My most recent read:
I borrowed the book from a co-worker. Once I heard what it was about I knew I wanted to read it.
The book is a fictional take on the relationship of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson. I took a Hemingway course at Wellesley and learned a lot about his work and a bit about his life. I am fascinated with his stint in Paris--there were so many amazing artists there during the early 1900's--so, of course anything about that time period and place excites me.
My overall reaction: I loved the book. I found it easy to follow and quick to read. The storyline is fascinating, partly because it is based on real people, places and events, but also because the author, Paula McLain, creates interesting characters. In fact, there are an assortment of characters, all fairly believable, and I enjoyed their interactions.
I loved imagining the places that Hemingway was when writing so many of the works I studied and have come to love. McLain includes the Hemingways' trip to Pamplona, Spain to see the running of the bulls, etc. The bull-fighting was integral in Hemingway's story,
The Sun Also Rises, and Paris was where his career really got started.
Like most people, Ernest Hemingway was a complex person. I felt that this author, Paula McLain, did an excellent job delving into the many layers of such an intriguing individual. The best part is that you learn about Hadley while getting to know Hemingway.
What I learned: Marriage is wonderful, comforting, frustrating, exhilarating, adventurous and difficult (actually already knew that). Many people take from it what they want or need, sometimes without giving back. It is a constant lesson on forgiveness and trust.
Marriage, apparently, isn't for everyone. McLain portrays a few characters that can't seem to understand how to function in a simple relationship, not to mention a marriage; it's too confining for some. My favorite quote from the book speaks to this on a certain level. McLain, through the voice of Hadley, writes:
Ernest once told me that the word paradise was a Persian word that meant "walled garden." I knew then that he understood how necessary the promises we made to each other were to our happiness. You couldn't have real freedom unless you knew where the walls were and tended them. We could lean on the walls because they existed; they existed because we leaned on them." (298)
Relationships, like most good things in life, require boundaries. Man, I have learned in my own life that boundaries are necessary, but not necessarily bad. Hemingway, in this author's portrayal, did not understand the importance of such a principle. We can always use another reminder; perhaps this book about Ernest and Hadley is just that--a reminder.
Overall, I think I learned not to take my own marriage for granted. I'm ever so thankful for my own husband; I'm pretty sure he's no Hemingway in all the right ways. He truly is the half that makes me whole. We may not be in Paris, or even Spain or Austria, but we're having our own type of adventure. It's been a lovely trip so far, this marriage, and I want it to be that way forever. I think I'll go tend to my walls now.
