I only moderately enjoyed Paula McLain’s last two books, but I had seen other reviews which said this book was better. But I can’t say I found it to be much of an improvement. In the beginning, Martha Gelhorn comes off as the stereotypical socialite rebelling against her background. And for all her talk of independence, Marty never feels complete without a man.

She quickly meets Ernest Hemingway and he sweeps her into a different life. I actually had to do the math. He comes off as much older than her, when in actuality, there’s just a 9 year age difference. It doesn’t help that he calls her “Daughter”.

Initially, I had trouble connecting with Marty. She goes to Spain as a reporter, but it’s ages before she actually writes anything. It doesn’t take long before she becomes Hemingway’s lover. And if I didn’t connect with her, I had nothing but revulsion for him. He speaks of love but he just uses women and obviously thinks nothing of fidelity.

The book is at its best when McLain is describing the war scenes, whether in Spain, Finland or during WWII. It only came alive for me when Marty was on her own. It’s at its worst when Marty is describing her lovesickness for Ernest. The sappiness of the writing made me cringe. “His bed was an operating table, and this was heart surgery.” The sections that are written in Ernest’s voice never rang true. Meant to be all emotional and dark, they just fell flat to me and I could never believe it was his voice.

The ending is the best part of the book. McLain does a great job of describing the downward spiral of their marriage. And the author’s note, which tells of Gelhorn’s later years, seemed to capture her spirit best of all.

My thanks to netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this novel.

Despite having read several novels concerning Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, I found this to be a welcome addition to the compendium of literature surrounding these two writers. McLain has clearly done her homework and I learned more about the wars that they covered. The book begins with Martha meeting Ernest while he was still married to his second wife Pauline. It shows the evolution of their tempestuous relationship and ultimate marriage while attempting to delve into their inner mental life, providing a glimpse into their drive and fears. The development of the characters was very solid, and once again we are provided an inside glimpse into the life of Martha, a clearly independent spirit, way ahead of her times in women's rights, her strong work ethic and her astonishing body of work as a war reporter, often at the front lines. A really enjoyable read while broadening one's sense of these dynamic individuals.

This is the story of Martha Gellhorn, the third of Hemingway's wives and a novelist and reporter in her own right. Theirs was a love story that flamed bright and then went out just as quickly. They were jealous of each other's successes, and were constantly seperated as they each went off to report on the war. She was a fascinating woman who loved the danger and excitement of being on the front lines and seeing everything first hand.
I knew so little about Hemingway and even less about his wives so this story was really intriguing to me. She was empowering in a time when women were not meant to be empowered, and her accomplishments were great. This is a very captivating story that makes you feel as if you were there at her side.

Although this book is about the relationship between Martha Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway, I enjoyed reading about her journalistic endeavors much more than I did her romance and marriage to Hemingway.

Martha first met Ernest on a holiday in Key West and from there they formed a friendship which turned into a romantic relationship that spanned from 1937 and the Spanish Civil War up until the end of World War II. Their relationship was consumed with writing, travel and quite a bit of alcohol.

Ernest is a bit larger than life and his needs seemed to suffocate Martha. Martha had an adventurous spirit and was not content to stay at home and be only a housewife. Ernest seemed to think that once married, Martha was to be at his disposal at all times. Ernest comes off as extremely self-centered. Having read Paula McClain’s earlier novel, The Paris Wife, I think it’s safe to say that Ernest was a successful writer, but an awful husband.

The book was a slow read for me and at times seem to drag on. I found much of the writing about Martha and Ernest to be filled with superficial content, such as what they were eating or how their writing was coming along. My favorite parts of the book were when Martha was on assignment in Finland and later in Europe--most especially her time in Normandy on D-Day. Martha’s life is wonderful as a story of it’s own. It’s a shame she often was known simply as one of Hemingway’s wives.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

I love Paula McLain’s historical fiction and always feel like it’s so well done I start to believe it’s real. In this novel, McLain moves on to Hemingway’s third wife, Martha Gellhorn and follows her struggle between being independent and going after her own dreams as a writer and her love for Ernest Hemingway. McLain’s writing and descriptions of places are just beautiful. Definitely a must read if you enjoyed The Paris Wife.

An amazing story of love at its best and at its worst. Martha (Marty) Gelhorn is a writer who meets Ernest Hemingway while he is still married to his second wife. Marty and Ernest begin a torrid love affair in Spain that continues into Cuba, where they seem to settle and write. But she is a war correspondent and eager to travel and write about WW2. That eventually becomes their downfall. This was a great read, and a nice follow-up after reading The Paris Wife.

Having read The Paris Wife, I was excited when I saw this book was coming out. I started reading it with high hopes, but instead got bogged down with thoughts of "This AGAIN?" More of Hemingway torturing the people he supposedly loved the most, all while looking out for himself and his wants and needs. I made myself finish it. If you are a Hemingway scholar, or don't know anything about his life, you may find this to be a good book. It is very well written, but the subject matter just got to me.

