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Book Club Author Suggestion: Paula McLain

“I think of a book as a journey. I want the reader to go somewhere they haven’t been and to come back changed.” - Paula McLain

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Brief Bio:

Author Paula McLain sitting in a wicker high back chare with her feet up and under her, sitting in front of a bay window. She is wearing jeans, a blue and white striped t-shirt and a mauve scarf. She is reading.

Paula McLain (born 1965 in Fresno, California) is a New York Times bestselling author celebrated for her meticulously researched and emotionally resonant historical fiction. Best known for giving voice to the women behind some of history’s most famous men and legends, McLain’s work explores themes of independence, artistic ambition, and the complexities of love under pressure. Before her success as a novelist, McLain earned an MFA in poetry and published a memoir, Like Family, which chronicles her childhood in the California foster care system—a background that deeply informs her interest in resilient, “outsider” characters.

McLain has been credited with revitalizing the historical fiction genre, particularly through her ability to transport readers into a specific time and place—whether it is Jazz Age Paris, 1920s Kenya, or the front lines of the Spanish Civil War. Her novels are popular choices for book clubs due to their rich historical detail and the profound ethical dilemmas her headstrong heroines must navigate.

Available Works in the Colorado Book Club Resource

The Book Club Resource has 8+ copies of the titles below available for 8+ weeks at a time to reading groups across the state. The descriptions below are generated by Google Gemini.

The Paris Wife (2011) | Discussion Questions

Cover art for The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife is a fictionalized account of the tumultuous marriage between Hadley Richardson and the legendary author Ernest Hemingway during the 1920s. After a whirlwind romance in Chicago, the couple moves to Jazz Age Paris, where they join the “Lost Generation” of expatriate artists, including Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald. As Ernest struggles to find his voice and achieve literary fame, the couple faces extreme poverty, the loss of early manuscripts, and the mounting pressure of Ernest’s growing ego and ambition.

The narrative focuses on Hadley’s struggle to remain the steady “Paris wife” while her husband becomes increasingly absorbed in the hedonistic lifestyle of the era. Their relationship eventually unravels under the strain of Ernest’s infidelities, specifically his affair with their close friend Pauline Pfeiffer. The novel concludes with the dissolution of their marriage, depicting Hadley’s heartbreak and her eventual realization that Ernest’s success required a ruthlessness she could no longer sustain.

Circling the Sun (2015) | Discussion Questions

Cover Art for Circling the Sun

Circling the Sun reimagines the life of Beryl Markham, a woman who defied the social constraints of colonial Kenya to become a record-breaking aviator and horse trainer. After being abandoned by her mother and raised by her father alongside the Kipsigis people, Beryl develops a fierce independence that leaves her ill-suited for the traditional roles of a 1920s British socialite. Her journey is marked by a series of scandalous marriages and a relentless drive to prove herself in male-dominated fields, eventually becoming the first woman in Africa to be licensed as a professional horse trainer.

As she navigates the hedonistic “Happy Valley” set of expatriates, Beryl becomes entangled in a high-stakes love triangle with the safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton and the author Karen Blixen. This emotional turmoil pushes her toward the sky, where she finds a new sense of purpose as a bush pilot. The novel culminates in her legendary 1936 solo flight across the Atlantic from east to west, a feat of endurance and skill that cements her legacy as a pioneer who chose professional freedom over domestic security.

Love and Ruin (2018) | Discussion Questions

Cover Art for Love and Ruin

Love and Ruin follows the ambitious journalist Martha Gellhorn as she steps out of the shadow of her predecessors to become one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century. The story begins in 1937 when Martha travels to Madrid to report on the Spanish Civil War, where she begins a passionate and transformative affair with Ernest Hemingway. While their shared dedication to social justice and brave reporting initially unites them, their subsequent marriage begins to crumble under the weight of Ernest’s growing ego and his resentment of Martha’s independent success.

As World War II erupts, Martha refuses to remain a domestic “wife” and instead risks her life on the front lines, eventually scooping Ernest by being one of the first journalists to land at Normandy. The novel captures the tragic dissolution of their relationship as Martha realizes she cannot sacrifice her voice or her career to sustain Ernest’s fragile brilliance. Ultimately, it is a portrait of a woman choosing her own legacy over a toxic, albeit legendary, romance.

Quotations:

  • “I’ve always been drawn to what’s hidden beneath the surface.”
  • “Real writing… was more like laying bricks than waiting for lightning to strike.”
  • “Creativity and playing it safe are not compatible.”
  • “The subconscious is always smarter and more interesting than the rational mind.”
  • “If I can write one sentence, simple and true every day, I’ll be satisfied.”
  • “I need to throw myself off these cliffs as a way to keep learning.”
  • “Sometimes our dreams can be the most revealing things about us.”
  • “I miss good old-fashioned honorable people just trying to make something of life.”
  • “When you bet on yourself… you won’t be wasting time or money, no matter what happens next.”

Notable Facts:

  • Paula and her two sisters were wards of the California court system for 14 years, an experience she documented in her memoir Like Family.
  • Before becoming a novelist, McLain was a published poet. She often credits her background in poetry for her focus on precise, “simple and true” sentences.
  • While writing The Paris Wife, McLain was an adjunct professor with little money; she famously wrote the majority of the bestseller at a local Starbucks in Cleveland Heights for the price of a daily cup of coffee.
  • After two commercially “quiet” books, The Paris Wife became a massive hit, staying on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year and being translated into over 35 languages.

Interviews & Multimedia:

Sources:

Book club sets are circulated to participating libraries via the CLiC courier. Read all about the program on the Book Club Resource landing page. If you are interested in receiving book club sets but are not already a member library, use the online form to get signed up.

Since the BCR has always relied on book donations, we are deeply grateful to all of the institutions and individuals that have donated sets and helped make the collection stronger. Please contact [email protected] for questions or to discuss donations.

Regan Harper
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