When my book club picked this book, I was torn. I had heard it was good, but did I really want to read a book about Hemingway? I don't like Hemingway. I'm biased against him based on what I have read about him as a person. I once tried to read [b:For Whom the Bell Tolls|46170|For Whom the Bell Tolls|Ernest Hemingway|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492591524s/46170.jpg|2252079] and couldn't make it past the first chapter. McLain managed to get past all my doubts and make me care about Hadley, Hemingway's first wife. I could see why she fell for him, and why she left. It made me think a lot about that Lost Generation, and why they were boozy, and yet produced such interesting work.

I'm not a good enough reviewer to have the words to exactly describe this, but I liked McLain's style of writing. I could feel Hadley talking to me, and I wanted her to continue. She felt like a friend. I'm looking forward to reading her other books, and looking at NoveList for a readalikes list to try to figure out what exactly it is about this style that I enjoy.