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Content snapshot
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Violence
None
No violence
Language
Barely any
Mild language in the literary register
Sexual Content
A lot
Explicit sexual content; gender fluidity and a three-way relationship are central to the novel
Substance Use
Some
Significant drinking on the Riviera — a central social and creative activity
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong psychological content: the disintegration of a marriage, creative crisis, and jealousy and desire in a complex unconventional relationship
What this book is about
David Bourne, a young American writer enjoying success on the French Riviera in the 1920s, finds his honeymoon turning strange as his wife Catherine begins challenging the boundaries of their relationship — including drawing in another young woman named Marita. Hemingway's posthumously published novel is his most sexually frank, dealing with gender fluidity, jealousy, creative obsession, and the tension between a writer's art and his personal life with unusual candor.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Explicit sexual content including gender play and a three-way relationship
Significant drinking throughout
The psychological complexity of a marriage under extreme creative and personal pressure
Reader Verification
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