The Paris Wife: Review by Shannon

The book had me from the Prologue where she says, "This isn't a detective story - not hardly. I don't want to say, Keep watch for the girl who will come along and ruin everything, but she's coming anyway, set on her course in a gorgeous chipmunk coat and fine shoes, her sleek brown hair bobbed so close to her well-made head she'll seem like a pretty otter in my kitchen." At first I thought, how interesting can this book be if we already know the ending - but then I thought, what a great way to deal with the inevitable fact that many people reading the book would already know the end of the story. As I type the sentence now, I realize that the sentence is another example of the beautiful prose throughout the book that compelled me to circle words and underlined sentences.

My only frustration in reading this book was with Hadley and the choices that she made, but alas, that part was true.

This is not a book that I would have picked up on my own, given the subject of Ernest Hemingway and my opinion that he was a misogynistic  jerk. But really, the book is about his wife and gives voice to the "greater woman" behind the great man. I am so glad that I read it. Like others, it did spark my interest in Hadley Richardson and I looked for a biography of her, which I plan to read. I may just pick up a Hemingway book as well!

~ Shannon