Circling the Sun

By Paula McLain

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, BOOKPAGE, AND SHELF AWARENESS - "Paula McLain is considered the new star of historical fiction, and for good reason. Fans of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844088308
• ISBN13: 9781844088300
• Release Date: May 2016
• Publisher: Virago Press Ltd
• Length: 420 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.7" x 1.1" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

Historical Fiction/Romance All In One

The time and place are Kenya on the verge of independence from British colonialism. This is the story of Beryl Markham, the aviatrix. But the record-setting flight Beryl made is barely mentioned. So disappointing. Most of the book is about her childhood and her love affairs. I’m not a fan of romance novels, so historical fiction/romance doesn’t work for me.

Wonderful historical fiction

McLain does a superb job re-imagining the life of Beryl Markham and life in colonial Kenya. I listened to the audio version and was riveted. It's a psychological portrait of Markham; external events are acknowledged but are not central to the plot. If you want a book steeped in political history, this might not be your book. If you want a book that allows you to step into a specific time/place and gain an understanding of what life might have been like for a specific person, this is the book for you.