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A review by judithdcollins
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
5.0
A special thank you to Random House/Ballantine Book and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Love, the cover!
CIRCLING THE SUN by talented Paula McClain returns after The Paris Wife, with another sensational contemporary historical fiction of love and exotic adventures of Kenya, bringing characters to life, while blending fact and fiction.
Delivering an engrossing voice to ’20s aviator, Beryl Markham, a daring, and extraordinary woman of this exciting era! As much as Beryl loved horses, airplanes and affairs---she also had a deep love and affection for the land of Kenya, prominent throughout the novel.
Set in the 1920’s in Kenya, a stunning story of the beautiful, impetuous, and non-conformist, Beryl Markham, a British-born Kenyan aviator (one of the first bush pilots), an adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. During the pioneer days of aviation, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west in 1936, and the author of the memoir West with the Night.
Born, into the Clutterbuck family in the village of Ashwell, in the county of Rutland, England, the daughter of Charles Baldwin, an accomplished horse trainer, and Clara Agnes, with an older brother Richard "Dickie".
When she was four years old, her father moved the family to Kenya, which was then colonial British East Africa. He purchased a farm in Njoro near the Great Rift Valley from, and worked for Hugh Cholmondeley. Although her mother disliked the isolation and promptly returned to England, Beryl stayed in Kenya with her father, where she spent an adventurous and rather wild childhood learning, playing, and hunting with the natives. On her family's farm, she developed a knowledge of and love for horses. As a young adult, she became the first licensed female horse trainer in Kenya.
Though marriages, tangled love affairs, complications, gossip, and scandal Markham continues to push boundaries. She befriended the Danish writer Karen Blixen during the years that Baroness Blixen was managing her family's coffee farm in the Ngong hills outside Nairobi. When Blixen's romantic connection with the hunter and pilot Denys Finch Hatton was winding down, Markham started her own affair with him.
I love strong women, with an eccentric flair; pushing boundaries—A trailblazer; complex, bold, rebellious and courageous heroine—with independence, passion, drive and turbulent love affairs! An engrossing story of an incredible woman who lived and triumphed over hardships and heart break, with gossip and scandal which surround her. Ultimately, a journey of self-discovery, a pioneer in primarily two male dominated fields.
McLain captivates you with a bold account and breathtaking views of Africa---bringing descriptive vivid settings and characters which jump off the page for a well-written and an absorbing read. (I adore books about books, and books about famous authors from former eras- fascinating and intriguing!)
Fans of the 1985 classic movie “Out of Africa” will enjoy the rivalry between Markham and author Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) over the affections of hunter Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford). If you have not read The Paris Wife, recommend, as well as CIRCLING THE SUN.
JDCMustReadBooks
CIRCLING THE SUN by talented Paula McClain returns after The Paris Wife, with another sensational contemporary historical fiction of love and exotic adventures of Kenya, bringing characters to life, while blending fact and fiction.
Delivering an engrossing voice to ’20s aviator, Beryl Markham, a daring, and extraordinary woman of this exciting era! As much as Beryl loved horses, airplanes and affairs---she also had a deep love and affection for the land of Kenya, prominent throughout the novel.
Set in the 1920’s in Kenya, a stunning story of the beautiful, impetuous, and non-conformist, Beryl Markham, a British-born Kenyan aviator (one of the first bush pilots), an adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. During the pioneer days of aviation, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west in 1936, and the author of the memoir West with the Night.
Born, into the Clutterbuck family in the village of Ashwell, in the county of Rutland, England, the daughter of Charles Baldwin, an accomplished horse trainer, and Clara Agnes, with an older brother Richard "Dickie".
When she was four years old, her father moved the family to Kenya, which was then colonial British East Africa. He purchased a farm in Njoro near the Great Rift Valley from, and worked for Hugh Cholmondeley. Although her mother disliked the isolation and promptly returned to England, Beryl stayed in Kenya with her father, where she spent an adventurous and rather wild childhood learning, playing, and hunting with the natives. On her family's farm, she developed a knowledge of and love for horses. As a young adult, she became the first licensed female horse trainer in Kenya.
Though marriages, tangled love affairs, complications, gossip, and scandal Markham continues to push boundaries. She befriended the Danish writer Karen Blixen during the years that Baroness Blixen was managing her family's coffee farm in the Ngong hills outside Nairobi. When Blixen's romantic connection with the hunter and pilot Denys Finch Hatton was winding down, Markham started her own affair with him.
I love strong women, with an eccentric flair; pushing boundaries—A trailblazer; complex, bold, rebellious and courageous heroine—with independence, passion, drive and turbulent love affairs! An engrossing story of an incredible woman who lived and triumphed over hardships and heart break, with gossip and scandal which surround her. Ultimately, a journey of self-discovery, a pioneer in primarily two male dominated fields.
McLain captivates you with a bold account and breathtaking views of Africa---bringing descriptive vivid settings and characters which jump off the page for a well-written and an absorbing read. (I adore books about books, and books about famous authors from former eras- fascinating and intriguing!)
Fans of the 1985 classic movie “Out of Africa” will enjoy the rivalry between Markham and author Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) over the affections of hunter Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford). If you have not read The Paris Wife, recommend, as well as CIRCLING THE SUN.
JDCMustReadBooks