A review by ginabelle
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I’m having complicated feelings about this book. From the beginning, I thought it was a book about Beryl learning to fly a plane, so it was surprising she doesn’t even see one until 90% into the book, so I was book boozled there. Also, it’s really fascinating that Beryl was a real person but for all the author’s talk of how inspiring she was/is, the comparison of the book’s eponymous “sun” is a man. And Beryl is continually defined by her relationships to other men. Also, for a 2023 reader, I don’t think the damaging nuances of colonialism and racism especially, but also classism, sexism, etc were explored enough and with enough care. 
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