It’s hard to read at times but it’s important because while it’s historical fiction, it’s still based on fact. I love the scenes that focused purely on her writing.Ī note about the war coverage, McLain does not shy away from the horrors of war so there is disturbing content in there. She witnesses horrible war atrocities that at first stuns her but she then realizes she must write about the war to give a voice to those who don’t have one. Not thinking about anything else but her career, her love for travel and an admiration for Hemingway’s work, she eventually secures a press pass and joins him there. He suggests she come to Spain and report on the Spanish Civil War with him. Until a fateful encounter with Hemingway at a bar in Key West changes her direction. In the beginning of the novel, all she wants to do is write something that matters, however, it’s not going the way she envisions. I felt such a connection to Gellhorn and her need to have a voice and her writing taken seriously. She paved the way for female reporters who followed and is an inspiration to countless people and probably even more so when they read this book. Gellhorn is a fiercely independent, ambitious young woman who would become one of the greatest war correspondents of the twentieth century. While his actions impact their lives, the stories still felt like theirs. But in McLain’s previous work The Paris Wife and now Love and Ruin, McLain does an admirable job of focusing on the women in his life and he’s a secondary character. He’s a larger than life figure, some of the truths in his life seem fictional. While I enjoy tales about Ernest Hemingway, there’s always a bit of concern if he will overpower a story.

Love and ruin by paula mclain