Point of View

Most of the chapters in "The Paris Wife" are written in the first-person narrative and the past tense. Hadley Richardson is the main narrator of the book, which tells of her love affair with and marriage to Ernest Hemingway and its ultimate disastrous ending. The book departs from this point of view in several key chapters. In Chapter 18, the perspective cleverly switches to third person narrative, present tense, to explain Hemingway's assignment as a reporter in worn-torn Turkey. It was the first time, according to this book, that he committed adultery.

Another example of the change of perspective is in Chapter 27, which provides a flashback sequence written in past tense and limited omniscience. It is the account of how Ernest first became sexually involved with one of Hadley's best friends, Paula. By writing the account with limited omniscience, the author is able to share some of...