Paula McLain's new novel, Love & Ruin, recounts Martha Gellhorn's stormy marriage to Ernest Hemingway, and her painful decision to step out of his shadow and forge her own brilliant career as a war correspondent.

'Captivating reading . . .Gellhorn's a most worthy subject for McLain's skilful portraiture' Lucy Scholes, Independent

In 1937, courageous and independent Martha Gellhorn travels to Madrid to report on the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War and finds herself drawn to the stories of ordinary people caught in the devastating conflict. She also finds herself unexpectedly - and uncontrollably - falling in love with Ernest Hemingway, a man on his way to becoming a legend.

On the eve of the Second World War, and set against the turbulent backdrops of Madrid and Cuba, Martha and Ernest's relationship and careers ignite. But when Ernest publishes the biggest literary success of his career, For Whom the Bell Tolls, they are no longer equals, and Martha must forge a path as her own woman and writer.

'ROmance, infidelity, war - Paula McLain's powerhouse novel has it all' Glamour

A beautifully written novel