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The Paris Wife: A Novel
by Paula McLain

Published: 2012-11-27
Paperback : 331 pages
7 members reading this now
590 clubs reading this now
8 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 2 of 2 members
A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures the love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
 
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happinessâ??until ...
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Introduction

A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures the love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
 
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happinessâ??until she meets Ernest Hemingway. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile groupâ??the fabled â??Lost Generationâ?â??that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
 
Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking, fast-living, and free-loving life of Jazz Age Paris. As Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history and pours himself into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises, Hadley strives to hold on to her sense of self as her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Eventually they find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriageâ??a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything theyâ??ve fought so hard for.
 
A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.
 
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
WINNERâ??BEST HISTORICAL FICTIONâ??GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS
 
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People â?¢ Chicago Tribune â?¢ NPR â?¢ The Philadelphia Inquirer â?¢ Kirkus Reviews â?¢ The Toronto Sun â?¢ BookPage
 
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Discussion Questions

Suggested by Members

If you were Hadley's chum, what are some things you would have said or done as her close friend?
by nursecarol (see profile) 08/11/13

What was the 'Lost Generation'?
by marthalawlor (see profile) 03/22/13

Researching the true-life, historical facts related to the book made for interesting discussion.
by lyss26 (see profile) 02/22/13

The role of the "muse"
Changes, or not, in women's role in marriage
by floydsbo (see profile) 11/14/12

Why was Hadley the perfect writers wife?
by kglyons (see profile) 06/12/12

Do you feel that you are in the momment as you read this book?
by lyndah (see profile) 02/28/12

http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/8093-paris-wife-mclain?start=3
by Bak8382 (see profile) 09/27/11

A print out of the Hemingway Family Tree would be a great visual aid since he does go on to more wives and children.
Did you find Hadley to be strong or weak?
Is Ernest someone you may have loved in your twenties?
by Patimo (see profile) 04/15/11

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

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Book Club Recommendations

Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
by Donna C. (see profile) 05/11/23

 
by Kate D. (see profile) 05/01/23

 
  "The first wife of Hemingway"by Pamela K. (see profile) 03/06/23

A beautifully written story of Hemingway's first wife and all that she endured to keep them together. Their marriage only lasted 5 years with Hemingway being the most deeply tortured troubled complicated... (read more)

 
by Mindy K. (see profile) 06/15/22

 
by Nelly S. (see profile) 03/14/21

 
by Claire N. (see profile) 12/02/20

 
by Elisa J. (see profile) 07/04/20

 
by Karen L. (see profile) 03/15/20

 
by Tonya C. (see profile) 01/23/20

 
by Tracy H. (see profile) 01/08/20

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