Paris Without End: The True Story Of Hemingway's First Wife (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Having read "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain recently, I became intrigued by Hadley Richardson and her life. In this biography (which Paula McLain relied on heavily as research for her fictional book), Gioia Diliberto traces the life of Hadley from her birth to her death. Although she was only married to Hemingway for five years before they separated, much of the book focuses on this relationship. It's a fascinating account not just of Hadley and Hemingway, but of an era, a place and a stellar cast of characters who provide a vivid backdrop to the main story. It's a book that can be read on many levels. It's claimed that Hadley was the inspiration for many of Hemingway's female characters and that his perception of love and romance was fundamentally shaped by their marriage, despite its brevity. It's also a look at a time when women were becoming increasingly independent and while Hadley was the woman behind the great man, the assumption that women in literature and the other arts should be relegated to the role of wife or muse was being questioned. The facts of the book have been meticulously researched and rely on many sources, including interviews with those who knew the characters personally, including their son Jack, and many letters. The author has done a brilliant job at bringing all the facts and characters to vivid life and it's as absorbing (if not more so) than the fictional account. She has managed to round out the character of Hadley far more fully than Paula McLain and the account of this woman who some say was responsible for precipitating Hemingway's fledgling career onto its eventually illustrious path, is compelling reading. Reading The Paris Wife made me want to read this--well, after reading The Paris Wife, I reread A Moveable Feast, which really made me want to read this. I know A Moveable Feast is seen as a depiction of the great love story of Ernest and Hadley Hemingway, but, I don't know, I thought there had to be more to Hadley than that. The Paris Wife fleshed her out some, but I wanted the real story.I can't compare Hemingway's first wife or marriage to his later ones; all I can say is that reading about the first wife and marriage were enjoyable. Diliberto thoroughly researched her subject and writes about it in a very engaging way. Her perspective seems objective and balanced, and she keeps the focus on Hadley.And Hadley Richardson was an interesting person; she and Hemingway came from somewhat similar backgrounds, and both were fond of drink and adventure. But she was passive and it seems had lower expectations, and she definitely had better control of her moods and behavior.So I recommend this to anyone that wants to know more about Hemingway's early Paris days. While the book's focus is Hadley, the Diliberto does use her and Hemingway as windows into each other's souls.
What do You think about Paris Without End: The True Story Of Hemingway's First Wife (2011)?
I read The Paris Wife and I'm not sure why I read this too....
—lupita