Love and Ruin tells the story of Martha Gellhorn a famous war corespondent and the third wife of Ernest Hemingway. In 1937 Martha travels to Spain to write about the atrocities during the Spanish Civil War. While there she meets Hemingway and falls quickly under his spell. The two begin an affair that will span years and thousands of miles around the world. But after Hemingway publishes his successful novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, the two find themselves on unequal ground with Martha yearning to break free of her husband’s shadow.
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I found Martha Gellhorn an incredible woman and inspiring role model. She throws herself into her stories and war reporting. However, I hate that she fell for a horrible and selfish man. It turned what would have been an amazing story of her life into a just okay read for me. I loved all of the parts about her and her experiences with conflict, but every part with Hemingway I just wanted to throw the book across the room. I did like this book a lot better than A Paris Wife. I would recommend this book to historical fiction lovers and those who like to read about inspirational women!
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Thank you to Random House Publishing and and Paula McLain for providing me a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Love and Ruin will be released on May 1st.

Having previously read both [book:The Paris Wife|8683812] and [book:Circling the Sun|23995231], I was intrigued to get through a return to Hemingway with Love and Ruin. This is by far my favorite of these three - possibly because Marty was a force to be reckoned with herself and throughout the entire novel, works to keep herself even within her marriage to Hemingway. It was heartbreaking to imagine her work throughout World War II as her marriage was falling apart but also amazing to hear about her efforts to be present even in dangerous situations so she could report back. A moving historical read from an commonly written about time but with a unique twist.

I received this ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fictional account of the real life relationship of Martha Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway. Even though it was fiction, it was so well written that I spent a good amount of time researching their real life relationship. The detail and amazing writing made this book one that I totally immersed myself in.

I'm sorry to say this was a DNF for me. I thought the writing was good, but the subject matter was more heavy on Hemingway and not really centered on the main character Martha Gellhorn. Maybe it was my timing or my mood, but I was not able to get into this book. Thank you NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
WOW! I had to sit on this one a few days before I could review it. Very powerful, very good book! The time frame in the story is during the Spanish Civil War, ( which I had not heard of so had to look up! Love it when I learn something new! ) and WWII. Paula McLain has such a special way with writing that it's so powerful and interesting and and lyrical. Her words, at times, took away my breath! She grabs you and immerses you into the story.... and you are lost! The amount of research she had to do into Hemingway and Gellhorn had to be extensive and I appreciate her work. The characters in the book were written full of life and so interesting. If I could give this book more than a 5 star rating, I would, but for now, a very strong 5.

Paula McLain's masterful storytelling brings to life the love affair between Martha Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway in her new biographical fiction novel Love and Ruin. She explores their love for each other and dependence on each other as well as the tensions that arise when two writers hope to accomplish the same thing: a voice in the world of literature. McLain tells a visceral story of self-discovery as Martha tries to find herself in love, war, and literature. Highly recommended.

Besides reading Hemingway's novels, I have never read any historical fiction based on his life. This was a first for me on the subject matter and a first time reading Paula McLain. She obviously knows her subject matter well and has done a ton of research about Hemingway and his life and loves.
I was first intrigued that the book took place during WWII (actually before WWII and through the war). I love books told during that time and that include a bit of history along with the story being told. But this was more than a story. It was about a woman that matched up to Hemingway and most any man in more ways than many woman did back in the 30's and 40's. Martha Hemingway, nee Martha Gellhorn was Hemingway's 3rd wife and this is her story.
Martha, aka Marty is the voice of this book. It is told from her POV along with a few small chapters of Hemingway brought in. I loved seeing a woman that paved her own way during a time that was mostly about men. She had a dream and went for it. She didn't let life or love hold her back. Which in some ways was a detriment to her relationships.
We follow the two through the starts of war in Europe, to Cuba, and many parts of the US. We get to see how life and their work affected their home lives and most important, their relationship with one another. The story left a little to be desired as far as getting to really see Martha and her written work in Europe (examples of her writing or seeing her success as opposed to the hearing about it the Author's Note would have been nice), but it at least let me see the strength of a woman and the desire to be better and equal to her counterparts. Even if I felt parts of the book were left unfulfilling, overall the feel of the book and the content of the book made up for it. The history was well researched and getting a voice from Hemingway gave the book the masculine POV that it may have been lacking otherwise.
Overall, a well researched book that will appeal to women that have a strength and need for reading about a woman that didn't care about limits. She was made to shatter those ceilings and make herself an equal. We need more of that now.

I am at a loss for words, to convey how amazing Paula McLain's Love and Ruin is. While I have read Ernest Hemingway's novels, I had no idea what a troubled life he lived. Totally fascinating and so well written that I felt sure Mrs McClain was with Hem and Martha, when all this took place. Definitely 5 stars from page one to the end. Her author notes had me in tears. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction.

He was already a living legend, having established himself as an outstanding author...Ernest Hemingway. She was trying to break into the journalism business, and had written two novels, one which didn't go over well and the second that met with some measure of success...Martha Gellhorn. The year was 1936, Franco was taking over Spain and Europe would soon erupt into WWII. On a vacation with her mother and brother in Key West, quite by accident, she meets Hemingway in a dimly lit bar. So it begins.

