I was already a fan of Paula McClain's books and the story of Hemingway and Gelhorn provided ample material for her latest novel. Told from Martha's perspective we get a creative insight into the magnetism of Ernest, but also into his vulnerabilities. Set in a tempestuous historical period including through the Spanish Civil War and into the second world war, this is a historically fascinating novel.

If you loved The Paris Wife then this is a must read.
The story of Martha Gellhorn, a strong independent women who struggles with developing her career as an author / journalist and maintaining her own identity and personality and not just becoming "Mrs Hemingway" covers wars and crosses continents. It portrays Gellhorn and Hemingway with all their faults - there are no rose tinted glasses in this novel.
In this book I discovered a new hero, a woman who was way ahead of her time.
I guess the only sad thing is that despite Martha Gellhorn's efforts to maintain her own identity and not become a "Mrs Hemingway", the only reason this book was written and we get to know so much more about this fascinating women is because she was a "Mrs Hemingway

I found this book a very interesting read. I have to confess to having very limited knowledge about Martha Gellhorn before reading the book but the storyline brought her alive. I thought the descriptions of world events too were very well researched and vivid. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Madrid during the civil war. The book covered Gellhorns life with Hemingway but the author thoughtfully gave us some follow up facts about her life after her divorce. It was my first time reading this author but she is very talented and I will certainly look out for her other books

absolutely loved this book. Loved it. I knew I would: I also really loved The Paris Wife and I’m so there for largely fictionalised accounts of actual events. Like The Crown. That’s like a documentary in my head, you know?




Anyhow, another book about Hemingway’s super complicated love life set amongst the backdrop of the war? Yes please. I read 265 pages on Sunday when I was tired and didn’t want to leave my house and it was glorious.

I liked it in part for the history; the first part was set in Spain, in the late 1930’s at the height of the Spanish Civil War – a period of history I know little of and which was really really interesting to read about. So there was that. It’s always fun to learn about things you feel you should probs know more about. Everybody who knows me knows that I am weirdly drawn to books with a wartime theme. & also really drawn to the likes of Hemingway and Fitzgerald and what their lives might’ve been like. Generally though this is just a really good story made better by the fact that it’s based in truth.

This is the story of Hemingway’s third wife, Martha Gellhorn and it’s her story, not just the story of being married to Ernest Hemingway and as a subject for a book she’s fascinating – the only woman on the beach at Normandy, a war correspondent who travelled the world reporting on conflict. The book follows her from before her first meeting with Hemingway to after their divorce and it’s GOOD.
Hemingway is who you imagine Hemingway to be which is drunk a lot of the time and a bit of a dick but with this sensitivity about him still, loving too much sometimes and so volatile – being loved by Ernest Hemingway seems like something that would have been intense and destructive and McLain does well at portraying, and watching Martha grow as the book progresses is the best thing: Hemingway is her hero when she first meets him, she falls in love with him quickly and kind of gets swept along for a while, first his mistress and then his wife but she has a strength of character which Ernest needed I think, even though he perhaps didn’t know it and she stood her ground and did her own thing and fought for her own career even as she felt like she lived in his shadows somewhat and I liked that about her – she fought hard for her seat at the table and wasn’t prepared to let that die just because her husband shone brighter than the sun. Even as he tried to hold her back and even as she feared doing her own thing might mean she lost him she never lost sight of the fact that she needed to keep hold of her sense of self and I feel like there’s something in that, that we all could learn from. Hemingway seemed toxic in a lot of ways and sometimes it felt like he perhaps wanted her to sacrifice her career, so supportive of her in the beginning but then wanting her to be just his wife whilst he basked in the success of his work – he published For Whom The Bell Tolls whilst married to Martha – but she was strong enough to stand her ground, to fight to be her own person even as he stood in her way.

