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debs4jc's review against another edition
3.0
A novelization of the life of Beryl Markham - a woman who I had never heard of before. Her claim to fame is that she was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west without any stops - which she did in 1936. The prologue to the book occurs during this flight and as Beryl goes through a crisis having to do with running out of fuel she recalls the events of her life that led her up to that point. I had never heard much about what it was like for British families who colonized Kenya and those parts of the book were pretty interesting. Beryl learned the ins and outs of tribal society and living in the wilds of Africa, and then later has to learn how to deal with British society. But she was never very conventional and her lifelong love of horses also led her to become a horse trainer at a time when women were outsiders in that field. She had many ups and downs on the romantic front as well and some of the poignant parts of the book were about her entanglements with men and how that and her father's monetary losses put her in situations where she was at the mercy of the men in her life - financially at least. I couldn't help but admire the resolve that helped her overcome these difficulties. While this book wasn't one that really stuck with me It was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction and especially tales of strong, unconventional women.
jjohnsonblalock's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
solange's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nick_00's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
ashleysilver7's review
4.0
I admit it - I hadn't heard of Beryl Markham before reading this novel about her life. Beryl was an amazing woman, way before her time as the saying goes. She was born in the U. K., to what I can only assume to wealthy parents, before moving to Kenya when she was only 3 years old (approximately). However, she had a very unconventional childhood, made worse by her mother and older brother leaving her and her father by going back to England. After this, she gets a very thick skin, and is especially close to the native Africans, and even learns Swahili as her first language. Her father lets her "run wild" so to speak, which means she never received a traditional "English" education. Furthermore, her view of the world is very non-conformist, and this attitude stays with her for the rest of her life.
She marries for the first time at the age of 17, around 1920. Shortly after her marriage, she decides to become the first female horse trainer. She be-friends many illustrious British ex-pats, and becomes tangled in many affairs and other scandalous expeditions. I'm saying her behavior and decisions would be considered by many to be scandalous for today's times...certainly 100 times more so for back in the 1920s and 30s (and beyond). But she eventually defies the odds by making a (controversial) name for herself. However, she was a respectable woman and I'm glad to have learned more about her. It's sad that the world knows Amelia Earhart as such a pioneer (and she was!), but most do not know about Beryl Markham.
I should add that it was interesting reading about Kenya, one of Britian's many colonies. I hadn't known so much about Kenya, and about how the ex-pats from Britain shaped Kenya in so many ways. For one - who knew that Kenya was named for it's famous mountain, Mt. Kenya? I didn't...
Interesting that World War I would change many Britian's views regarding colonialism and attitudes toward "indigenous" tribes and the treatment of these people. However, from this author's perspective, it seems as though the Britians and Natives got along pretty well, yet in a rather unequal (and probably racist) fashion. Hopefully the people of Kenya do not feel, to this day, as though they were too terribly exploited by colonialism in general. And as a final note, it was sad, yet interesting, to read about safaris and how many rich, spoiled, and often aristocratic people would come to Africa and ruin it's landscape, not to mention the animals. Sadly, the effects and mindset of this behavior from over 100 years ago are still happening today...and the native Africans are suffering because of this selfish attitude. At least it seems as though Beryl and her friends had respect for Africa, the native people, and the animals.
She marries for the first time at the age of 17, around 1920. Shortly after her marriage, she decides to become the first female horse trainer. She be-friends many illustrious British ex-pats, and becomes tangled in many affairs and other scandalous expeditions. I'm saying her behavior and decisions would be considered by many to be scandalous for today's times...certainly 100 times more so for back in the 1920s and 30s (and beyond). But she eventually defies the odds by making a (controversial) name for herself. However, she was a respectable woman and I'm glad to have learned more about her. It's sad that the world knows Amelia Earhart as such a pioneer (and she was!), but most do not know about Beryl Markham.
I should add that it was interesting reading about Kenya, one of Britian's many colonies. I hadn't known so much about Kenya, and about how the ex-pats from Britain shaped Kenya in so many ways. For one - who knew that Kenya was named for it's famous mountain, Mt. Kenya? I didn't...
Interesting that World War I would change many Britian's views regarding colonialism and attitudes toward "indigenous" tribes and the treatment of these people. However, from this author's perspective, it seems as though the Britians and Natives got along pretty well, yet in a rather unequal (and probably racist) fashion. Hopefully the people of Kenya do not feel, to this day, as though they were too terribly exploited by colonialism in general. And as a final note, it was sad, yet interesting, to read about safaris and how many rich, spoiled, and often aristocratic people would come to Africa and ruin it's landscape, not to mention the animals. Sadly, the effects and mindset of this behavior from over 100 years ago are still happening today...and the native Africans are suffering because of this selfish attitude. At least it seems as though Beryl and her friends had respect for Africa, the native people, and the animals.
shirlee2024's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It makes me think I should also read Out of Africa.
krobart's review
3.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/day-736-circling-the-sun/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/day-736-circling-the-sun/