reecaspieces

  
OVERVIEW

Paula McLain, author of the phenomenal bestseller The Paris Wife, now returns with her keenly anticipated new novel, transporting readers to colonial Kenya in the 1920s. Circling the Sun brings to life a fearless and captivating woman—Beryl Markham, a record-setting aviator caught up in a passionate love triangle with safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen, author of the classic memoir Out of Africa.

Brought to Kenya from England as a child and then abandoned by her mother, Beryl is raised by both her father and the native Kipsigis tribe who share his estate. Her unconventional upbringing transforms Beryl into a bold young woman with a fierce love of all things wild and an inherent understanding of nature’s delicate balance. But even the wild child must grow up, and when everything Beryl knows and trusts dissolves, she is catapulted into a string of disastrous relationships.

Beryl forges her own path as a horse trainer, and her uncommon style attracts the eye of the Happy Valley set, a decadent, bohemian community of European expats who also live and love by their own set of rules. But it’s the ruggedly charismatic Denys Finch Hatton who ultimately helps Beryl navigate the uncharted territory of her own heart. The intensity of their love reveals Beryl’s truest self and her fate: to fly.

Set against the majestic landscape of early-twentieth-century Africa, McLain’s powerful tale reveals the extraordinary adventures of a woman before her time, the exhilaration of freedom and its cost, and the tenacity of the human spirit.

REVIEW

After reading Paula McLain’s first novel, The Paris Wife,  I expected this one to sweep me away also..sadly, this was not the case. 

To get started, the setting was marvelous. I loved hearing about Africa and feel natures’ magnificence.  However, that’s where it ended.

 The story was just plain boring. There was so much talk of nothing. And so much of the tale was about nothing of significance.  

I expected so much more.  Other than the setting, this novel fell a little short for me. 

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

 
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Overview

From the bestselling and award-winning author of Whistling Past the Graveyard comes an adventure tale about two daredevils and a farm boy who embark on the journey of a lifetime across America’s heartland in the Roaring Twenties.

Set in the rapidly changing world of 1920s America, this is a story of three people from very different backgrounds: Henry “Schuler” Jefferson, son of German immigrants from Midwestern farm country; Cora Rose Haviland, a young woman of privilege whose family has lost their fortune; and Charles “Gil” Gilchrist, an emotionally damaged WWI veteran pilot. Set adrift by life-altering circumstances, they find themselves bound together by need and torn apart by blind obsessions and conflicting goals. Each one holds a secret that, if exposed, would destroy their friendship. But their journey of adventure and self–discovery has a price—and one of them won’t be able to survive it.

As they crisscross the heartland, exploring the rapidly expanding role of aviation from barnstorming to bootlegging, from a flying circus to the dangerous sport of air racing, the three companions form a makeshift family. It’s a one-of-a-kind family, with members as adventurous as they are vulnerable, and as fascinating as they are flawed. But whatever adventure—worldly or private—they find themselves on, they’re guaranteed to be a family you won’t forget.

Review

To say I loved this novel is an understatement. I have only read one other book by this author, Whistling Past the Graveyard, and I adored that one too.  Now! I must add all of hers to my never ending TBR list.

There was a tremendous amount of research that went into this story. Who would think to write about a flying circus and all that goes into the tricks and stunts? 

Cora, Gil and Henry sort of “fall into” being a flying circus. Henry is the mechanic and brains behind the tricks.  Cora is a motorcycle rider and the stunt woman of the group. Gil is the pilot and owner of the plane.  All three are running away from their pasts with severe consequences to their future. 

I was captivated by so many aspects of this story, the stunts, the characters, the many towns they visited.  I did not want the tale to end. A riveting read!

I received this novel from Netgalley for an honest review. 

Purchase here 

Barnes and Noble

Amazon