Comments on: Beryl Markham and Circling the Sun

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 01:31:15 +0000

In reply to Carmen. Oh glad you liked it. I thought she did too.

By: Carmen

Carmen — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 23:29:28 +0000

I haven’t read her two books, but I think Circling the Sun felt authentic and I liked it a lot. McLain did a very good job with her subject.

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 13:05:14 +0000

In reply to Rosemary Wolfe. Thanks Rosemary. I can understand that some might not find Circling the Sun that alluring a read, or that it's full of colonists run amok. Being a fan of the books Out of Africa and West With the Night, I think helped my interest in it. You would probably like those books better, check them out if you get a chance.

By: Rosemary Wolfe

Rosemary Wolfe — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 06:05:14 +0000

I just finished Part 1 – lion mauling being the highlight – but so far the book does not meet my expectations. I stopped long enough to read the reviews; I could relate to Fuller’s.
Now knowing about the upcoming connection to Out of Africa, I will probably keep reading – but maybe first I’ll check out the better books cited – Out of Africa and West with the Night.

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 20:29:37 +0000

Yeah Melissa, all of these books on Beryl are quite good. I liked them all. Somehow McLain seems to make her novels of famous people work.

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 20:25:08 +0000

In reply to Brona. Yeah Brona: I'm sure Circling the Sun is probably not for everyone but I got caught up in it probably because of West With the Night. I love Out of Africa too. I always like rereading that one.

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 20:22:51 +0000

In reply to JaneGS. Thanks Jane. I think if you liked West With the Night than you will probably also like Circling the Sun. I felt it sort of makes Beryl come to life again, which was a very good thing!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 19:29:03 +0000

I’m so glad you read your thoughts on this one. My book club was thinking about reading Circling the Sun, but I love hearing about how it compares to her own memoir and another biography of her! I think turning someone’s life into a novel can be so tricky and is often done badly.

By: Brona

Brona — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 10:39:10 +0000

I started Circling in the Sun but failed to get hooked, however I tried it the week before we moved house, so my timing might have been better!
All this chatter about it though has made me want to reread Out of Africa 🙂

By: JaneGS

JaneGS — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 21:47:46 +0000

I loved West With the Night when I read it a few years ago. I thought it beautifully written with so many lovely passages that captured Markham’s love of the world, her world, and spirit and drive.

I found your comments on Circling the Sun interesting–I hadn’t heard of it, but I think I will add it to my tbr list. Sometimes I think the reviewer/author world is so small that at times it seems that the reviewer has an ax to grind when he/she dismisses a work that I find to be quite good. I do think it’s critical to credit sources, so I’m glad to hear McLain has done so.