Review: Love and Ruin by Paula Mclain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

The bestselling author of The Paris Wife returns to the subject of Ernest Hemingway in a novel about his passionate, stormy marriage to Martha Gellhorn—a fiercely independent, ambitious young woman who would become one of the greatest war correspondents of the twentieth century

In 1937, twenty-eight-year-old Martha travels alone to Madrid to report on the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War and becomes drawn to the stories of ordinary people caught in devastating conflict. She also finds herself unexpectedly—and uncontrollably—falling in love with Hemingway, a man already on his way to becoming a legend. In the shadow of the impending Second World War, and set against the tumultuous backdrops of Madrid, Finland, China, Key West, and especially Cuba, where Martha and Ernest make their home, their relationship and professional careers ignite. But when Ernest publishes the biggest literary success of his career, For Whom the Bell Tolls, they are no longer equals, and Martha must make a choice: surrender to the confining demands of being a famous man’s wife or risk losing Ernest by forging a path as her own woman and writer. It is a dilemma that will force her to break his heart, and her own.

Rating: 4-stars

Review:

Love and Ruin by Paula Mclain is the saddest yet heartfelt story of two people. Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn were so in love with each other yet so broken. Both placed their careers over their relationship. Every time they got back together and fell apart again, it broke another piece of what was left of their hearts. I felt the love they felt when together. But the two were too stubborn too fierce to fit perfectly together. Like two jagged puzzle pieces that fit but won’t work due to chipped edges. The title fit this book in every way. Their love was ruined from the beginning. It tore them further apart then bringing them closer. Career obsessed and workaholics neither one wanted to sacrifice their work for their love. Truly, a sad story all around…overall, I recommend this literary novel to all readers. It was entertaining to follow.