Love and Ruin
It was doomed from the start, with all the classic signs along the way. Love and Ruin by Paula McLain is the fictionalized account of dashing, successful older writer, Ernest Hemingway, and younger, budding journalist and writer Martha Gellhorn. McLain has researched their tumultuous years together to weave an intimate account of the relationship, its love and ruin.
Martha Gellhorn
Martha, or Marty, leads a life of rebellion and pursuit of a nebulous “something” when she first encounters Hemingway. She is determined to be a writer, and fights the traditional pigeonhole of female story assignments. With some professional successes, she is on the way up, but not certain about the track to take. Perhaps the frustration of her professional wants contributes to her personal desire to seek more experience, mainly in the form and substance of married men. This is the Marty Gellhorn Hemingway encounters and encourages in Key West.
Ernest Hemingway
Papa Hemingway, for his part, has already experienced a robust life, ambulance driving in WWI, investigative reporting, and writing successful novels. He and his first wife Hadley, had lived as expats in a community of some of the most notable artists of the century. At the time he meets Martha, he is on his second wife, with two children to this marriage. Nevertheless, projects an undercurrent of restlessness and vitality.
The year is 1937, and the world is changing, with war clouds gathering. The desire to witness and report the war across the Atlantic infects them both. Ernest and Martha make arrangements to meet in Madrid to document the Spanish Civil War. With little care for Pauline, the wife tending the home fires and taking care of the boys, Hemingway seems determined to establish a bond with Marty. For her part, Martha has already established herself as one who exercised little restraint when considering the marital status of a man. Ultimately, infatuation and professional admiration burst into romance under the intensity of wartime conditions.
And so the love blooms, amidst the ruin of Madrid and Spain during the Spanish Civil War. As the country goes up in flames, love burns white-hot. Eventually all that remains are ashes, but that comes later.
Opinion
McLain’s writing is a pleasure to read, and she brings these characters to life with such humanity, while not using persuasion to weigh more favorably for one or the other. There are no winners in the relationship struggle here, only the love and subsequent ruin. Martha Gellhorn is not very likeable in the first chapters, with a habit of chasing married men and feeling sorry for herself while doing so. Even her own father tells her there are two kinds of women, and she is “one of the other kind.”
Hemingway is first the benevolent father figure, sharing his esteemed advice with a blossoming writer. Eventually one begins to like Martha more, and Hemingway less. As the relationship progresses, she becomes more the adult, trying to keep Hemingway on track, loving his boys mightily, and fighting for her self-preservation as a writer. Hemingway experiences his greatest success, but only seems to feel increased pressure which he masks by drinking. Martha comes to the realization that her body of work and career will suffer if she stays with him. For his part, Hemingway is increasingly moody, deep into the bottle, and resentful that Martha continues to write while he fears he has no more stories.
Neither attributes Hemingway’s decline to mental issues, and Martha attempts reconciliation at several points. Hemingway, however, moves on once he convinces himself he has been abandoned by Gellhorn. The marriage is over, but the story is timeless.
WOW! I am not one, typically, for non-fiction reads but I really enjoyed reading your write-up about it. Thanks for sharing!
It’s been a while since I’ve found a good book to dive in to but I love stories like this. I always love book reviews too, helps to find stories you’d never have known about before.
I’ve been looking for a book to read! This book sounds like it’s right up my alley! Thanks for the review!
Really good book, hope you get a chance to read it!
loved the premises of the book and it seems quite interesting.
Ernest Hemingway is a fascinating subject !
I love reading! Thank you so much for the review. I may just have to check it out!
Wow, I think I need to add a book to my list of must read books. Thank you for sharing.
Good Luck, hope you get a chance to read it!
Seems like an interesting book, I see myself easily reading it. Thanks for sharing such lovely review.
Looks like an interesting book to read for the weekend. Great review you shared.
It’s great! Hope you get a chance to read it!
Thanks for sharing detailed review. Waiting for more such reviews
Seems like and interesting story. I will surely read this. I love reading romance and fiction stories. Thanks for sharing.
I love finding new books, especially in time for summer reading so thanks for sharing this – seems right up my street!
Emily xx
This look like something my friend would love. thanks for this great suggestions.
Hmm, personally I rather dislike books in which the protagonists cheat on their spouses. It really turns me off, but good writing is good writing.
Seems like an interesting novel. I’m going to look for it on my Kindle as I’m due for a few new books 🙂
I love a good book. I just wish I had more time to read!
Sounds like quite a read. Not necessarily my preferred genre nonetheless I think your review is intriguing enough to peek my interest. Thanks for sharing xx
I’ll definitely check this book out. thanks for the lovely review 🙂
I’m a book lover and I will surely gonna read this book. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your review. I may read the book itself 🙂
This book looks great, is it available for kindle do you think?
It will be available on Kindle when it’s released!
Looks interesting. I enjoy some historical fiction and may have to check this one out. Thanks.
Seems like it’s an interesting story. Thanks for sharing about this with all of us…