konkie44 's review for:

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

3.0

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While I can recognize that this is a well-written book about a very interesting woman, it wasn't for me. Beryl Markham, in many ways, was a woman to be admired - the first person to fly nonstop from England to North America, an horse lover who trained no less than six winners of major horse races, and a bush pilot in Africa, among other things. For me, however, I found the writing style too descriptive and ponderous, without enough plot. There were phrases so beautifully crafted that I marked them while reading for further reflection, but I often found myself bored, which to me is more indicative of the writing style, since Markham was certainly not a dull persona. It's hotly debated whether Markham wrote this, since there is evidence that at the very least it was edited by her third husband, if not more. While I can appreciate that a memoir is only part of a life, and from the view of the author and not necessarily intended to be as factual as an autobiography or biography, I was disappointed to find out that some of the events of the story were conflated or made up (for example, the race between horses Wise Child and Wrack never actually happened). Understandably for the time this was written, the salacious details of her life as a member of the Happy Valley set are left out, although I would have liked to learn more about that soap opera-esque period of her life. I found Markham's person interesting and remarkable, but if you aren't a fan of slow moving, thoughtful, descriptive writing, you may want to read a biography of her life instead.

Note: I also posted this review on the Manchester, CT Public Library Goodreads account.