Summer reading: Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife, shares her top book picks

Paula McLain won near universal acclaim for her novel The Paris Wife, written from the perspective of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley Richardson, about their marriage and time in tumultuous 1920s Europe. McLain shares with Chatelaine her thoughts on perfect summer reads.

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klausmann, $30.
This darkly delicious story is set on Martha’s Vineyard in the wake of the Second World War, and follows two cousins—Nick and Helena—as disastrous events lay their lives and families bare. Marvelously plotted and oh, so sophisticated. You’ll want a glass of gin with this, cold and neat—and keep them coming.

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty, $29.
A terrific historical novel set in 1922, when a Wichita housewife accompanies the young Louise Brooks (not yet a famous silent film star) to New York City, and has her mind and heart blown wide open. Moriarty has delivered the richest and realest possible heroine in Cora Carlisle, and an utterly moving tale. I loved every page.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry* by Rachel Joyce, $30.
Everything changes for the middle-aged and hopelessly buttoned-up Harold when he receives a postcard from an old friend and finds himself traveling the expanse of England—on foot. In deck shoes, no less. Reminiscent of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this charming and large-hearted debut novel will have you laughing through tears and rooting for Harold every step of the way.

*This selection by McLain is Chatelaine’s August Book Club Pick! Check out our review of it here and look for more features on it in the month ahead.