Circling the Sun in Around the World

Feb 13, 2017 Suzanne rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle, fiction, book-club-2017

Paula McLain takes on the story of Beryl Markham, a woman who challenges the molds of womanhood in early 20th century Kenya. Markham was a trainer of race-horses, a pilot, and experimented in promiscuity.

Though Beryl Markham was a real person, McLain's novel is fiction. From the opening pages, I enjoyed the author's portrayal of Africa and Markham's early life. But as the story progressed, (and Markham became an adult) something seemed missing. For some reason, I never could feel an attachment t ...more

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Feb 13, 2016 Cooper rated it it was ok

I have such mixed feelings about this book. No denying that Ms. McLain provides a compelling story of a woman who tried to define her own life, but I found the incredibly flawed, childish, selfish Beryl Markham unlikeable.

People have stated that Ms. Markham was a complex character, but I found her to be nothing more than a simple child throwing a temper tantrum whenever she didn't get her way. She gave no regard to how her decisions would effect anyone but herself. She wanted to prove she was a ...more

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Apr 23, 2015 Jo Reason rated it liked it

Such a romantic start, growing up in Kenya, before it was called Kenya, when it was called British East Africa. A harsh upbringing with only her father to take care of her for years as her mother and older brother had returned to England as she didn´t life it in Africa, but the lifestyle was suited to Beryl as she runs wide in the bush. Years go by and Beryl gets married young, from here the novel gets a bit stale, but the writing is good, there is nothing exciting or even interesting happening. ...more

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Feb 11, 2016 Kate Z rated it really liked it

I really liked this book and didn't expect to mostly because everyone I know who had read it had really liked it and sometimes books suffer for those high expectations. This one lived up to the hype and I am glad I read it. There isn't much I can add to the body of reviews about this book.

This book was a great character story. I was deeply interested in Beryl Markham and the story of her life. The writing was gorgeous in that it transported me to colonial Kenya. I felt that Kenya, as much as an ...more

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Jun 05, 2015 Emily Goenner Munson rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book and got so wrapped into it, it was one that I made time to listen to, didn't want to end. As mentioned, I listened to it and loved the narrator who just seemed to fit Beryl. McLain's prose was better than I expected, with vivid descriptions of the African landscape, touching emotional scenes, and some observations/phrases that I will keep and remember. For me, it was a "I don't want it to end and what can I read next that will stand up to that" read. ...more

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May 16, 2015 Toni rated it liked it

Shelves: multi-cultural, animals, historical-fiction, travel, kenya, africa

The problem I have with reading a fictionalized account of someone is that I am continually wondering where truth ends and fiction begins. Did this actually happen? Did she say/feel/think that? Some accounts are handled better than others. This one left me frustrated.

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