This book is obviously meticulously researched, and the most interesting book I’ve read in ages. It was refreshing too, written in first person which: let’s be real here, is a tricky thing to get right. McLain nails it though, and I came away from this feeling like I knew Gellhorn, and Hemingway too actually, they sprang from the pages and Gellhorn’s voice is so clear here – self-deprecating and anxious and stubborn and determined and so full of love and honestly? I liked the bits outside of her relationship with Hemingway the best of all and I am so glad this wasn’t just written as a journey to heartbreak, you know? I mean it is that, it is a love story and one that you get lost in and invested in and gripped by even though you know it’s not going to end well, but it’s so much more than that, and it’s the more than that that really did it for me. That and the cats.

I finished this book and immediately googled Martha Gellhorn and that says a lot, I think.

I wasn't sure this could live up to my high expectations but it did. A solid storyline supported by superbly written accounts of the main character's' experiences as a war correspondent and also her personal emotional victories and ultimate loss. I was hooked from start to finish.

I real,y enjoyed this book. I had previously read the Paris Wife and thought it to be brilliantly written. This book is the same. It is about Hemmingways third wife, Martha. I really like good historical books and this book is certainly that. It has obviously been very well researched and well thought out. I got totally caught up in it from the start. I was fascinated by the details of their lives. The whole book was brilliantly put together and I was sad to get to the end of it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

5* - Delightfully Distracting

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book and am so grateful that I did. I was drawn to it, not only due it’s historical nature, but also due to the story being about two authors, particularly being one myself. I was engrossed from page one and just wanted to keep reading, despite being a slow reader and life having taken over, just after I committed to doing so, hence my review is a little late in arriving. I was so glad that I discovered this was based on a true story, as I had felt that from the outset and was wishing it to be the case. To learn about Marty Gellhorn and Ernest Hemmingway’s relationship was enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable. I, myself, haven’t read much in the past, in respect of the period of WWII, but found the insight from this novel to be eye-opening and enthralling. I’m not at all surprised that this book is being offered in larger print, due to the age of those who might be most interested in it. Having said that, no matter a person's age, if they're interested in this story, they should just take a leap and go for it, as it brings our own recent history that much closer to us. I love the fact that Marty travelled the globe during the most difficult period of our own history and this story brings us all there along with her. I have no doubt this is going to be a best-seller, flying off the shelves, particularly bearing in mind it’s launch date, so close to the D-Day memorials. I understood, from this novel, all the horrors which our forces, civilians and journalists felt and saw during that period and consider it to be a lovely, if a little self-absorbed (at least on the part of Ernest Hemmingway) rendition of the period. Happy reading to all who decide to purchase it, as I doubt you shall be disappointed. This book is uplifting, heart-breaking and encouraging, all in equal measure, in my opinion and shall keep the story alive of a very significant part of our recent history.

In 1936, young aspiring author Martha Gellhorn walks into a Key West bar and meets Ernest Hemingway. The attraction is immediate, but he's married (to his second wife) with three children, and she's much younger and already been badly let down in an affair with a married man. A year later, they both head off to Madrid as journalists covering the Spanish Civil War, and, thrown together, fall rapidly and recklessly in love.

This is a story I was already familiar with, if only in outline - the sort of thing picked up from the author biography at the back of paperback - and it's not necessarily easy to turn fact into readable, engrossing fiction, but Paula McLain has. It isn't entirely new ground for her - she's already visited the subject in The Paris Wife, which told the story of Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson - but Martha Gellhorn stands out from the other wives (there were four in all) as being well known in her own right, as a war correspondent.

When they meet, Hemingway is well on his way to being a literary superstar, and Gellhorn still trying to find her feet as a professional writer, but in Spain she finds her calling, reporting the horrors of war, bringing home the impact on people caught up in conflict, and as the years pass the balance of power - in the shape of literary success - begins to shift between the two; after the huge success of For Whom The Bell Tolls Hemingway's career grinds to a halt, just as Gellhorn's starts to really take off. She soon finds herself facing a choice - become a stay-at-home wife and mother, as women were in the '40s, or carve out a career for herself, and risk losing her husband.

