Cassie Bustamante

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Book Report: The Paris Wife

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It’s been a little while since I have shared a book report.  I’ve only read a couple books in the past month.  I ended up swamped with work and reading fell to the wayside, but I am happy to be back in the saddle again.  I just finished The Paris Wife by Paula McLain and wanted to share my thoughts with you.
So, where to begin?   I truly want to tell you that I loved this book from beginning to end but that would be a lie.  It’s just over 300 pages, and I didn’t get into it until I was 200 pages in.  Another reason I haven’t shared a report is that this one took me forever to get through.  Finally, I ordered a book I was dying to read because I knew if it was waiting for me I would be motivated to finish; and it worked.  What also worked was that I posted on facebook and asked my friends if anyone had read it and if I should stick with it.  A resounding number of people told me to keep going and that they recalled it starting slow for them, too.  So I trudged onward!

When I selected this book, I had no idea what it was even about, but my mom had passed it onto me and I had heard good things.  I picked it up off the shelf without a second thought and just started reading.  As I read on it became clear that it was a fictional account of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley’s factual and eventful life while married to him, told from her perspective.  Although I was an English major and love many American authors, Hemingway was never one that I read, so I had to wikipedia him to find out more about his life. 😉

McLain writes beautifully, but it wasn’t enough to draw me into the character of Hadley.  I was often times frustrated by her, and upset by the amount of alcohol consumed in this book… no wonder so many poor decisions were made.  Finally around page 200, the book takes a turn and the Hemingways’ marriage starts to crumble.  Through the wreckage we finally see how strong Hadley actually is and what she is really made of.  At that point, I started to rally for her and wish her the best, and I wanted to see the book through to the end so I could see what became of her.

So where does all of this leave me with this book?  Well, I am not sure I can recommend it, but perhaps if you are interested in Hemingway’s life, you’d find it interesting.  And if you absolutely loved it beginning to end, I want to hear and I want to know what I was missing!  Do tell!

And now, let me introduce you to the book that motivated me to finish The Paris Wife.  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes arrived just this past week and I am already enjoying it and reading every chance I have again!

I will be sure to let you know my thoughts on it in my next book report. 🙂 Have you read anything great lately?  Spill!

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    • Cassie says

      i can’t either and i can’t wait for the movie! i saw the trailer over spring break and that was all i needed to show me i needed to read the book and i wanted to read before the movie!

      Reply

  2. [email protected] says

    Wow I am a reader who would just chuck a book if I don’t get into it by page 200. Amazing that you made it through anyways. I’ve dumped books so many times where people told me it was amazing and I just didn’t like them.

    Reply

    • Cassie says

      all these other people had read it and loved it and so i wanted to stick with it after that… peer pressure! 😉

      Reply

  3. Arielle says

    I made the most of hours of delay at the airport on Sunday and started A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson. I would have happily sat in the airport even longer just to give myself more reading time!

    Reply

    • Cassie says

      oh i read the forgotten garden by her and loved it and have been meaning to pick up something else by her! thanks!

      Reply

  4. Andrea R. says

    I feel your pain about the Paris Wife. I’ve read it, but it’s not anything that sticks out in my mind as a really good book. I think I finished it for the sake of finishing it. i will have to look into Me Before You. I’ve seen several people on Facebook recommend that book.

    I have just started reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It’s a book I have a hard time putting down on my off days from work. It’s coming out at the movies in September. Tim burton is directing and I can’t wait to see it!!!

    Reply

  5. Linda @ It All Started With Paint says

    Thanks for your frank opinion! I think I’ll skip the Paris Wife, thank you very much!! Loved Me Before You! Enjoy!

    I’d love to recommend two books to you that were actually written by my former co-workers and that I loved. They’re not topping the NY Times bestseller lists but I think they should! The first is ‘Both Sides Now’ by Nancy Sharp. It’s a memoir that reads like a page turner. I had picked it for a summer vacation read and ended up racing through it before even stepping foot on the plane! The other is from Jim Kokoris (my former boss!) called “It’s. Nice. Outside.” It’s fiction but draws on his real-life experience with a special needs child.

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  6. SoCalLynn says

    I read The Paris Wife as part of my fascination with the creatives who left the US and England to live in Paris in the early-mid 20th century. I had just read Hemingway’s Moveable Feast, which is his memoir of that time, and I wanted to get Hadley’s side of the story, which is what The Paris Wife is about. I burned out on that whole scene,, summing it up as rich, interesting people behaving badly and being ungrateful for their abundant talents and blessings. 😉

    Reply

  7. Rachel says

    I also read PAris Life and loved it. I became obsessed with reading about her and about Earnest later in life. Right before he died, he called her to get her permission to write a book about their marriage. He never got over her. I thought it was such a tragic love story. I left me feeling sad about the choices he made. His family legacy hasn’t been much happier. I really enjoyed it, but I tend to be obsessed with real life stories; more so, than fiction usually.

    Reply

    • Cassie says

      yes, it totally was, but i had a hard time with the fact that he wanted to live with hadley and pauline at the same time!

      Reply

  8. Cindy in Oklahoma says

    I read Me Before You last year and I still think about it….. I really loved it and hope you will, too. I also read The Paris Wife. On a scale of 1 to 10 I’d give it a 6 or maybe even a 7. Good, but not haunting your thoughts or dreams great. I’m glad I read it, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I hadn’t….

    For some reason I decided to pick up A Prayer for Owen Meany at a book sale recently… and I can’t put it down. I don’t remember what page it happens but there is an incident early on that made a light bulb flip on in my head. This book was made into a movie – years ago – Simon Birch. It’s been so long ago since I saw the movie I’m really enjoying it even though I’m kind of dreading the ending for two reasons… One, if it truly is the inspiration for the movie, I’m going to wail inconsolably… and two, it’s so well written, I do not want this book to end…. If you’re interested I’m sure you could pick it up somewhere for quite a bargain price, as it was written in 1989.

    Reply

  9. Dolores says

    Hi Cassie,

    I read your blog every day, and love it, but have never commented. I just finished reading, The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, and highly recommend it. I was so sad when it was over, and I think that’s a true sign of a good book!

    Reply

  10. Laura says

    I read The Paris Wife several years ago. Their lifestyle was completely unidentifiable for me, but I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t a gripping page turner, but I found it quite interesting. The lives of F. Scott and Hemingway are fascinating. If you didn’t enjoy that one, stay away from the similar one about Frank Lloyd Wright-Loving Frank. You will not love Frank 🙂

    Reply

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