This is a tricky one to review. Why? Because while love McLain's writing (LOVE IT), I was not a fan of the actual story. However, this is not necessarily a fault of McLain's as it is historical fiction. Allow me to explain.

Love and Ruin is the story of Martha Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway's whirlwind romance and subsequent divorce. Here's the thing - I am never a fan of love stories that begin as affairs. Again, this is not McLain's doing - it is what happened in real life. However, with a writer as strong as McLain, I actually did find myself rooting for them (or at least for Gellhorn) in the beginning. I was able to see things through her eyes. That's a first for me, so I applaud McLain for it.

But, then again, McLain clearly strives to not only bring Gellhorn to life but also to focus. Gellhorn, a remarkable journalist, feared she would live her life in the shadow of Hemingway. Therefore, the novel covers the time periods surrounding Hemingway by telling what Gellhorn was doing. And, she was doing a lot. Unfortunately, she was doing so much, that the book seemed longer and longer. And, if I'm being honest, I just wasn't as invested in every little career pursuit during this time as I was the story of her and Hemingway - shame on me!

Based on the title (and general knowledge about Hemingway's four wives), I knew that the "Ruin" was coming. And, it was not fun. It is terribly sad. So, there is a lot of build-up, and then a lot of stagnant career stuff, and then a sad ending.

Again, this is not the writer's fault - it is the fault of the story itself. It is hard to read about two extraordinary, ambitious people who both want to burn the brightest and because of this couldn't get things right. To give you a better idea of the writing, here are some of my favorite quotes:

"This is the light of childhood. I was all the ages I had ever been."

"Confident about some things and not at all about others. Like all the men I knew. Like all the people I knew. Like me."

"Anything and anyone could disappear on you, and you could disappear, too, if you didn't have people around who really knew you. Who were there solidly, meeting you exactly where you stood when life grew stormy and terrifying. Who could find you when you were lost and couldn't find yourself, not even in the mirror."

"This is personal, this life, and every time we graze against one another even for a moment, we aren't the same afterward."

"Paradise was always fragile. That was its very nature."

Fans of McLain's The Paris Wife will also enjoy this one, as well fans of history.

***Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this copy to review!

Paula McLain’s novel, Circling the Sun, was one of my favorites of 2015, largely because she portrayed Beryl Markham so well as a woman who wasn’t content to follow the norms of her times—get married, have children—but who understood that the only way to follow her own path meant the norms would never be an option. McLain is back with Love and Ruin, giving the same gift of layers and nuance to the tumultuous life of Martha Gellhorn. Gellhorn was a writer of fiction, but more importantly, was one of the most intrepid war correspondents of her time. She was also Ernest Hemingway’s third wife and their relationship is the through line of the novel.

As a young woman Gellhorn’s life was a bit aimless. By age 27 she had traveled extensively and was trying to write a novel, but found that

I ordered cocktails that were far too strong for me, and laughed at things that were desperate, and threw myself hard at experience, by which I mean married men.

When she and her mother go on vacation to Key West in 1937 she meets Hemingway, a hero of hers for his novel A Farewell to Arms. She learns of his interest in going to Spain and reporting on the fight between Franco’s Nationalists and the Spanish Republicans and decides that this is what she has been waiting for—a cause, a reason to write. She gets credentials from Collier’s magazine that allow her to go to the front as a reporter and from there she never looks back. In her personal life, Hemingway pursues her and they begin an affair that culminates in marriage after a protracted divorce from his second wife. She creates a writer’s haven for them in Cuba, where they go when they are not covering war, but as her success increases so does his dissatisfaction with their life.

Love and Ruin spans the seven years of Gellhorn’s life from 1937 to 1944—a time of almost constant global conflict and she covered all of it. She went to places that not only had no woman ever gone, but where no other reporter got in. She was the first correspondent on Omaha Beach. Her strength lay in the fact that, unlike her male counterparts, she was less interested in the machines and strategy of war and more in the people, whether it was the combatants or the civilians caught in its path. She was also a master at using diplomacy and relationships to get the truth in front of people who could make a difference. McLain illustrates this in her dealings with the Roosevelts, especially Eleanor, whom she admired tremendously.

My only problem with Love and Ruin are the Hemingway aspects of the novel. One, there is the cover, about which authors often have no say, but, honestly, putting a man in the forefront of a cover about a strong woman, is a bit infuriating. Two, McLain includes chapters from Hemingway’s point of view. Yes, he was an integral part of Gellhorn’s life, but I didn’t care what he had to say about their relationship. I was reading the novel for her POV, not his. Also, reams of paper have already been spent on him and, as far I can tell, he was a miserable shit of a man who hated women. I never cared for his writing and like him even less off the page.