Told primarily from Martha's point of view, McLain captures the passion that brings these two together, the differences and similarities that ultimately tear them apart, and the trauma of war in which she finds her calling. The short passages told from Ernest's perspective give in insight into how he feels, a desire for a settled 'normal' happy marriage, and an inkling of the black moods that enveloped him later. As I say, I knew the outlines of the story already but McLain gives a fascinating insight into this doomed relationship, brings the characters to life and by the end I felt I knew them well. For what it's worth, my suspicion is that Gellhorn and Hemingway were too alike to ever be happy, both ambitious and focused on their work, but it was that similarity which attracted them to each other, and if Martha had become the home-maker Ernest wanted, the relationship would still have failed.

Love and Ruin is based on the life (or part of the life) of Martha Gellhorn, a writer, journalist, war correspondent... and third wife of Ernest Hemingway. I loved Paula McLain’s book The Paris Wife, about Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, so I was excited to read this. At first, it didn’t quite grab me, and I wondered if it was going to be as good. And then, about a third of the way through, I was completely absorbed. Gellhorn makes a fascinating character and McLain’s ability to write achingly true-to-life relationship interactions is on full display in this book. Because the book is based on real life events, you know what’s coming, and that looms like a heavy shadow that manages to make the story all the more compelling. A slow start, maybe, but a strong and thought provoking book.

Found this rather hard going to start with, but it improved as it went along.
Martha Gellhorn, an aspiring writer, goes on holiday to Key West with her mother and brother, where she bumps into Ernest Hemingway. A short meeting turns into a long correspondence, leading to her travelling to Spain to cover the Spanish Civil War, becoming one of Hemingway's entourage as she does so. Although Hemingway is married with children, their relationship develops during their time in Spain. Hemingway eventually divorces his second wife and they marry. As may be expected, theirs is not an easy relationship - both are driven by work.
Told from the perspective of Martha, the story details the relationship and the development of Martha's career and of Hemingway's writing success - both of which make the marriage hard to sustain.
This is an interesting read, from a historical perspective, with graphic descriptions of the Spanish Civil War, and explores Hemingway from the perspective of someone who, although deeply in love with him, struggled to cope with the complexities of his character and lifestyle.

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction thars based around real life characters. I love being able to look them up and find out more about them.

Love And Ruin follows Martha Gellhorn as she meets Ernest Hemingway and becomes a war correspondent during the civil war. The author has a fantastic way of capturing the atmosphere of that time. The Fear and uncertainty everyone feels is almost palpable at times. I admired their courage in the face of the unknown. The patriotic spirit and sense of optimism shown by the Spanish was wonderful to read about, though a little poignant as we know how things turn out.

I knew from previous books about Martha & Ernest that I would love the two main characters. I’ve not read a book from Martha’s point of view before or one that gets behind the character, which was really fascinating to read about. I definitely felt that I knew Martha a little better by the end of the book. Martha is a very determined woman who knows what she wants and works hard to achieve it. Her bravery in journeying to Spain alone and the courage she shows in certain situations in the book was brilliant to read about. She is a little niave some times, hoping that everything would magically fall into place but I think that was part of her charm and made me like her all the more.

The author’s depiction of Ernest was spot on and exactly as I’ve always imagined he’d be like. He really comes to life in the pages and I found I wanted to read on to find out what he’d do next. Ernest Hemingway is one of the top historical characters I’d love to meet as I think he’d be very interesting and fun to talk to.

The only thing that stops this book being 5 stars is that the pace is quite slow. This didn’t matter to me as I love reading books about this period and I enjoyed the author’s descriptions of Ernest and Martha’s growing relationship. However some readers may find it hard going. I’d recommend continuing though as this is a fantastic story about a remarkable woman that deserves to be read.

Huge thanks to William Upcott and Little Brown for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

I loved The Paris Wife so was really looking forward to reading this novel,and I wasn't disappointed.Yet again it deals with Ernest Hemingway,and tells the story of his third wife ,Martha Gellhorn.It's beautifully written,mainly from her point of view ,and gives a wonderful picture of this amazing,strong woman who became one of 20 century's most respected war correspondents.
Her relationship with Hemingway was never easy.She was one of the few women who refused to be dominated by him,and this strength and force of character shines throughout the novel.The war scenes are sensitively described ,and her bravery and determination are a big part of the book.
Highly recommended-I loved it.

