Circling the Sun by Paula McLain


OK-It happened again. I could not go to sleep until I finished reading the book Circling the Sun by Paula McLain. I started out listening to the book on disc - an excellent narration by Katharine McEwan BTW - but I got impatient and was obsessed with finishing the book.

I am not sure why I was so drawn to this book. Maybe it was the excellent writing by Paris Wife author, Paula McLain. Maybe it was because it was set in Kenya. Maybe it was because it reminded me so much of Isak Dinesen and the book/movie Out of Africa. Or maybe it was the unforgettable main character, Beryl Markham.

Circling the Sun transports the reader to colonial Kenya in the 1920’s. McLain’s fictionalized story is based on the real life of aviator Beryl Markham. Markham, abandoned by her mother when a child and by her father when she was a teenager, struggles to find her path. Circling the Sun not only captures what made Beryl Markham famous (horse training and racing expert when this field was dominated by men and the first woman to successfully fly across the Atlantic from east to west) but also chronicles her free-spirited childhood, adolescent struggles, happiness, insecurities, and heartbreaks. 

If you are looking for a great historical fiction novel to go with hot chocolate and a warm fire, I'd highly recommend Circling the Sun. Just be prepared to throw another log on the fire!

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