A Moveable FeastA Moveable Feast
Score Classic
What it's about
In the early 1920s, Ernest Hemingway was young, poor and happy in Paris with his first wife, Hadley, learning to write in cafés and cold rooms. Decades later he wrote about those years: his friendships with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and James Joyce, borrowing books from Sylvia Beach's shop, a road trip with F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the end of his marriage.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 19 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It's a beautiful, bittersweet portrait of a city and a generation of writers.
You'll love it if you liked
The Great Gatsby
Speak, Memory
Just KidsGood to know
It was published after Hemingway's death and edited by others; the 'restored edition' includes more material. He's unkind about some friends, especially Fitzgerald.
By the numbers
- Readers46 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller71 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #122 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #225 of the 762 classics we rank
- #702 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Moving
More by Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Sun Also Rises
A Farewell to ArmsIf you like this, read next
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill
Dispatches
The Path to Power
The Souls of Black FolkExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is A Moveable Feast worth reading?
Yes. It spent 19 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #702 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Moveable Feast about?
In the early 1920s, Ernest Hemingway was young, poor and happy in Paris with his first wife, Hadley, learning to write in cafés and cold rooms. Decades later he wrote about those years: his friendships with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and James Joyce, borrowing books from Sylvia Beach's shop, a road trip with F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the end of his marriage.
How long does it take to read A Moveable Feast?
About 6 hours (256 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Moveable Feast?
If you liked it, try The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov or Just Kids by Patti Smith.