Spellbinding
- Book: Mrs Hemingway
- Location: Antibes, Cuba (Republic of), World
- Author: Naomi Wood
Everyone has heard of Ernest Hemingway, but there is not so much written about his wives. Mrs Hemingway is a fictionalised account of the women who shared Hemingway’s life.
The reader is introduced to Hemingway and his first wife Hadley, it is 1926 and they are staying in a villa in Antibes, also staying with them is Ernest’s lover Fife. Fife is also the best friend of Hadley. And so, we begin the journey alongside Hemingway and his women. An unconventional journey, and at times, for the women at least, a very unhappy journey.
Spanning almost forty years, this story takes us through not just relationships, but through war and across a world that is changing quickly. The lazy days of the 1920s accompanied by some of the most famous names of the time, through war torn Paris and of course in Cuba, where Hemingway spent many years.
Naomi Wood has given each of Ernest’s four wives a voice. Hadley, Fife, Martha and Mary all tell their own story, each of them dealing with the intricacies that he has woven in their own individual way.
Wood writes with flair and passion, creating a captivating story that on the surface appears to be full of glitz and glamour and fame. The darker side ripples away just below the surface, the heartbreak and pain, the betrayals and deceptions that Hemingway left in his wake. Each wife sees something a little different in Ernest, he is the central figure in their lives and through him, they become connected forever.
This is a truly beautiful read that casts the reader under a spell, it is addictive and terribly moreish. The writing is evocative, the characters are huge. I savoured every moment.
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