Love and Ruin is an insightful and tantalsiing glimpse into the intimate life of Ernest Hemingway. It documents his relationship with his 3rd wife journalist Martha Gelhorn, who joined him during the Spanish Civil War at the front in Madrid and later in Europe during WW2.
Their tempestuous relationship, marked by periods of solitary writing versus mad parties and drinking show the extremes of their lifestyles and the damage that was ultimately to result in their inevitable divorce in 1945.
Martha was a talented writer and of all of his wives, was the one who pursued her career nearly as vehemently as he did himself. A fact that ultimately contributed in their demise. Strong willed and stubborn, she used those qualities to take advantage of situations. The drive motivating her is what leads to her success both as a journalist and a novelist. A fact that did not go down well with Hemingway who would like her to stay home and have a baby to add to his family of 3 some from his previous relationships.
So well written and gripping is this novel that I feel i have lived in the Finca in Cuba, endured the night's of bombing raids over London, and watched fascinated at Hemingway's bitterness towards Martha as he realises her success at a time when his seemed to have dried up. His love turns overnight into antagonism and she cannot reach him anymore. The destructive pattern of his life continues with the introduction of the next girlfriend towards the end of the novel -she will indeed go on to become the 4th and last Hemingway wife.
Highly recommended along with the previous novel The Paris Wife about his first wife Hadley.

I am not a big fan of historical novels, but when I read the names of Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn I couldn’t help myself and I requested LOVE AND RUIN on NetGalley, because I am a huge fan of his novels and her writing.

The novel starts right when Martha first met Hemingway, how they first became friends, then lovers, and then husband and wife. It was fascinating to see the two sides of Martha. When she was with Hemingway she was a woman in love who accepted her man requests, although it was good to see her stand up to him. They were jealous of each other’s success and she was often left in the shadow. But when she was away from him, on the field, trying to get material for her articles she was fiery, strong, and determined. She traveled all around Europe during World War II and she would do anything to get the article she wanted, including hide in a hospital ship bathroom to be the only woman to witness the Normand landings. That’s what I liked most about this character, her bravery, her commitment to show to the people in her country the brutalities of the war and her commitment to her career that, in the end, she chose over her marriage.

Although the novel focuses mostly on her relationship with Hemingway, the author explores also her relationship with her three stepsons whom she loved deeply and her relationship with her family. Her father died before she met Hemingway and they had a difficult relationship because he wasn’t very supportive of her writing, but she was very close to her mother and she often confided in her.

The novel is told mostly from Martha’s point of view and, thanks to the author’s attention to details and accuracy, it read like a memoir. It’s beautifully written, insightful, and memorable and I had a really hard time put it down!

WhileI appreciated the clarity of the writing, and the credible voice (I think) of Martha Gellhorn in this recounting of her career from perspective of her long-time association and marriage to Hemingway I had a few problems with it all - the chemistry between them was sort of insisted on too much - I did not feel it. His fame always intervened, and this bothered me too - she has no standing except as she relates to his renown, and that's how she gets everywhere - well, that irked me, but also detracted from the sense of what she was about as one of the first female war reporters... the name dropping was fun but I began to distrust the characterisations of the 'great' names = Lilian Hellman or Dos Passos ... and her of course - if you did not know any of these people and were reading this outside ofthat knowledge, it might not work at all. A kind of insider's novel - intelligent despite all that, and written in straightforward almost documentary way outside her voice - which is honed down and persuasive ... I'm of several minds about this one.

I was very intrigued by this book as it is based on a true story and about the second wife of Ernest Hemingway: Martha Gellhorn, who was one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century and an author herself. The novel is told from Martha’s perspective and it starts with her turmoil of attempting to write her second novel, feeling deflated and uninspired after the poor reception of her first. At this time her father also falls ill and this makes her travel back home after spending years in Europe. Some time after this, by pure chance, she meets Ernest Hemingway.

