the paris wife.

i wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this one. i'd been somewhat aware of ernest hemingway's tumultuous love life before i picked up the book. i didn't really know much about the man, though, except that he had big spaces in his heart for spain and fishing. it was so, so interesting to see a part of this writer through the eyes of his first wife, hadley. albeit they were fictional eyes, the story was still told as accurate as possible. and what a story! i cried in the end, which isn't saying a lot because i cry at the end of nearly every book. it's weird, i know. but this one was worth a tear or two. anyway, i cannot get over how much i adored hadley's character. she was perfectly self-deprecating. she never felt as if she had a passion, except for ernest and her son, as ernest did for his work. i thought this part of her was so relatable. i mean, i don't have children, but sometimes it kills me that i don't have something that absolutely thrills me. she was sensible and plain, but loved her husband very much. from their courtship to their life in paris, it was all so captivating. of course, the love story turned sour and that's when the book became a little difficult to read. it was wildly uncomfortable to read about someone's heartbreak and marriage crumbling in such an absurd way. it was also a little heartbreaking to watch as hemingway slowly began to change from this charming young man into someone completely different. nonetheless, i still love the man. and i loved this book. i'm tempted to go back and read the beginning of the book and put it down before things have a chance to go bad because their love affair was so fascinating. i've been staying up late looking at old pictures of them and reading about their life together. i want to read everything i can by and about hemingway now. oh, and i want move to paris. the latter might not be so easy...;)