I had hoped Love and Ruin would showcase Gellhorn to the same degree that Circling the Sun did with Markham, but that didn’t quite happen. The novel is engrossing, with McLain once again vividly encapsulating the events of the times. She deftly captures Gellhorn at a very specific point in her life and illustrates the difficulties of any woman ‘having it all’, but I would have gladly kept reading to learn more about the later exploits and achievements of this fascinating woman. A sequel, maybe?

Love and Ruin is a beautiful tale based upon the love affair of Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, who was a war correspondent during a time when women rarely worked, yet alone traveled to Spain to report on the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. As one can imagine, the love affair is a tumultuous one, which at times, was difficult to read about. When Hemingway publishes his most famous novel, To Whom the Bell Tolls, Martha is no longer on equal footing with Ernest and struggles with her decision to become a famous writer's wife, or to continue on her own career trajectory.
The author is masterful in developing the characters within the storyline, and the descriptions of FInland, Key West and Spain makes a wonderful backdrop. Ms. McLain makes us feel the time period by depicting culturally important events and styles. The book was written almost as a memoir, making you feel that there was more fact than fiction. I found the characters to be fascinating and found Martha to be a sympathetic figure, and was truly a story of her, not Hemingway's.
Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story just sucked me in. I felt as though I was in the room with Marty and Hemingway. Amazing! I knew very little about Hemingway’s life before I read the Paris Wife. I was astonished at his behavior and how all these women put up with him. That said, it’s fascinating to read about the life he had and the women he shared it with. One of my favorite reads of 2018.

Thanks Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and netgalley for this ARC.

McLain has another classic with this one. Hemingway like he's never been shown- flaws, grumpy, and bad behavior on display. But this one is really about Martha Gellhorn- the woman who defied him and lived her life just like a man of that time.

This is a fascinating book about Martha Gellhorn, Ernest Hemingway's third wife. Having read enjoyed The Paris Wife, I was looking forward to reading Love and Ruin. Martha Gellhorn was an amazing woman and war correspondent, and I learned quite a lot about her and even more about Hemingway. The research done by Paul McClain must have been extensive to write such an incredible book. I enjoyed reading Love and Ruin and thought it was very well written.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader's copy. All opinions are my own.

Love and Ruin is the story of Martha Gelhorn, a prolific war-correspondent and writer, who also happened to be Hemingway's third wife. Gelhorn's life is absolutely fascinating, and Paula McLain's writing is top-notch--I love the precise and beautiful words she uses to propel the narrative forward. Gorgeous writing that flows! Recommended for anyone who enjoys biographies and stories about war. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the preview copy.

Martha Gelhorn and Ernest Hemingway had a tumultuous love affair that both built them up and tore them down. Working as war correspondents during the Spanish Civil War, they grew close in a way that war can foster. How they maintained that relationship was more complicated.

I absolutely loved this look at Hemingway's third wife, an inspiring woman in her own right. Paula McLain excels at describing how Hemingway was able to draw these women in before his demons broke them down, just as she did in The Paris Wife. Gelhorn inspires as a career woman who needs the freedom to work, to be her own person. How one does that while in a relationship with someone larger then life is the overarching question. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get lost in a novel.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC of Love and Ruin by Paula McLain.

McLain is back with another tragic tale of Hemingway's wives. Martha Gellhorn, a bright and talented writer, in the midst of the war, finds herself in the coveted company of Ernest Hemingway. Their relationship starts strongly as mentor/mentee, but quickly turns to romance. Finding herself in the overwhelming shadow of Hemingway, at the rise of his success comes with costly drawbacks for someone with as much ambition as Gellhorn. Is their relationship strong enough to withstand two hugely successful artists?

What would it be like to have a "Hemingway chapter" I wonder? It must be such an interested conundrum to feel the pride of the overwhelming success of your husband, while seeking your own overwhelming success. And Hemingway, just like the rest of us mortals, was deeply flawed, and not easy to be married to.

I like how thoroughly McLain does her research and how clearly she paints her pictures. It did feel a bit drawn out to me, but overall, good read.

This was a 3.5 Read for me and I’m certain I will be in the minority in this. There was so much I liked about the story. McLain tackles the fascinating relationship between Hemingway and his 3rd wife Martha Gellhorn. In love and with The Ernest Hemingway, Gellhorn struggles to stay true to herself and her profession. I found the historical fiction aspect interesting as they traveled the world as war correspondents. There were accounts of Gellhorn’s friendships with famous people such as Elenor Roosevelt. I found portions of the war stories did not hold my interest. I love McLain’s stories of strong passionate women that pioneered careers that were not available to women. Circling the Sun is my favorite!

I had a very hard time getting into this story. It isn't that it is poorly written, it is not, it is simply not for me.

