The place to be for young artists in the 1920’s was Paris. You couldn’t really be an artist unless you experienced this movement, this coming together of writers, poets, painters, and intellectuals. They were drawn like magnets to iron – to learn from each other, to socialize, and become part of the scene, leaving behind their staid mores and embracing a new, decadent life style.

Enter Hadley Richardson and Ernest Hemingway, recently married and living on a shoe string, lured to Paris like so many other artists at this cultural crossroad. Hemingway was enthralled immediately, Hadley was a little homesick. “Youth, in 1921, was everything, but that was just the thing that could worry me sick. I was 29 feeling almost obsolete, but Ernest was 21 and white hot with life. What was I thinking?”

Hemingway got the lay of the land and use his introduction papers from a friend back home to meet the movers and shakers in Paris. The buzz of artists cajoled, encouraged, compelled and inspired one another.

Gertrude Stein read Hemingway’s poems and the beginning of his novel set in Michigan. “The poems are very good, she said. Simple and quite clear. You’re not posing at anything. The novel is not the kind of thing that interests me. Three sentences about the color of the sky. The sky is the sky and that’s all. Strong declarative sentences, that’s what you do best. Stick to that.” Hemingway realized that Stein hit on something that he was working on – directness – stripping language all the way down. Of course, he followed his instinct and Stein’s advice and the rest is history.

But what of Hadley in this hub of creativity, this brilliant, frenzied tornado all around her. She worked at making a good home for Hemingway. She was a gentle, calming oasis that helped to anchor him as he tried to become a published writer. She provided him with a stable and nurturing environment where he was king.

There’s a point in time when Hemingway lost his trust in Hadley. It was brief, but it was a slight turning point in the relationship. Hadley truly loved him without reservation, and was willing to work it out. Hemingway had other ideas.

We thoroughly enjoyed this book. At our book club meeting, we got revved-up talking about when Hadley, her friend and Hemingway went away together. We disagreed on whether Hadley should have stayed as long as she did in her marriage, and also on how hard she worked at trying to keep the marriage together. We also talked about the social changes in the 1920’s and how Paris was the center for that change.

In the end though we all believed Hadley just truly loved Hemingway. She understood him and accepted his leaving without bitterness and without remorse. She moved on and married another man and had a wonderful life with him.

Wonderful story and wonderful for book clubs. A must!

Rating: 9