Even though this book is listed as “fiction,” it feels as much like a memoir as anything I have read. Published posthumously, Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast chronicles a time when the writer was young, often strapped for cash, but seemingly at his best in terms of his craft, his zeal, and the “literary feasts” that he enjoyed in the company of other writers–many of whom were expatriates like Hemingway.
Surrounded by such greats as Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway shone as a young writer moving up. Despite the constant party swirling around all of them, nothing seemed to stifle the “unbridled creativity and unquenchable enthusiasm.”
Unlike other stories I have read from this time, the relationship with his first wife Hadley felt almost like a footnote. She is mentioned frequently, but mostly in her secondary role as wife and companion. His first love was the all-consuming writing craft and the cafes he inhabited in order to soak up the ambience that enriched his prose.
Despite the rather spare style, which is typical Hemingway, I could almost see, hear, and smell the Paris of the 1920s. Hemingway wrote in a conversational voice, as if sharing his thoughts and feelings. In this way, I, as the reader, could almost glimpse the world firsthand.
A very engaging portrait of a time in a writer’s life, and the world populated by other greats: five stars!
CURL UP AND READ 
This is one I want to read to.
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It was a “feast” of a book, Sheila. Hope you enjoy it, and thanks for stopping by.
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