Have you read Beryl's memoir, "West With the Night"? Have you read other books about this period in Kenyan/East African history, such as Isak Dinesen's "Out of Africa"? If so, how do you think they compare?
Created: 08/26/16
Replies: 14
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
Have you read Beryl's memoir, "West With the Night"? Have you read other books about this period in Kenyan/East African history, such as Isak Dinesen's "Out of Africa"? If so, how do you think they compare?
Join Date: 05/17/16
Posts: 9
I read West with the Night many years ago and loved it. I appreciated having read it before Circling the Sun for a background perspective.
Join Date: 06/13/11
Posts: 52
I tried to read "Out of Africa" after reading "West With the Night" and found the writing style not something I enjoyed. I've watched the movie (Out of Africa) a number of times and think of the dialogue and prose as more modern than Dinesen's prose.
Join Date: 08/30/14
Posts: 265
I have tried to watch the movie "Out of Africa" several times but I couldn't get into because I felt I was missing important details to help me better understand the story. Now that I've read "Circling the Sun," I may try again to watch the movie.
Join Date: 07/13/16
Posts: 26
I do want to read West... since it was highly praised by Hemingway. Hopefully it might answer some of the questions I have about Circling... I would like to hear others opinion of the book. I think she portrayed Beryl well but didn't flesh out the other people in the book. I also wish she had an afterward explaining why she died n poverty, what happened to her father, brother, mother, and son
Join Date: 10/13/14
Posts: 176
I have not read "West with the Night." I picked this book because I liked "The Paris Wife" so much. I like Paula McLain's writing style and found this book very interesting and readable.
Join Date: 06/13/11
Posts: 19
I chose "West with the Night" as our book club's monthly selection many years ago, and I loved it. I thought the writing was lyrical. I also read "Flame Trees of Thika" last year and really enjoyed it as well. I just pulled both books out and skimmed them for names. I was surprised that, since they were about the same time in the "small" colonial community, there were few or no intersections of people between Beryl's story and Elspeth's
Join Date: 05/10/15
Posts: 17
I plan to go back and re-read West soon. I foolishly didn't finish it the first time but now am looking forward to it. I also want to read Out of Africa. This was a wonderful read and I just love McLain's style. The Paris Wife is in my top 10 ever!
Join Date: 07/29/14
Posts: 101
Join Date: 08/16/11
Posts: 30
I did and felt that this book treated Beryl "kinder" than her own memoir. She really made no apologies for her life in West With The Night.
Join Date: 08/29/11
Posts: 61
I read "West with the Night" years ago and hated it. Markham was so very full of herself that it was tedious to read. I also heard she wasn't the only author.
So I have had zero interest in her since then. However, I loved Paula McLain's "The Paris Wife," so I thought I'd give this book a try.
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I still don't like Beryl. McLain did depict her as being full of herself, but that's the way it goes.
So an A+ for McLain and a D- for Beryl.
Join Date: 06/25/13
Posts: 347
I read "West With the Night" a few years ago, so I do not remember t very well. do know, I enjoyed t very much. I remembered much about her life as soon as I started reading this book.
Join Date: 04/10/13
Posts: 78
I loved this book and I have purchased West With the Night because I was to know more about her. I have read and loved Out of Africa and plan to reread it along with Shadows on the Grass also by Isak Dinesen as well as the Life of a Storyteller. I have also ordered a book about Denys Finch Hatton so I guess you understand that I was really intrigued by this book.
Join Date: 09/22/11
Posts: 102
I haven't read her memoir, but I loved out of Africa & Flame trees of Thika. There was another book that my book club read a number of years ago Don't Lets go to the dogs Tonight very intense. I think that the isolation yet trying to keep the English high culture was evident in all these books This was the second time that I read this book & I liked it so much that I kept on reading it.
Join Date: 07/15/16
Posts: 7
I have not read "West With the Night", but I would like to after reading this book. This is the first book I have read about this period in African history and I am also interested in reading more about this time period.
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