Book to Movie: Midnight in Paris

Okay, okay, it isn't really a book to movie. However, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is definitely for the bookish. An engaged writer, Gil, who is dissatisfied with his lucrative life writing comedy screenplays and wants to work on his novel, falls in love with Paris as he spends time there with his fiance's family, who have traveled to Paris on a business trip. After a night of walking and avoiding his fiance's didactic and pompous friend, who has taken to tourist-ing with them, Gil is swept away to the Lost Generation, where he meets Hemingway and Fitzgerald, has Gertrude Stein critique his book, hears Dali wax bizarre on painting, sees Picasso womanize away, hears Cole Porter perform live, and meets a lovely woman who shares his nostalgia for the past.

First of all, the real star of this film is Paris. My husband had to essentially clap his hand over my mouth because the first several minutes of the film were a montage of places I knew and loved and I was freaking out. I could sit and watch the movie with the sound turned off (okay, maybe not in the Cole Porter scenes) and still be happy.

The book also appealed to me with its inclusion of bookish characters (and others from that era). I love Fitzgerald and have been learning to love Hemingway (and can't help but love his character... especially the way his lines are written to sound just like him). Cole Porter is one of my favorite jazz composers. Shakespeare and Co. is one of my favorite spots in Paris. It was exciting to see each new character come on the screen and to see them expressed (and at times parodied).

The movie had two weak points for me. First, Rachel McAdams' character was so inexpressibly awful that I couldn't stand when she was on the screen. I know that I profess to really enjoy those love-to-hate characters, but she was such a witch that I wanted to plug my ears and sing until she went away. I usually love Rachel McAdams, but she did a little too well at playing a selfish upper class brat in this movie. Secondly, while everything came together neatly, the climax or "a-ha!" moment had a little too much cheese for me. The moral was a little blatant. This isn't a huge glaring flaw - I still enjoyed the movie. It just felt a little contrived. I am by no means a film critic - these are entirely my own opinions.

However, overall, this was a fun movie - definitely one I would buy if it were five dollars at Target. I might go see it again in the dollar theater. I certainly want to see those breath-taking scenes of Paris again.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Title: The Paris Wife

Author: Paula McLain

Genre: Historical fiction

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2011

Source: Personal Copy

First off, dear person in the seat next to me, did you have to choose this open seat out of all the other open seats on the bus? I now have to awkwardly squeeze my elbows in while I type to keep from awakening you from your post-workday commute slumber.

Anyway, this is the story of Hadley and Ernest Hemingway's life together, told from Hadley's point of view. I have not yet read A Moveable Feast, but I am guessing it follows many of the events. It starts when Hadley meets Ernest and ends when he takes his own life, years after their marriage disintegrated.

I was feeling rather excited for this book, I'll admit, for a few reasons. Firstly, it takes place in Paris, an obvious factor for anyone who knows me well. Secondly, I love "Lost Generation" writers (Fitzgerald is a favorite) and I've been reading a bit more Hemingway this year, so I was excited to learn more of his life story, even though it was fictionalized. This was further intensified by seeing the movie Midnight in Paris (in which no mention of Hadley was made). I had heard rave reviews from people I respect (non-book bloggers, which sometimes makes it sound even better to me - normal people like it, not just book-obsessed ones!). Maybe I hyped it to myself a little too much. Because while I liked it, it was by no means a stellar read for me.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed learning about Hadley and Hemingway's life. I enjoyed reading about Paris. I even enjoyed the writing, although at times it seemed to be too blatantly imitating Hemingway, which seemed a little gimmicky. Granted, I have never read other writings by Paula McLain - she may write like that all the time. However, the book lacked that essential spark, that moving quality that turns it into a "book-hugger." I felt like Hadley was telling me a long, detailed story about her life. I heard all about it, but it wasn't shown to me. I wanted to experience the story, not just hear about it. The instances that did spark emotion in me were mostly negative, reading about so many marriages dissolving. I have to rant about something, but don't want to spoiler-it for you, so highlight if you want to read. I was also so appalled that, firstly, Pauline went after Hemingway and secondly, that Hadley went along with it for so long. I cannot imagine any circumstance where that would be acceptable. I know that it was "the thing" in Paris among their friends, but to me it was just a sign of how completely Hadley had lost her identity to Hemingway's. Okay, for those of you tuning in post-spoiler, I just wrote something about how Hadley sacrifices her identity to Hemingway's ideals. I think this also was why I didn't fully identify with the story. Now, I don't consider myself a person that has to assert my desires and personality over all others. I am willing to make concessions, to give up some things that I want and maybe even some things that are important to me, for the good of another person. Part of the reason I changed my post-graduation plans to nursing was so that my husband could go to dental school and I could work less when I want to have children. However, it was hard to read about a person who stepped on her own desires and emotions over and over again out of the fear of her husband leaving her, diminishing in her personality until he was no longer attracted to her, even though he knew their relationship was very beneficial to him.

Im afraid that now I've come off sounding as if I hated the book, which isn't true at all. I didn't hate the book. I just didn't love it or really identify with it. I enjoyed the trip into the era of many of my favorite writers and learned a few things. I even highlighted a few lovely passages. However, my overall experience was lukewarm.

3 stars