NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, BOOKPAGE, AND SHELF AWARENESS • “Paula McLain is considered the new star of historical fiction, and for good reason. Fans of The Paris Wife will be captivated by Circling the Sun, which . . . is both beautifully written and utterly engrossing.”—Ann Patchett, Country LivingThis powerful novel transports readers to the … Country Living
This powerful novel transports readers to the breathtaking world of Out of Africa—1920s Kenya—and reveals the extraordinary adventures of Beryl Markham, a woman before her time. Brought to Kenya from England by pioneering parents dreaming of a new life on an African farm, Beryl is raised unconventionally, developing a fierce will and a love of all things wild. But after everything she knows and trusts dissolves, headstrong young Beryl is flung into a string of disastrous relationships, then becomes caught up in a passionate love triangle with the irresistible safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton and the writer Baroness Karen Blixen. Brave and audacious and contradictory, Beryl will risk everything to have Denys’s love, but it’s ultimately her own heart she must conquer to embrace her true calling and her destiny: to fly.
Praise for Circling the Sun
“In McLain’s confident hands, Beryl Markham crackles to life, and we readers truly understand what made a woman so far ahead of her time believe she had the power to soar.”—Jodi Picoult, author of Leaving Time
“Enchanting . . . a worthy heir to [Isak] Dinesen . . . Like Africa as it’s so gorgeously depicted here, this novel will never let you go.”—The Boston Globe
“Famed aviator Beryl Markham is a novelist’s dream. . . . [A] wonderful portrait of a complex woman who lived—defiantly—on her own terms.”—People (Book of the Week)
“Circling the Sun soars.”—Newsday
“Captivating . . . [an] irresistible novel.”—The Seattle Times
“Like its high-flying subject, Circling the Sun is audacious and glamorous and hard not to be drawn in by. Beryl Markham may have married more than once, but she was nobody’s wife.”—Entertainment Weekly
“[An] eloquent evocation of Beryl’s daring life.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
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Interesting read although a bit draggy at times. Always enjoy books based on true stories.
beautifully written prose
I read West with the Night, Beryl Markham’s memoir of her life in Kenya, several years ago and loved it. Karen Blixen’s memoir, Out of Africa, (by Isak Dinesen – Blixen’s pseudonym), was a wonderful read as well, so I was pleased to discover Paula McClain’s addition to the available literature on colonial Kenya in the 1920-1930’s. Circling the Sun is an historical novel that describes the same colony of ex-pats with Beryl Markham as its lead. It’s a compulsive read with a great story line and lots of gossipy details about Nairobi’s colorful cast of characters. It’s one of those places and times that you are sorry to have missed, and the more I read about it, the more I want to know.
Beryl Markham is one of the most fascinating women of the 20th Century.
I loved the time period, the Gret Gadsby atmosphere. Beryl too on the challenges of being a woman and not worrying about the challenges of charging into the ‘man’s world’. Enjoyed learning about South Africa and how adventureous she was in all of her life.
Beryl was bewildered–abandoned by her mother, neglected and uninformed by her father, she was easy prey for the men who came along in her life and used and abused her in various times and ways. I found her compelling. She salved the pain of her emotional wounds by delving into the wilds of Africa. This book certainly painted the society of early 20th century Kenya in a colorful, if not flattering, light. A transporting read.
This is one of my favorite authors and this book met all expectations. Beautiful prose and vivid descriptions woven throughout a rugged African story. It is also about inner search and independence for a white woman in colonial Africa in the 1920s.
The ending seemed a little forced and underdeveloped but overall it was a book I couldn’t wait to continue reading . And it is based on a true story
Much better than I expected! It has led me into internet research on the historical characters and rereading Markham’s original work. I’m all fired up!
If you haven’t read Beryl Markham’s “West with the Night” you are missing a real treat. This book “Circling the Sun” is about her but “West with the Night” is autobiographical and a great story. If you have visited Africa or if you liked the movie “Out of Africa”, you would enjoy “West with the Night” and “Circling the Sun”. She was a remarkable woman.
Cleared up some of the hazy info from other books about Beryl Markham. She was way ahead of her time in both horse racing and aviation.
Fascinating story about a really interesting woman. Really captured the time and era of Bertl Markham in Africa.
The book did justice to an intriguing and unique woman.
I listened to the audio book. It is fabulously narrated in addition to the great story.
Well written story of Beryl Markham’s life, with prose much like Beryl’s own book, West With the Night. I liked it so much I’m going to read The Paris Wife. If you liked Out of Africa, you’ll like this.
Great for fans of the movie Out of Africa.
I loved this history! Highly recommend.
Beryl Markham a very interesting woman and a great story about her life. It kept me interested from beginning to end.
Describes a great moment in time and the fabulous story of a very strong woman.
Best book I read this year! This author know how to make a book interesting. I have read other things by her
One of the best books that I’ve read in a long time.