Love and Ruin: A Novel

A New York Times BestsellerA Washington Post Notable Book of 2018An Amazon Best Book of 2018A Real Simple Best Book of 2018A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018A Goodreads Best Book of 2018"Propulsive. . . . Highly engaging . . . . McLain does an excellent job portraying a woman with dreams who isn't afraid to make them real, showing her bravery in what was very much a man's world." —The New York Times"If love and war are two of the greatest themes in literature, they're both here. . . . McLain's dialogue, is, as Hem might say, good and true. She captures the passion Gellhorn and Hemingway feel for each other, and the slow erosion of trust on both sides." —USA Today"Wonderfully evocative. . . . This is historical fiction at its best, and today's female readers will be encouraged by Martha, who refuses to be silenced or limited in a time that was harshly repressive for women." —Library Journal, starred review "McLain has perfected her dramatic and lyrical approach to biographical fiction . . . bring[ing] forth the deepest, most ringing elements of both 'love and ruin,' the two poles of Marty and Ernest's tempestuous relationship, a ferocious contest between two brilliant, willful and intrepid writers. McLain's fast-moving, richly insightful, heart-wrenching and sumptuously written tale pays exhilarating homage to its truly exceptional and significant inspiration." —Booklist, starred review "McLain strikingly depicts Martha Gellhorn's burgeoning career as a writer and war correspondent during the years of her affair with and marriage to Ernest Hemingway. . . . Gellhorn emerges as a fierce trailblazer every bit Hemingway's equal in this thrilling book." —Publishers Weekly"Romance, infidelity, war—Paula McLain's powerhouse novel has it all." —Glamour"Absorbing. . . . McLain portrays Gellhorn as a complex, multi-faceted character." —Winnipeg Free Press"Engrossing. . . . [Love and Ruin] spotlights a woman ahead of her time—a fearless reporter who covered the major conflicts of the twentieth century." —Real Simple"McLain successfully turns Martha's story into a romantic quest and Martha into a romantic heroine." —Washington Post"Among McLain's historical portraits of feisty women who fall for feisty men, Gellhorn holds her own. . . . McLain does a good job of weaving factual details into a well-constructed narrative." —The Boston Globe"In the same way that McLain evoked so well the booze-soaked parties and soirées of Paris's lost generation, here she breathes life—and death—into the theatres of some of the 20th century's most famous conflicts. . . . Love and Ruin makes for captivating reading." —The Independent (UK)"McLain's ability to base a work of fiction on real people is nothing short of superb. Readers may pick up Love and Ruin because of their obsession with Ernest Hemingway, but they'll fall in love with it because of Marty Gellhorn." —BookPage"The outlines of Hemingway's life and loves are well known. But Gellhorn is less familiar: though she had a long and successful career as a journalist and novelist, she fought constantly to keep from being suffocated by the shadow of the man she loved. Love and Ruin, with its mesmerizing arc, shines with a similar light, and readers will find it impossible to look away." —Shelf Awareness"Paula McLain confidently blends meticulously researched fact with fiction once more in Love and Ruin, taking up the story of Hemingway as he encounters the fiercely independent Martha Gellhorn." —Daily Express (UK) "McLain takes another successful trip into historical fiction. . . . Readers will have to remind themselves that this is fiction as McLain draws a finely detailed portrait of the chaos and destruction spreading across Spain. . . . Read [Love and Ruin] for the life lessons McLain shares by making readers care about two flawed people in a turbulent period of world history." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch"McLain's strengths as a novelist are formidable, especially her ability to evoke a strong sense of time and place, whether it be the wreckage of war-torn Spain or the festive atmosphere of Cuba, where Gellhorn and Hemingway had a home." —Houston Chronicle