To "Marty" Hemingway was the hero in her life, someone she worshiped. To him, she was a new face in the crowd, he was drawn to her immediately. In 1937 he left to go to Spain where Franco was flexing his muscles and civil war was raging. Another adventure, a place where he could stave off the boredom of an ordinary life. He asked Marty to join him. Several months later she did working as a stringer (part-time news correspondent) for Collier's Magazine, where she had a front row seat to the horrors of war. Yet that was not all, as Hemingway throwing caution to the wind, professed his love for her and the affair commences.

They were together for 4 years before they were married and she was already having her doubts. He played the guilt card...which he was really good at...and they married. Hemingway was riding the crest of a wave, his fame and celebrity for his novel "For Whom The Bell Tolls" overtaking their lives together. Happy for his success, Martha wasn't content or comfortable with the celebrity or the fame that was stalking them. He was moody, manipulative, never really a happy person..she was being swallowed whole, lost within herself. Was he selfish wanting only what he wanted, or was she just striking out at him, not wanting to just be Mrs. Hemingway, but an equal as a writer? Martha was becoming an "also ran." Was she selfish, wanting to claim success for herself? He was struggling with his demons, they both were. For her it was the love of travel, the thrill of the chase as a journalist, for him it was the need for companionship, the fear of being alone. After seven years together, with the end of WWII, the marriage was over. To be honest there were 3 in this marriage, Hemingway, Gellhorn and his demons.

You could google Martha Gellhorn, you could go on Wikipedia or read her memoir, but nothing beats reading historical fiction. Six years ago I read The Paris Wife, also about Hemingway and knew then I would read whatever McLain writes. To say that this author is "haunted" by Hemingway is an understatement. In as much as this novel is about Gellhorn, it is about both of them. The book is fascinating, taking you to a time when Europe was erupting, when Spain was fighting for its life, its freedom. Hitler was coming into power and it wasn't even the calm before the storm. Then, of course, there is the relationship between the couple, the push and pull...it is the love of adventure and the ruination of their lives together, neither person happy or contented. The novel is exquisite in its prose, in its descriptions and well researched. Bravo Ms. McLain whatever you're writing next, I'm in!!

If you read no other novel this year, read this one. My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the Paris Wife so much. So I was really looking forward to reading this one. It did not disappoint. It was so good. Paula McClain really knows how to suck you into a world. The descriptions are so beautiful. I love all the history that is packed into this on. I had no idea Martha was such a proliferic journalist. I really loved this book.

If you loved The Paris Wife, and longed for more of Ernest Hemingway's complicated love affairs, this book will not disappoint. Paula McLain fuses real history with beautiful words and plausible scenes to share a story about the beloved storyteller himself. I couldn't stop highlighting and bookmarking pages as learned about the Spanish Civil War, what life was really like for a female writer in the 1930s, and how easily love can turn to ruin.

As I've come to expect, Paula McLain has given us another painstakingly researched and beautifully prosaic novel of a fascinating female historical figure.

After going in a slightly different direction with Circling the Sun, McLain returns here to the wives of Ernest Hemingway, this time featuring war reporter and wife #3 Martha Gellhorn.

I wish we saw more of Gellhorn in popular culture. I wish we saw more of her in history lessons, for that matter. She completely changed war reporting, and defied convention about a woman's place in the world with incredible guts and guile.

That said, her portrayal in this book is a tad problematic. While undoubtedly an admirable woman, I'm not sure the relatable, easy to sympathize with character we got here was much like the real Martha. And that's a complement to Gellhorn, who appeared just a tad desperate in the book at times, and in moments almost borderline shrill.

In reality, as Hemingway wives go, Gellhorn was by far the least victim-y, something that McLain seems to remember for most of the book, but loses track of in a few critical moments.

But the biggest issue with this book is that the Hemingway wives thing is starting to feel a little like a schtick for McLain.

While their personalities and plot lines independent of marriage are different (and that much was certainly well-rendered by McLain), Martha's "voice" reads almost exactly like Hadley's. If you gave me unlabeled bits of dialogue from both books, I'm not certain I could identify which woman was speaking.

The scenery and Gellhorn's exploits as a war reporter, however, were exquisitely done. Perhaps a book in which Gellhorn's career was the focus and her marriage to Hemingway was just a footnote would have made for better material. But I suppose I'm one of the few among McLain's audience who would prefer to have the love story component shelved.

This is a good read on the whole, worth it (as McLain's books always are) for the writing and sense of place alone. But it can't match The Paris Wife, and suffered in comparison all the more because it's a very similar book.

This was a great work of historical fiction. Coming after The Paris Wife, where we read about Hemingway's marriage to Hadley Richardson, the first of his four wives, this to me was even better!

Martha Gellhorn is a well-known name in journalism and I loved her fierce independence and the way she knew herself so well. Instead of getting lost in the shadow of the great Hemingway, Martha was the one that got away. The one that left him and made her own star shine so brightly. I have great admiration for this woman and this was a very good look at two passionate people and the ups and downs of their relationship, but this was truly Martha's story.

What a great story!

Netgalley/Ballentine Books  May 01,2018