Book Review: A Moveable Feast

Back in 2017, I took a solo trip to London, Paris, and Rome. One of my favorite experiences in Paris was a literary walking tour I booked through Localers.com. It could have been a disaster. After all, the walking tour started only minutes after my arrival in Paris, rain drizzled down, and I had to drag all of my belongings in my backpack beneath my umbrella. But despite those obstacles, it provided a genuine thrill. Our guide was an American Parisian, easily understood, and she led us through the literary landscape of Hemingway's time. If I had to do it over, I would have read Hemingway's memoir first.

In A Moveable Feast, we find his famous quote: "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." Hemingway shares details about life on the cheap in Paris, about his writing pursuits, and about his famous writing companions. It was interesting to listen to his reactions to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby because I had just re-read the novel. Trevor was reading it for his English class, and I thought we could solidify details for him if we discussed the reading. By far the most emotionally stirring bit was his wife's tragic loss of several of his manuscripts when she intended to bring them to him on the train. Oh, the anguish!

Although billed with fuzzy descriptors as factual fiction, it is very well written and provides an intimate glimpse into the writer's interior landscape. I now want to revisit Hemingway's books. How long since I've read one! He was a brilliant writer, well aware of his talent and his responsibility to that talent. I enjoyed this romp through Paris with an articulate guide.