Hemingway has become more myth than man to modern readers, but Paula McLain’s book offers an intriguing glance into the man and the (first) woman who married him. McLain manages to capture Hemingway’s charm as well as his rougher, more cruel traits, as well as what it’s like for his wife, who doesn’t consider herself to be an artist and is therefore left out of crucial parts of his world. Written with empathy for her characters, the book tells us the story of a marriage, the story of a time, and the story of a woman. Even if you’re not a big Hemingway fan (which I’m definitely not), it’s hard not to get swept up into this novel about that magical time for authors and artists in Paris in the late 20s/early 30s.