IN A NUTSHELL
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain (Ballantine Books, 2015)- In 40 words or less: A fictional portrayal of a the life and loves of Beryl Markham. In the 1920’s she was an accomplished horse trainer and aviator in Africa, traveling in the same circles as Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen, of Out of Africa fame.
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Locale: primarily Kenya
- Time: Early 20th century
- Read this if you enjoy past eras brought to life and are interested in lesser-known but extraordinary people.
Beryl Markham was a woman well ahead of her times. In the hands of Paula McLain, already well-known for her fictionalized portrayal of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Markham is seen as always meeting a new challenge and seeking true and lasting love.
Born in England just after the start of the 20th century, Beryl’s family moved to Kenya where her father was an acclaimed horse trainer. Her mother didn’t take to life there and deserted the family, returning to England. 
Beryl idolized her father and loved spending time with him and the horses. Her free time was spent with the children of the local Kipsigis tribe, especially the son of one of the tribal leaders. Always competitive, she met challenge for challenge all the early physical tests the tribe set for young males. Her friendship with Kibii was in many ways her touchstone throughout her life.
In the course of describing Beryl’s formative years, McLain reveals aspects of the educational, social and economic life of ex-pats living in Kenya during the colonial period. The parallel lives of the Kips tribe is seen as well, including the interactions and roles of each.
Her father’s economic reversals helped propel Beryl into an early and unfortunate marriage. Truly her father’s daughter, she threw herself into becoming a premier horse trainer, a field unheard of for women. These were just the first of many rollercoaster-like changes in her adult life.
McLain brings 21st century sensibilities to many events that were scandalous in Beryl Markham’s lifetime. She was attracted to interesting and influential men, and they to her, like fireflies to a flame. Throughout her life, Beryl Markham ignored barriers set before her based on gender or station. She became an acclaimed aviator, the first female pilot to fly solo east to west across the Atlantic.
The strength of this novel is the vivid pictures Paula McLain paints of Kenya and its people during this period. Having see the movie Out of Africa, based on Isak Dinesen’s memoir, I “saw” the story as I read. McLain’s book leaves me wanting to know more about this extraordinary woman, likely West with the Night, Markham’s 1942 memoir.
This novel would be well-suited for book groups interested in discussing a British feminist in Africa in the early 20th century. For me, it was even more appealing as a long winter afternoon’s read with a blanket and a cup of tea.
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