opposite number 74 where Hemingway lived for just over a year in Paris
MEAL: Fast service, well priced ice cream, reasonable wine selection
BOOK CRITIQUE:
There were mixed reviews of the book. Some found it slightly depressing, that Hemingway didn’t appreciate his good fortune to be able to sit in cafés, drink some wine, write and meet fellow writers and artists such as Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Picasso. Hemingway appeared rather spoilt in his attitude to his life in Paris and Michel thought that the ‘I want, I get’ attitude seemed to dominate. To quote Cynthia; “what a bunch of spoilt brats!” Hemingway had inherited some money, didn’t have to earn money immediately but this lucky period (monetary wise) doesn’t come across in the book. Michel thought that wine and food dominated the book and this wasn’t always so positive.
Others thought that the book had humour in it. Maren really liked the humour that came across in certain passages, such as the description of the child in the bar. Hemingway was positive about Paris, for example his description of him wanting to enjoy the light in the café. Megan liked his attention to detail in his descriptions of places in Paris which makes Paris beautiful. Beautiful being a frequently used word by Hemingway in this book. He seems to like to use beautiful to describe things, places and people.
Robin introduced the concept that Hemingway invented linear prose, writing in a style which is straight to the point. Hemingway wrote about what he knew about, unlike writers like Annie Proulx who likes to write about things she doesn’t know about. Robin liked the story of the trip from Lyon to Paris because it was not really a story in itself but a great anecdote. Robin and Cynthia thought there were some very good portraits of people, especially the ones of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
Other points of discussion about the book were that it was a little haphazard, the stories didn’t really follow on. Clare said that she liked more guidance in books for things to follow on and hadn’t found it in this book. Megan said that, in contrast to this book, Alice Munro in her collections of short stories is very good at having recurring characters that link the stories together more. Michel said that for all Hemingway’s love of women in life he doesn’t write about them too much in this book. Gertrude Stein is different because she couldn’t be considered as a possible conquest for Hemingway. Clare raised the point as to whether the recurring theme of hunger in the book was a metaphor for hunger in other areas of Hemingway’s life, not just food.
Cynthia had read the book twice. The first time, she thought; “Wow, a great book” and then rereading it a year ago, thought quite differently. We concluded that thoughts on books can depend alot on when you read them.
In conjunction with A Moveable Feast some people had also read “The Paris Wife” and seemed to have more of an insight into Hemingway’s time in Paris; his love for his first wife, his affairs, the true financial situation of the Hemingways.
Clare
