This is a fabulous book about my favorite author, and the writing of his first successful novel, The Sun Also Rises. "Everybody Behaves Badly," is a quote from the Hemingway novel.

This is the back story of the memorable trip to Pamplona, Spain, that inspired the novel. I reread the novel while I read the new book. The author did a great job of documenting what was going on with Hemingway during the time in Spain and how it paralleled the novel.

The writer saw Hemingway as more of a villain than I would judge, but that's for the individual reader to decide for themselves. The people around Hemingway, in Spain, in 1925 behaved in a shocking and memorable way. Was he, like his protagonist narrator, Jake Barnes, the more or less innocent bystander. No one will ever really know.

I liked the insight into some of Hemingway's more famous anecdotes. If you ever enjoyed some of the great man's writing, I think this book will please and entertain you.

the fact that the author gives examples for all her assertions. It all added up to a big payback in fiction to the people that Ernest believed had misbehaved. I think that is probably not far from the truth.

My only tiny reservation is in the judgment about the way Hemingway treated his first wife, Hadley. The obvious conclusion is that he was a cad. But then why was she so devoted to him (and he to her) flash forward to the 1960's?

There is more to their relationship than the obvious conclusions. I'm convinced of that and of the fact that it is too easy to conclude that Ernest was a villain. Maybe he was just confused and a bit nutty, with some bad male judgment thrown in, eh?

Anyway, great book that I enjoyed immensely!

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Created Jul 29, 2016 at 3:00pm • Submit your own review...