This sweet thang has the same name as Peanut so I call her Baby Peanut. Though now that she’s not so much a baby, I guess I can start calling her Li’l Peanut. She is also the little sister of the Tea Partiers from a couple of days ago. I adore her. And again, am so very lucky to have her and her family in my life.
This was the first book I checked out from the library on my Kindle. Pretty exciting. Though I was in the middle of another novel at the time, I abandoned it as library check outs have a shorter check out time. I thought it was 14 days, but turns out it is 21.
Synopsis: This is a fictionalization of the life of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley. (Or at least I think that is her name since those two used so many different nicknames for each other.) It starts with a slight foreshadowing, then launches into their meeting, courtship, and subsequent marriage. There are a few mentions of their earlier and almost equally sad lives leading up to their meeting. For example, both of their fathers committed suicide. Their relationship is simultaneously passionate and pedestrian. Their marriage is rapid and lovely and doomed.
I admit to not knowing all that much about Hemingway beforehand, thus cannot tell you how ‘truthful’ this account is. Honestly, I wasn’t too interested in the subject beforehand, but after hearing so much about it (and it being available for Kindle check out) I caved. And I’m glad I did. I read this in about 4 days, which is great for me as lately I’ve been in a non-reading funk. I became invested in Hadley’s story, even though I knew how it would play out. I enjoyed the famous supporting characters like Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. I was a tad surprised by the group’s openness to extra marital affairs and homosexuality. I’ll admit that the end had me tearing up, and it has been a very long time since that has happened.
There were a few passages that I highlighted. One quote:
“In the end, there wasn’t one thing about him that was truer than the rest. It was all true.”
That gave me pause. It really made me think about how different people view each other differently. Someone may see me as a horrible person that shoved her son into the lion’s den by allowing him to wear that costume while others may see me as a beacon of hope. And the truth is I am neither and both. We are so many things to so many people.
The only Hemingway I can remember reading is The Old Man and the Sea. I read it in high school and don’t remember enjoying it. Perhaps I owe the man another try, though I didn’t particularly like him.
4 out of 5 stars.
My #fridayreads this week :
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Tinkers by Paul Harding
Library checkouts:
Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Shine - Lauren Myracle
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell
We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver
Chime - Franny Billingsley
The Weed That Strings The Hangman’s Bag - Alan Bradley
A Red Herring Without Mustard - Alan Bradley
Nemesis - Jo Nesbø
I do believe that Tim Burton would very much approve of this little guy in his Corpse Bride costume.
And here’s the same awesome kid just playing dress up. I would love to give him a high five, a hug, you name it. I do love kids that allow their imaginations to soar.
But I also love their parents. My children are in a slightly better world because of them.
Thank you.
One reader, Michael, shared this picture. Love the costume, love the cupcake. Would have been happy to have him trick or treat at our house. He said, “I wasn’t technically trick-or-treating, just helping a friend escort his daughter, but I was offered almost as much candy as she was. A few folks were disturbed, but most were delighted!”
And unrelated, a dear friend of mine caught her kids just playing dress up and having a mad tea party. The sweet little girl in the picture is the same sweet little girl that dress as Daphne with Boo last year. We are so lucky to have them in our lives.
