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There are currently 25 member reviews
for Circling the Sun
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Patricia T. (Fallbrook, CA)
Circling the Sun, by Paula McLain
This book will be read by two different groups of people, those who have never heard of Beryl Markham, or who know very little, and those who have read all her books, plus all the biographies that cover her life in total detail. For this latter group the book is redundant. I should disclose that I went to Kenya in 1947 as a very small child, with my family. Lived there until 1964, so I absorbed many of the myths, truths, and legends surrounding this woman first hand. I even saw her in person, from a distance, while attending meets at Nairobi racecourse during the fifties, when she was back to training racehorses in later life. The author captures the feel of Kenya and evokes a sense of place, and she is kind to Beryl. It would actually be impossible to exaggerate any aspect of her life; she was one of a kind, infamous rather than famous, a freeloader and a free spirit, a woman who completely ignored all the conventions to get where she wanted to go. Her life makes for a cracking good story, I think readers in the first group, new to Beryl, will love it. The author lets us know of her major achievement - the trans Atlantic flight - in a novel way, through the prologue and epilogue, and ends the book with Beryl's awakening to the excitement of flying in those early days. There are some research lapses. There is alarming switch of tribes from Kipsigi to Kikuyu early on; and we read of Beryl's pony drinking its fill from Lake Elmentaita, which is a soda lake, highly alkaline, and unpotable to mammals; also, Yorkshire pudding with lamb, never! But this is fiction, so license is allowed. Enjoyl
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Karen B. (Pittsburgh, PA)
Beryl Markham, Deserving Subject of McClain's Latest Novel
Readers unfamiliar with Beryl Markham and her excellent autobiography, "West With the Night", will be fascinated by McClain's novel focusing on this accomplished and determined woman living in early 20th century Africa. Markham was a trailblazer and, having read Markham's autobiography, feel that McClain successfully captures her personality and spirit. Fans of "The Paris Wife" are in for a treat. Be sure to have a few hours time set aside before picking this one up. You won't want to put it down. You may find yourself picking up Markham's book(s) too.
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Patricia W. (Richmond, VA)
A woman ahead of her time
Beryl Markham was a remarkable woman, not afraid to make her own way in a man's world. Her story is compelling and is well told by Paula McClain. Beryl's hardships in her early life, her tenacity when there was a goal she wanted to reach-- no matter how unconventional -- her unhappy marriages were relayed with a sympathetic but fairly objective eye by Ms. McClain. There is a great deal of information written about Karen Blixen so Beryl's story has seemed secondary. It is good that this book will give this brave and pioneering woman a great deal of well-deserved visibility.
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Constance C. (Manchester, NH)
Disappointed.
Being somewhat familiar with Beryl Markham I was interested in this book. I felt at the beginning it had possibilities but as I kept on it was becoming a letdown. The characters are not likable, spending time drinking, swapping partners, and Beryl is right on, using her so-called friends, and husbands. Much is written about horse racing and training as she was famous as a trainer. It is well researched and the author writes well, but that said, it was not a book I enjoyed, Really could not care about any of the people. 3 stars
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