The Paris Wife

By: Paula McLain

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a shy 28-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness when she meets Ernest Hemingway and is captivated by his energy, intensity and burning ambition to write. After a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for France. But glamorous Jazz Age Paris, full of artists and writers, fuelled by alcohol and gossip, is no place for family life and fidelity.

Ernest and Hadley's marriage begins to founder, and the birth of a beloved son serves only to drive them further apart. Then, at last, Ernest's ferocious literary endeavours begin to bring him recognition - not least from a woman intent on making him her own....

©2011 Paula McLain (P)2011 Random House Inc

Critic reviews

"I read it in two days, laughing and crying. What a heartbreaker . . . It has all the ingredients of a literary heart-thumper: sex, love, ambition, betrayal, impossibility and regret . . . McLain has given the voice, mind, pen and strength to a woman. Hadley is an intelligent, strong, adult woman in a deeply unsympathetic situation - glittering, but toxic and ultimately very undermining. It's a very haunting combination." (Bidisha)

Really enjoyed this book!

What made the experience of listening to The Paris Wife the most enjoyable?

I found the story fascinating, and it felt like Hadley Hemingway was telling you her story directly to you.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hadley Hemingway - her honesty and frank telling of her story of the time with Ernest.

Which character – as performed by Carrington MacDuffie – was your favorite?

Hadley Hemingway

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, just looked forward to listening to the story!

Super listening

Would you consider the audio edition of The Paris Wife to be better than the print version?

Yes may be I would because it was read brilliantly

What other book might you compare The Paris Wife to and why?

I wouldn't compare it to any book. But it was a lovely experience just to listen.

Have you listened to any of Carrington MacDuffie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't.

If you could rename The Paris Wife, what would you call it?

The Good Wife or Broken Bliss.

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed listening to the book and sympathised with the wife. Was sorry that it was a sad ending. But the wife did try her best to cope with moods and flings of Hemingway as best as she could.

Honest and beautifully written

Wonderful. Well read by narrator. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Beautifully written - detailed, crisp, vivid and filled with deep emotion. I highly recommend this book.

yearning for a love that can last a lifetime

This novel which interprets Ernest Hemingway’s marriage to Hadley Richardson, is read with a measured calm voice of Carrington MacDuffie. Her presentation allows deep emotions to flow through the words.

The Paris Wife is an almost understated description of events, mainly in Hadley’s voice with perfectly inserted third person commentaries. Two people partner through important stages in the development of their life paths and at the same time their care for each other allows them to start dealing with traumatic events of their youth.

So it is almost inevitable that the power and passion of their relationship has an end point because it really was about finding the paths to personal fulfilment rather than a whole of life journey. However, their story also evokes a yearning for the couple finding in their existence together a love that could last a lifetime. Ultimately this is about accepting the journeys within life and love that still leaves a yearning regret for things that flower and bloom and then fade and die.

I admired Hadley’s ability to be so objective about complex events – which take place in exotic and dynamic locations.

And she delights in what was good and true and fine (recurring words). There is also an appreciation of the unusual attributes of genius, of people who contribute so greatly, as he did, to the cultural interpretation of our life. Hadley lovingly and devotedly draws Hemingway into the social norms of love and parenthood and companionship – deep affection. But ultimately Hemingway is not compatible with these norms – through his family legacies and the experience of war -- and sheer genius.

This book me to reread some of Hemingway's work and of course I did a google search on what eventually happened to the various characters.

This is a very rewarding listen.