After finishing Z (and recommending it to all of my friends), I was compelled to read as much as I possibly could about the expatriates in the social circle of Fitzgerald and Hemingway. One of the books recommended to me was the best-seller "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain, a novel told through the eyes of Hadley Hemingway, Ernest's first wife. I am so glad I read it when I did.
If you're a serial reader like myself, you can't go wrong reading this book after you've finished the story of Zelda's life with husband F. Scott Fitzgerald. As Z narrates the intricate F. Scott Fitzgerald-Ernest Hemingway bond formed in Paris through Zelda's eyes, The Paris Wife does the same through Hadley's eyes, also shedding light on how other people perceive Zelda and her eccentricities. It's the perfect recipe for obsession.
The story paints a bleak picture of a girl in her twenties, slightly depressed, uninvested in her own life. Both of Hadley's parents had passed away, her depressed father committed suicide in their family home, and her controlling, feminist mother had recently died of an illness. Hadley, who could have had her own job and home at this point in her life, was single and living temporarily with her sister and her husband in St. Louis. Then she met Ernest.
If you're a serial reader like myself, you can't go wrong reading this book after you've finished the story of Zelda's life with husband F. Scott Fitzgerald. As Z narrates the intricate F. Scott Fitzgerald-Ernest Hemingway bond formed in Paris through Zelda's eyes, The Paris Wife does the same through Hadley's eyes, also shedding light on how other people perceive Zelda and her eccentricities. It's the perfect recipe for obsession.
The story paints a bleak picture of a girl in her twenties, slightly depressed, uninvested in her own life. Both of Hadley's parents had passed away, her depressed father committed suicide in their family home, and her controlling, feminist mother had recently died of an illness. Hadley, who could have had her own job and home at this point in her life, was single and living temporarily with her sister and her husband in St. Louis. Then she met Ernest.
“How unbelievably naive we both were that night. We clung hard to each other, making vows we couldn't keep and should never have spoken aloud. That's how love is sometimes. I already loved him more than I'd ever loved anything or anyone. I knew he needed me absolutely, and I wanted him to go on needing me forever.”
It's another whirlwind romance, much like the Fitzgeralds: an unlikely match - naive, understated Hadley and exciting, ambitious (and younger) budding author Ernest that begins on a trip to Chicago and results in an abundance of heartfelt letters written back and forth. The transformation of Hadley's attitude is nothing short of captivating - the once emotionally-drained girl in her mid-to-late-twenties becomes excited, eager to receive mail from Ernest. After reading their many correspondences, I honest-to-God wanted to start writing love letters to my husband from work. Handwritten letters are such a lost romance.
The two marry quickly. They venture to Paris, living in a meager apartment as Ernest begins his writing career. They soon find friends in the same expatriate circle as Z - Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Hadley has few friends and often finds herself biding her time alone at the apartment, waiting for Ernest to come back from his writing quarters elsewhere. Hadley would do anything for the betterment of Ernest, something that Ernest reciprocates for a while, but stops dramatically toward the end of the novel.
Hadley isn't your typical 1920s Parisian housewife - instead of joining the latest fashion trends, she sticks to her modest attire. She bobs her hair but instantly regrets it. She's a stark contrast to Zelda Fitzgerald's lavish Parisian lifestyle. And Ernest loves her all the more for being that way, appreciating her sensible nature.
Allow me to digress for just a few sentences. If you read Z before you read The Paris Wife, you learned that Ernest Hemingway is not the man that Hadley thinks he is. He attempts to seduce Zelda, and Zelda sees him all over town with other women, including the tragic antagonist in the novel, Pauline. You would think that reading Z first would spoil the ending of The Paris Wife. However, it intensifies the reading so much more - you know what's really happening, and you want to yell things at your book to get Hadley to stop it. But you can't. You can only sit back and read it as it plays out.
Moving on, there's a turning point in the book, when Hadley joins Ernest on a trip, attempting to take his life's worth of writing in a valise so he can show it for possible publication, but it gets stolen on the train. His forgiveness is never complete. He tries, you can tell, but the wound it causes in their relationship never completely heals.
As you continue to read, you can see the relationship unraveling as Hadley tries harder and harder to win Ernest's affections back. It's difficult to read, as you might find yourself pulling so hard for the sake of Hadley, who has devoted the last five years of her life to Ernest's work and has repeatedly been slighted by the person she loves most. Ernest and Hadley's relationship began so pure and true, so simple and passionate. As it draws to the end, you want so badly for Hadley to win. I find it hard to believe that all readers are not heartbroken as they read the final pages.
The two marry quickly. They venture to Paris, living in a meager apartment as Ernest begins his writing career. They soon find friends in the same expatriate circle as Z - Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Hadley has few friends and often finds herself biding her time alone at the apartment, waiting for Ernest to come back from his writing quarters elsewhere. Hadley would do anything for the betterment of Ernest, something that Ernest reciprocates for a while, but stops dramatically toward the end of the novel.
Hadley isn't your typical 1920s Parisian housewife - instead of joining the latest fashion trends, she sticks to her modest attire. She bobs her hair but instantly regrets it. She's a stark contrast to Zelda Fitzgerald's lavish Parisian lifestyle. And Ernest loves her all the more for being that way, appreciating her sensible nature.
Allow me to digress for just a few sentences. If you read Z before you read The Paris Wife, you learned that Ernest Hemingway is not the man that Hadley thinks he is. He attempts to seduce Zelda, and Zelda sees him all over town with other women, including the tragic antagonist in the novel, Pauline. You would think that reading Z first would spoil the ending of The Paris Wife. However, it intensifies the reading so much more - you know what's really happening, and you want to yell things at your book to get Hadley to stop it. But you can't. You can only sit back and read it as it plays out.
Moving on, there's a turning point in the book, when Hadley joins Ernest on a trip, attempting to take his life's worth of writing in a valise so he can show it for possible publication, but it gets stolen on the train. His forgiveness is never complete. He tries, you can tell, but the wound it causes in their relationship never completely heals.
As you continue to read, you can see the relationship unraveling as Hadley tries harder and harder to win Ernest's affections back. It's difficult to read, as you might find yourself pulling so hard for the sake of Hadley, who has devoted the last five years of her life to Ernest's work and has repeatedly been slighted by the person she loves most. Ernest and Hadley's relationship began so pure and true, so simple and passionate. As it draws to the end, you want so badly for Hadley to win. I find it hard to believe that all readers are not heartbroken as they read the final pages.
''I wished I had died before I loved anyone but her ... I loved her and I loved no one else and we had a lovely magic time when we were alone.'' - Ernest Hemingway
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