As an aspiring author myself, I could relate to a lot of Martha’s thoughts and feelings about her writing and her books. Later, when she becomes close to Ernest and she feels completely overcast by his reputation and his talent; I felt pure empathy for Martha. As a writer it is so hard not to compare one’s own work or talent to that of writers who have become extremely successful and I felt this aspect of Martha’s experience was portrayed well.

Some of the writing throughout this novel was beautiful and moving and it drew me into the story even more. When the narrative was following Martha and Ernest’s relationship or Martha’s own struggles and accomplishments with her writing, I felt invested and connected to the characters. However, the other aspect of this novel was the conflicts going on at the same time. Namely, the Spanish Civil War and then later World War II broke out. When Martha was reflecting or reporting on the events going on around her or when she was investigating, the writing was completely different. It read exactly like a newspaper report and it felt detached. At times it felt disjointed when it went straight from one style to the other. Possibly, it was supposed read like a report because of Martha’s journalistic side but I didn’t really enjoy it – personal taste.

What especially intrigued me about overall though, was the rise and fall of Martha and Ernest’s relationship. I think the author did an excellent job of bringing their love and ruin to life in this novel. Personally, I’m always interested in characters and relationships in a story and this one especially intrigued me as it centred around an extremely successful journalist and one of the most famous authors.

It has made me want to read both of their works respectively and it gave a lot of context and background to the influence of many of their novels. This book didn’t blow me away but it was a genuine and heartfelt story inspired by true events.

One quote I particularly loved:

"I only knew what I knew. That Ernest could eclipse me, large as any sun, without even trying. That he was too famous, too far along in his own career, too sure of what he wanted. He was also too married, too dug into the life he’d built in Key West. Too driven, too dazzling. Too Hemingway."

This is a book of tragedy. The tragedy of decades of war and of personal relationships are brilliantly intertwined. Although based on a true story, this is a relationship that will be new to most readers. Hemingway remains the more famous figure which would irritate Martha if she had known it would remain that way always. This beautifully written book gives Martha her proper place in journalistic history. Her wartime exploits were amazing. Much of the information about Hemingway is probably not known either so this book does a further service to history.

I so enjoyed The Paris Wife that I was eager to read another by Paula McLain. It is similar in many ways but so good to hear that it is based on a true part of history. How much is true I wonder? I can't say that I warmed to either character but then that's real life I suppose. Well written and researched giving us a glimpse into a time in history that we seldom learn about in any other way.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36529552-love-and-ruin" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Love and Ruin" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515333912m/36529552.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36529552-love-and-ruin">Love and Ruin</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/290189.Paula_McLain">Paula McLain</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2377592910">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I love historical fiction especially about real characters. I must confess I didn’t know anything about Martha Gellhorn before reading this. <br />Vivid descriptions of the Spanish civil war and fascinating depiction of a war correspondents role. Meticulously researched. I’ve visited Madrid many times including some of Hemingway’s old haunts and recognised some of the buildings that are still standing.<br />This is beautifully written and I immediately connected with Martha and could identify with the conflicts she feels between staying with her husband or following the story.<br />Just loved this and highly recommend.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/78380355-denise">View all my reviews</a>

After reading and very much enjoying The Paris Wife, I was pleased and surprised that the author was diving back into Hemingway's world again. I very much disagree with a previous reviewer- it's apparent in every page just how thoroughly Paula McClain has tried to inhabit her subjects. Both Gellhorn and Hemingway are laid bare, and not always sympathetically which I really appreciated. Also, while I normally feel that switching perspectives can be a gimmick, I looked forward to the brief passages from the mind of Ernest himself, detailing the seeds of his struggles with the deep dark moods that would claim his life years later. Gellhorn also is an imperfect protagonist. The destructive magnetism between two such strong personalities sparks off the page. Their passion, talent and even rivalry is riveting and real. Despite her achievements, she battled her own demons, including stepping out of the shadow of her famous ex and bucking what were then deeply ingrained gender norms.
I'm thoroughly impressed by this work. The author brought to life through the eyes of Martha Gellhorn the turbulence of the world at war, and how the harrowing things that she saw informed the stories that she would become known for. I enjoyed this look at her journey, flaws and all, but living and yes even dying on her very own terms.