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beckca03's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. Really enjoyed this type of historical fiction. Such a unique book - can't wait to research more about Hadley & Ernest.
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not any great fan of Ernest Hemingway, which might be part of the reason I wasn't crazy about this book. McLain obviously knows how to write, but here she seems to be mimicking Hemingway's pared down style, making her narrator, Hadley, read as passive and, frankly, impotent. Hadley narrates what should be intensely emotional anecdotes--her father's suicide, the birth and life of her child, her husband's betrayals, and the breakup of her marriage--with dispassionate summary. It put up a wall between me and the character and, as a result, I skimmed through like I was reading newspaper headlines. I also got a bit tired of reading one paragraph describing how poor she and Hemingway were and how much they had to scrimp and sacrifice, and then a following paragraph describing her nanny and the extended vacations they took all over Europe. Yep. Poor people have nannies.
There were some interesting bits, like hearing about the characters who inhabited France and the Hemingways' lives, and how Hemingway incorporated his friends into his fiction. But so much of it felt like pure conjecture (I'm thinking specifically of the italicized passages [huge passages of italics, ugh] of third-person p.o.v. from Papa Hem himself about encounters with vixens trying to seduce him away from his poor homely wife, and his early suicidal fascinations). I guess I'm not a fan of historical fiction for a reason--I'd much rather just read a solid history or biography instead of something with such pretense.
There were some interesting bits, like hearing about the characters who inhabited France and the Hemingways' lives, and how Hemingway incorporated his friends into his fiction. But so much of it felt like pure conjecture (I'm thinking specifically of the italicized passages [huge passages of italics, ugh] of third-person p.o.v. from Papa Hem himself about encounters with vixens trying to seduce him away from his poor homely wife, and his early suicidal fascinations). I guess I'm not a fan of historical fiction for a reason--I'd much rather just read a solid history or biography instead of something with such pretense.
jsujata's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kristinhzta90's review against another edition
4.0
All of my friends told me that I would wind up detesting all of the characters. Interestingly, I did not feel that way about either Hadley or Ernest. Pauline on the other hand, was the most despicable woman. Pretending to be Hadley's friend and deceiving her in such a thorough manner. I wonder how she lived with herself and her actions, but in the end Karma always wins and she got hers in the end.
With his writing A Moveable Feast at the end of his life, his reflections upon that time made him realize what he had truly lost. Even after all that time, and through everything she still loved him. Does this make her weak or strong? In my opinion this makes her human. When you truly love someone and it ends a piece of them will always remain in your heart.
With his writing A Moveable Feast at the end of his life, his reflections upon that time made him realize what he had truly lost. Even after all that time, and through everything she still loved him. Does this make her weak or strong? In my opinion this makes her human. When you truly love someone and it ends a piece of them will always remain in your heart.
mbpartlow's review against another edition
3.0
I read this for book group. It's very hard to rate, for me.
The writing is lyrical and beautiful. That's what saves the book for readers who aren't huge fans of Hemingway.
In a way, it's like beautifully written People magazine prose. (Someone else came up with that idea first.)The real, inside story of what life with Ernest was like while he was making his name as a writer.
But it's extremely difficult to create suspense in a story that the world already knows the ending to. We already know they aren't going to stay married. We already know he committed suicide.
I think I'm tired of reading fictionalized accounts of the wives and daughters of famous men. I'd rather read about an unknown woman who made her own life than a semi-famous woman who only lived through some man.
The writing is lyrical and beautiful. That's what saves the book for readers who aren't huge fans of Hemingway.
In a way, it's like beautifully written People magazine prose. (Someone else came up with that idea first.)The real, inside story of what life with Ernest was like while he was making his name as a writer.
But it's extremely difficult to create suspense in a story that the world already knows the ending to. We already know they aren't going to stay married. We already know he committed suicide.
I think I'm tired of reading fictionalized accounts of the wives and daughters of famous men. I'd rather read about an unknown woman who made her own life than a semi-famous woman who only lived through some man.
jwilding's review against another edition
4.0
This book is like Cheetos. Read the whole thing today. Unimpressed in the beginning, but Hadley turned out to have a pleasant, strong voice. Partway through the book, I got over the fact that this was historical fiction about a Big Fancy Author. If I gave this book a subtitle, it would probably be something like A Guide To Appreciating The Relationships You've Had With Bohemian Artist Assholes Who Probably Legitimately Did Love You After Which You'll Smartly Move On With Your Life And Marry Someone Secure.
I just about threw the book across the room with disgust when Pauline shows up for the afternoon nap. Titillating and indulgent story, but well-said. A treat of a book, like I said, with a fantastically-written asshole genius of a young Ernest Hemingway.
I just about threw the book across the room with disgust when Pauline shows up for the afternoon nap. Titillating and indulgent story, but well-said. A treat of a book, like I said, with a fantastically-written asshole genius of a young Ernest Hemingway.
upchurchka's review against another edition
2.5
Story about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson and their marriage and life together in Paris and having their first son and him cheating on her with her knowledge ending in divorce.
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
3.0
Ultimately rather thin. The main character never felt real to me- she was very much like a bystander in her own life. The pacing was quite sluggish as well. Endless trips here and there and each time I thought this was going to advance the action, or give a bit more insight into the inner life of Hadley or Ernest but it never managed. I can get behind a slow burner even when there is t any demonstrable growth of the characters, sometimes that’s the point, but this didn’t feel like something the book was aiming for. Engrossing enough to read, but also a sense of ‘finally!’ once I had finished.