my take: This was great to read after reading The Paris Wife … if we hadn’t read that last year, we all agreed we would not have enjoyed it, or enjoyed it as much.

Some of us read the revised, newest edition published by Hem’s son and grandson which attempts to restore some passages that were changed or deleted by the fourth wife about the Paris wife. Also, it includes bits and pieces of revisions. So it was a little confusing that we didn’t all read the same edition. (I read the newest one and loved all the included revisions.)

The streets, cafes, food, and weather of Paris come to life, even if Hemingway’s not able to be particularly faithful in his re-telling of certain personal events. I wish I’d read this before my last trip to Paris, which I hope wasn’t my last … I think in some circles this has been considered required pre-Paris reading.  It made me want to read a bit more on F. Scott Fitzgerald as he figures prominently in many of the sketches.

Some sketches are tremendous. Let’s face it, the man could write even if he is a bit of an enigma.

my source: Book Chicks July pick

my verdict: worth a read