6. Their marriage survives for years in a scene that had little patience for monogamy. What sustains them? How does their marriage differ from those around them-Pound's, Shakespeare's, Scott and Zelda's?

7. Most of the novel is Hadley's voice, but a few passages are Ernest's. How do his sections change your understanding of the marriage and his motivations?

8. What was the role of literary spouses in 1920s Paris? How is Hadley challenged or restricted by gender? Would it have changed if she were an artist herself?

9. Ezra Pound warns Hadley not to let parenthood change Ernest. Is there truth in his concern? How are both Hadley and Ernest changed by Bumby's birth?

10. Hadley loses a valise containing Ernest's work to date. What kind of turning point is this for their marriage? Do you think Ernest ever forgives her?

11. In Toronto, Ernest attempts a nine-to-five reporter's job. Why is it so difficult for him? Why does Hadley agree to return to Paris early despite the finances? How does supporting his fiction help her, too?

12. Hadley and Ernest had similar upbringings in some ways. What parallels do you see, and how do they affect Hadley's choices as wife and mother?

13. When Ernest signs his first book contract, Hadley thinks, "He would never again be unknown. We would never again be this happy." How does fame affect their relationship?

14. The Sun Also Rises draws on their crowd's Spanish trip. Hadley isn't present in the book-why? In what ways is she still instrumental to Ernest's work and career?

15. How do time and place-Paris in the 1920s-shape the marriage? How do the war and the expatriate scene influence choices around them? Do you see Ernest changing in response? How does Hadley feel about those changes?

16. What is the nature of Hadley's relationship with Pauline Pfeiffer? Were they truly friends? How does Pauline leverage her position? Is Hadley naive for not suspecting her earlier?

17. It seems Ernest tries to make the marriage work even after Pauline arrives. What would it have cost Hadley to stay, no matter what? Could she have fought harder?

18. How is Hadley different at the end of the novel from the girl who first met Ernest? In what ways does she remain the same?

19. Late in life, Hadley called Ernest a "prince," despite everything. How can she continue to love and admire him?

20. Hemingway spent his last months writing A Moveable Feast about this marriage. Do you think he realized what he had lost?

Love stories never go out of style, and this one is both beautiful and sad. Paris in the early 1920s will spark lively conversation, as will Hemingway's caddish ways. Hadley is repeatedly hurt by those she trusts and makes real sacrifices to support Ernest and ease the strain of parenthood. Consider pairing with Hemingway's A Moveable Feast for contrast and context.