"Circling the Sun" - Paula McLain

Hello bibliophiles! So I made the mistake of starting season one of Entourage. Less than three weeks later and I have finished ALL... EIGHT... SEASONS... Oops! Needless to say "it took over my life" is an understatement. :) Well its back to the books folks! I just recently finished Circling the Sun by Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife. I received this book through NetGalley (thank you!).

The story tells the tale of famous aviator Beryl Markham. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west. But there was much more to her life than flying. Beryl was also a pioneer in women horse trainers and lived an incredible life in Kenya throughout the 1920's. McLain does an incredible job at narrating the story through Beryl's point of view. From early childhood to her first marriage and then throughout all the scandal, heartbreak, and adventure.

I did have a little trouble getting into the story at the beginning. McLain starts off in Beryl's solo flight across the Atlantic and then quickly flashes back to her early childhood days when her family first moved to Kenya. McLain is very detailed then moving throughout her life from that point. It takes quite some time before flying even comes back into the story. I know she was trying to show the other accomplishes of Beryl rather than focus on her flying but it seemed like a strange way to start and end the story. I did though enjoy the book. It provided an insight into what life, especially for women, was like during British rule in Africa. I would recommend this book to anyone. If you have read The Paris Wife, I felt this was better. Great read. Very similar to Out of Africa by Karen Blixen, friend and confidant of Beryl. Thanks again NetGalley! As always, feel free to share any recommendations, comments, or questions!

Happy reading fools :)