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A Moveable Feast • The Paris Wife • On the Bookshelf
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I would say that I didn’t have a favorite genre of books up until today. In the last several years, I’ve spent most of my time reading political or history books. Even when I had time off from my coursework, I was mostly just reading books that helped me understand my career and specialty a bit more. I read classics though mostly because I know what is considered good versus boring and there were a lot of books I didn’t get to read growing up just because there were more bans and restrictions put in place. Well, I think it’s safe to say historical fiction is my new favorite genre and here’s why!
The Paris Wife
It wasn’t until I read these two books together that I realized how much I enjoyed classics, but also enjoyed the historical context a lot of the classic books provide. The Paris Wife is a book that I read so quickly and visualized each page. The book follows the fictionalized life of Hadley Richardson and her marriage with Ernest Hemingway. Richardson was the first of Hemingway’s four wives and it’s a fascinating account combining coming of age, wanderlust, and a hint of empowerment. Yes, lots of the book made my blood boil, but the powerful prose swept me away to the days of post-War Paris.
A Moveable Feast
I ended up reading the book alongside A Moveable Feast. It’s not considered historical fiction. I only really did this because I read a few Hemingway pieces in high school and loved them so much that I wanted to search for an excuse to forgive Hemingway and his poor choices during his marriage to Hadley. You don’t get much about the marriage, but you do read about his pure adoration of Paris. The memoir is written brilliantly. Everything from the writing, topics, and the way he addresses concerns all make it feel a bit informal in a good way. Indeed it is a memoir of a very specific time, but it’s also written in a way like you’re sitting in Hemingway’s head and seeing everything through his eyes.
A Moveable Feast does follow Hemingway’s marriage to Hadley and their life together in Paris. The books are fascinating to read alongside each other because both writers help you envision and feel part of their lives in Paris really livening the experience reading historical fiction. I felt like it was a rich experience! What’s your favorite genre? I think mine might be historical fiction now.