I loved this book! It reads like an autobiography rather than a novel. Martha Gellborn felt out of step with her life until she went to Spain to cover Franco’s takeover of the country. As frightening as it was, she felt alive. Ernest Hemingway was also a correspondent, and his magnetism drew Marty in. Their lives became enmeshed for almost a decade; turbulent, passionate and very rarely boring. Ernest wrote his masterpiece, As the Bell Tolls, while with Marty. When her book was published, the reviewers panned it as echoing him.
Marty was a war correspondent who needed to be at the front of most wars, from 1936 until her death in 1998, to inform the world of the ordinary people whose lives were impacted. She went to Europe in the first days of WWII, before the US became involved. Very often, she was the only woman correspondent there.
Her love of war journalism cost her dearly. She and Ernest were too strong for each other. In a time when women were supposed to be “the little woman”, Martha Gellhorn was more a force of nature.

I love Paula McLain who is one of the few true gifted authors writing today. Simply a marvelous book, obviously extensively researched (even though it is a novel) and exquisitely written.

I had read one other book on Hemingway and then also read The Paris Wife. I was not sure that I wanted to read another book on Hemingway as I didn't like him that much as an author and certainly not as the person he appears to be in biographies. However, I thought so highly of The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun (both wonderful books) that I decided to read it solely because of McLain.

I was not disappointed. Her imageryñ, descriptions and characteriztations, dialogue, in short, everything just flows from her "pen". and I was so glad I read the book. And, if I expected another book like The Paris Wife, it is not. The story about Martha Gelhorn is completely different (and is pretty much true as far as I can see) and revolves not so much around Hemingway, but about a woman in the 30's and 40's who didn't want to be just a wife and adjunct to the then already acclaimed star-husband Hemingway. It is a conflict set up by her own ambitions and on the other hand, her love for Hemingway.

Travel from Connecticut, to Spain, Key West, Havana, italy, France, London with Martha Gellhorn. It has been said she was the greatest war correspondent of the 20th 'century. And, , women war correspondences were unknown. .Itwas a man's world. Men, the likes of Ernest Hemingway. Careers collide and torrid love turns to ruins. A great read!

When I first started this, although I enjoyed the history of the Spanish Civil War, I wasn't all too sure I would like this. The writing seemed somewhat emotionless, matter of fact, pragmatic,but then something changed. I found Martha fascinating, and the descriptions of Cuba were gorgeous, and I settles into this novel. So much history is covered, Gelhorn determined to be everywhere and chronicle everything, all the while dealing with Hemingway and his mood changes,and trying to write her own book.

This was a read with Angela and Esil, and these are just some thoughts I posted during our discussion.
Hemingway was in many ways his own worst enemy. He was bipolar, his drinking didn't help, and he honestly could not be alone. He was,however, a talented man and did his best to love his sons.

Martha was amazing, such drive, all the places and battles she personally saw and wrote about. Glad she had the guts and fortitude to leave him, though she did love him. McClain did a great job here, detailing her inner struggle to be something for herself. Hemingway woukd have sucked her dry. She was the only wife who would leave him.

The author note was wonderful and how much she admired Martha shone through.

So I ended up liking this more than I thought I would and enjoyed watching Martha gain confidence and come into her own.

ARC from Netgalley.

Found this picture https://www.google.com/search?q=marth....

Not long after Martha Gellhorn’s overbearing father passes away, she commits to following her dream of becoming a travel journalist and war correspondent. She wades through uncharted waters, using natural-born instincts, a bit of luck and lots of chutzpah. She was an inspiration.

By chance, the young Gellhorn crossed paths in 1936 with 10-years older Ernest Hemingway and the two agree to meet in Spain to cover the Spanish Civil War, with Hemingway serving as Martha’s mentor. McLain has addressed Hemingway in a memorable way. I found it refreshing that she delved into lesser known aspects such as Hemingway’s wartime involvement, adventures beyond America and volatile relationship/marriage with Gellhorn.

This book is well worth the price of admission just to learn about Gellhorn and her long impressive resume. By the end of her life (she died in 1998 at 90 years old), she had covered virtually every major war during her 60-year career, traveling to war-torn countries beginning as a naive young woman with no real plan and only a few dollars in her pocket.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Love and Ruin byPaula McLain. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. It had nothing to do with the author's writing style which I found to well executed. This reader couldn't get interested in the story about Lillian Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway.

4+ stars.
A good work of historical fiction for me is one in which the author perfectly sets the stage of what is happening around the characters not just with what is specifically happening with them. Starting with the prologue and continuing throughout, Paula McLain does a fabulous job of depicting the time and all of the places and what was happening in the world not just in the private and sometimes not so private world of Martha Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway. Even with this broad view of the world with the Spanish Civil War, Paris and London and other places before and during WWII, and even though this is a fictional account, I felt as if I were reading a memoir. Because of this intimate perspective that McLain creates it’s easy to admire Marty’s independence and desire to do “something”.

