This is a book I have been wanting to read for a while now, it intrigued me, not because I'm a big fan of Hemingway (although I did go out and buy A Farewell to Arms, The Sun Also Rises and A Moveable Feast after reading it) but because of the interesting times that he had and his four wives lived through; Paris in the 1920s, Spain during the Civil War in the 1930s and of course the dangers of Europe throughout the Second World War. I haven't read Naomi's work before this and I have to say her writing style is warm, witty and easy to read. For me this was an absolute page turner while also being a thorough character analysis of the four women and the ups and downs of their relationships with each other and with the charismatic Ernest, around whom the novel revolves. Although Ernest is not given a voice his character comes across very strongly as we see him through the eyes of the women who by turns love him, hate him, pity him and are finally abandoned by him. I really enjoyed this novel and anyone with an interest in Hemingway or the fascinating circles he moved in will find something to like here. It would also be of huge interest to anyone who like me is intrigued by the changes in women's lives throughout the first half of the century.
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