When it comes to historical fiction, it’s always important to remember that the story being told is just that – a story. While based on true events and real people, there are often liberties taken with the timeline and characterizations for the sake of creating an engaging narrative.
One such book is “The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain, which tells the story of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife Hadley Richardson during their time in Paris in the 1920s. But how accurate is this portrayal? Let’s take a closer look.
The Basics
Firstly, it’s important to note that “The Paris Wife” is a work of fiction. This means that while it may use real people and events as inspiration, it should not be taken as a fully accurate representation of what happened. McLain herself acknowledges this in an author’s note at the beginning of the book, stating that “I’ve tried to hew as closely to the facts as I could while still telling an engaging story.”
True Events
That being said, much of what happens in “The Paris Wife” does have some basis in reality. Hemingway and Richardson did meet and fall in love in Chicago before moving to Paris together, where they became part of the city’s vibrant expat community alongside other writers like Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. They did have a son named Bumby (real name John), and Richardson did struggle with depression and eventually divorce Hemingway due to his infidelity.
Characterizations
Where “The Paris Wife” takes more liberties is in its characterizations of Hemingway and Richardson themselves. While both were real people with their own personalities and quirks, McLain has crafted them into more archetypal figures – Hemingway as the brooding artist constantly seeking inspiration for his writing, Richardson as the supportive wife struggling to find her own identity outside of their relationship. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – after all, it’s difficult to fully capture the complexities of real people in a work of fiction – but it’s important to remember that these portrayals are not necessarily reflective of who Hemingway and Richardson truly were.
Conclusion
So how accurate is “The Paris Wife”? The answer is somewhat complex.
While many of the events depicted in the book did happen in real life, there are also significant departures from reality when it comes to characterizations and timelines. However, this doesn’t mean that “The Paris Wife” isn’t worth reading – as McLain herself notes, it’s ultimately a work of fiction meant to tell an engaging story rather than a strict retelling of history. Just be sure to keep in mind that what you’re reading is a novel, not a biography.