Another sure sign of a good work of historical fiction based on a real person for me is that I want to know more about them and I want to get a feel for how well they are portrayed. This was another strength of the book as I found myself taking time to read some online accounts of Gellhorn’s life. They reflect how she is portrayed and what we are told about her in the Author’s Note: “Martha Gellhorn went on to become one of the twentieth century’s most significant and celebrated war correspondents, reporting on virtually every major conflict for sixty years—from the Spanish Civil War to the Bay of Pigs, from Vietnam to El Salvador to Panama, where she covered the invasion at the age of eighty-one. “ She also wrote novels and essay collections.

The book mostly covers the time that Gellhorn was with Hemingway and while I love several of his novels, there were times it was difficult to read about their relationship. He is portrayed as the scoundrel we know that he could be - cheating on his wives, drinking, needy and self centered. A talented writer with so many issues. Even though Hemingway was married, the truth is that she was a clearly in love with him. I found her to be fascinating, mostly when she is on her own away from him, as she experiences the horrors of war when she goes to Finland, talks to the Russian pows or on Omaha Beach. She really had some guts to do this, in particular at a time when this was not what women did. At best a biographical novel can give a feel of who the person is and I felt as if I got to know the woman Gellhorn was. While Hemingway is, of course a big part of this time in Gellhorn’s life, this was Martha’s story. Thanks once again to my reading buddies Diane and Esil , whose perspectives I always enjoy hearing.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Ballantine through NetGalley.

I just found this book slow and if I’m being honest it was boring. Going into this book, I really didn’t know much about Hemingway and nothing about Ms. Gellhorn. Perhaps if I knew more about these two I would have been more interested. If you’re a Hemingway fan or a fan of the author you may enjoy it more. I really wanted to love this because it sounded so intriguing. In the end, it just wasn’t for me. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to preview it.

Thank-you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and the author for providing a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Love and Ruin, author Paula McLain tackles her second book about one of Ernest Hemingway’s four wives. This work of historical fiction centers on Martha (Marty) Gellhorn, who eventually becomes Hemingway’s third wife. I read and really enjoyed McLain’s book, The Paris Wife, about Hadley Richardson, Hemingway’s first wife, not long after it was published in 2011. So I was really looking forward to reading the author’s take on another of Hemingway’s wives. McLain once again delivered a good solid story that seemed historically accurate, and spurred me to do a bit more research about Hemingway and Gellhorn on my own. To me, that’s a sign of a good historical fiction. She captured my imagination and made me want to learn more, and see more of the main protagonists.

The book opens with a description of Gellhorn’s early life before she meets Hemingway. She’s a struggling writer who unexpectedly meets Hemingway when she and her mother and brother venture into a bar in Key West while on vacation in 1936. A friendship ensues from that chance meeting, and Hemingway encourages Gellhorn to travel to the Spanish Civil War, and meet up with him and his group of journalist/writer friends who are planning on reporting on the war from inside Spain. In 1937 Marty Gellhorn gets a press pass and travels by herself to Spain. She eventually meets up with Hemingway’s cadre of friends. In Spain, she finds comradery, and her own untapped talent for capturing character sketches of everyday folks facing the horror and hardships of the war. She eventually succumbs to Hemingway’s romantic advances, and they become lovers despite his current marriage to Pauline Pfeiffer with whom he has two young sons.

The rest of the book swings between the tension of Marty’s work, her desire to find her place as an author; and Hemingway’s growing success as an author. The more Hemingway succeeds, the crueler he seems to become in understanding Marty’s need to work. He becomes more demanding, and less accommodating as he drinks more and more, and struggles with undiagnosed depression. He wanted Marty to just caravan around the world from their home in Cuba, to Sun Valley, Idaho and while away the days with drinking and fishing. While Marty loved her ‘Rabbit’ and all three of his sons, this was not enough for her. She continued to accept assignments from Collier’s magazine that sent her to the front of war zones and armed conflicts. She did her best work in those situations, and paid the price at home for accepting the jobs.

In this telling, eventually Hemingway becomes too cruel to bear, and the couple divorce. Marty calls this time her ‘Ruin’. As I stated at the start of this review, after I finished the book I had to go do some research about Marty Gellhorn on my own. I was impressed about all the great work that she did in the most dangerous zones in the world. I like that she didn’t simply cave in to Hemingway, but followed her own path despite the eventual consequences that had on her marriage.

I think that McLain delivered the goods with this book. I’m giving it a solid 4 stars.