"I wished I had died before I ever loved anyone but her," Ernest Hemingway wrote of his first wife, Hadley Richardson. This remarkable audiobook imaginatively recreates Hemingway’s world as seen through Hadley’s eyes. Narrator Carrington MacDuffie portrays this ardent yet grounded woman well, capturing her departure from ordinary life as she falls headlong in love with “Nesto.” Hemingway pronounces Hadley “a good clear sort” of person, and MacDuffie beautifully expresses her levelheaded nature as lover, mother, and eventually, estranged wife. MacDuffie’s ability to subtly characterize conversations between Hemingway and Hadley through slight shifts in tone and pacing is admirable. She’s equally artful at depicting the many others populating the author’s world --- from son Bumby to Southern mistress Pauline. This terrific production will absorb all listeners, not just Hemingway fans.

Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award