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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Really surprised by this one! Read for a work book club, not something I would have picked up on my own, but I really enjoyed it.
Rambling. Odd. Dense. 1.5 stars. In spite of a few lovely phrases here and there I felt that the book seemed to have no goal or story line. It reads more like a wandering mind aimlessly tossing out memories. The mismatch of being an elephant spotter while decrying elephant hunting is one example. Given the time period I am sure she didn't see the casual racism that runs through many of the stories either. The back cover review didn't match the way the book read to me.
This book is beautifully written. Beryl Markham had a fascinating life and a deep love for Africa. I found myself wanting to recommend the book to people I know who fly planes or have horses. I'm sure her stories would be appreciated even more by folks who fully understand the technical side of her experiences. I gave the book 4 rather than 5 stars because it's a book of it's time. She held some racist attitudes and I found it upsetting to read about the hunting of elephants for their tusks.
A lovely book, with more to say about life and living then flying. Read it.
Some great writing in this memoir by a pretty remarkable woman. Born into a colonial homesteading British family in then-British-ruled Kenya, the author traces her life journey from her youth raising and training horses (and playing with the children of, and learning to hunt with, a nearby native tribe) to flying as a bush pilot and safari scout for wealthy colonial elephant hunters. The author’s prose are clear and compelling; her story telling suspenseful, her descriptions beautiful. My problem with the book is its overtly colonialists perspective, which I had a difficult time overlooking.
A stunning story of the author's life, growing up in Africa, racing horses and training them, learning to fly, hunting elephants by aeroplane, being the first person to cross the North Atlantic by air. The beauty and intelligence of the writing matches the story of courage and daring.
This is the autobiography of the women in "Circling the Sun." It was a good story.
This book is absolute magic. One of my all-time favorites.