Hadley Richardson

Hadley Richardson is the main character in "The Paris Wife." The "character" is actually based on the real person, Hadley Richardson, who was married to Ernest Hemingway between 1921 and 1927. During the marriage, they lived most of the time in Paris, France, which in the 1920s was the place for American artists and writers to be to hone their skills, to be seen and to produce their works.

Hadley Richardson was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father established the St. Louis Library system and founded Richardson Pharmacy Company which became the most successful pharmaceutical company in the Midwest at the time. Despite his stature and success, Hadley's father committed suicide when she was a young girl. Her mother died some years later, leaving the 28-year-old single woman in a dreary situation with her mean-spirited older sister and her husband who had taken over the family home.

Hadley...