Everybody Was So Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy: A Lost Generation Love…

I re-read this book after first reading The Paris Wife (about Hemingway's first marriage) and while re-reading A Moveable Feast (Hemingway's memoir about Paris in the 1920s). Everybody Was So Young is the portrait of the marriage of Sara and Gerald Murphy focusing on their life living as American expatriots in Paris in the 1920s. The Murphys were wealthy and beautiful and attracted to the artistic set living abroad. They befriended Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Picasso, and Leger to name just a few. Paris was not only less expensive but more permissive socially than the US during the 1920s and was a destination for young artists who wanted to practice their craft and live a good life. While Gerald dabbled in painting and creating theatrical backdrops, he and Sara were great and generous entertainers who set up house at Villa America in Antibes. ( )

I loved this book enough to go have lunch with the author (who is a delight). This is a wonderful view into the lives of the expat writers during the 1920s. If you are a fan of Fitzgerald or Hemingway, this book will give you some unusual insight into their friendship, inspiration, and writing. ( )

The story of the livees of Sara and Gerald Murphy is certainly an interesting one....filled with characters such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker and Pablo Picasso. This biography makes these people all come to life and makes one appreciate the role that Gerald and Sara played in encouraging these prominent artists of the early 20th century. I really enjoy this book.