Hadley After Hemingway
Hadley after Hemingway is a work of historical fiction merged with biography.
When Hadley Richardson married Ernest Hemingway in 1922, she thought it was forever. Five years and Pauline Pfeiffer later, she realized it was not.
Many readers know the story of Hadley and Ernest Hemingway's five-year Paris marriage. Many readers know the story of Ernest's life after the marriage, but few know what happened to Hadley.
Did she remarry? Did she forgive Ernest? Did she leave Paris immediately, or did she never leave? If she remarried, who was he? Was she happy? How long did she live? And finally, what about Bumby? After two years of research, Hadley After Hemingway answers those questions and more.
Facing the loss of the life she had planned, Hadley realized that many friends from her expat community expected nothing from her but failure. With the freedom of no expectations, she dug deep within to find the strength to become the woman she needed to be for herself and her son Bumby. Believing in herself, she rebuilt her life and found a new love.
In that new life, Hadley traded the pain and drama of Paris for a small French village. There, she lived the life she said she was born to live. It was not a life of wonder as she lived with Ernest, but it was a wonderful life with her second husband, Paul another journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner. Her musical talent, fishing, travels, friends and family filled her life.
Defined by the people and events of the Twentieth Century, Hadley’s life after Hemingway explores the importance of love, family, friends, and life played out naturally, not life played out on a stage. It is one woman's life after the life she expected to live exploded.
For another forty years, Hadley lived and experienced life through her own eyes and the eyes of her newshound husband, Paul Mowrer. His profession gave them front-row seats to major events from the Depression to man arriving on the moon, from WWII to the hunt for a loved one missing in that war, from Paris, Crécy-en-Brie, Chicago, Chocorua, London, the Florida Everglades, and points between.
Hadley After Hemingway is biography through historical fiction. It is not full of explosive events. It is second love, long walks, long talks, holding hands, making love, and making memories. It is being oneself whether with famous friends or strangers; whether with family or alone.
It has no primary climatic moment that will tear you apart. It is not a book full of angst or sexy romps in the hay. While it will not destroy you, you will learn of a secret from Hadley’s years with Ernest that has threatened her hard-won serenity.
It is the book you need to read after reading another book ripped your heart out and made you cry "I can never read another book." Yes, you can. You need a soothing book that speaks to you of love, family, friends, loyalty, and the things you remember that bring you sunshine and hope for the future.
With flashbacks to her childhood and life with Ernest, one comes to understand how and why Hadley found the sweetness of serenity so enticing.
You know Ernest's story, now read Hadley After Hemingway to know Hadley’s story. Read it to see how she redefined herself and her life. Also, read it and share your memories of the 20th Century, from the early 1920s to the late 1970s, with Hadley.
