Circling the Sun: A Novel

· Sold by Ballantine Books
4.3
41 reviews
Ebook
384
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

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 The Paris Wife will be captivated by Circling the Sun, which . . . is both beautifully written and utterly engrossing.”—Ann Patchett, Country Living

This powerful novel transports readers to the breathtaking world of Out of Africa—1920s Kenya—and reveals the extraordinary adventures of Beryl Markham, a woman before her time. Brought to Kenya from England by pioneering parents dreaming of a new life on an African farm, Beryl is raised unconventionally, developing a fierce will and a love of all things wild. But after everything she knows and trusts dissolves, headstrong young Beryl is flung into a string of disastrous relationships, then becomes caught up in a passionate love triangle with the irresistible safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton and the writer Baroness Karen Blixen. Brave and audacious and contradictory, Beryl will risk everything to have Denys’s love, but it’s ultimately her own heart she must conquer to embrace her true calling and her destiny: to fly.

Praise for Circling the Sun

“In McLain’s confident hands, Beryl Markham crackles to life, and we readers truly understand what made a woman so far ahead of her time believe she had the power to soar.”—Jodi Picoult, author of Leaving Time

“Enchanting . . . a worthy heir to [Isak] Dinesen . . . Like Africa as it’s so gorgeously depicted here, this novel will never let you go.”The Boston Globe

“Famed aviator Beryl Markham is a novelist’s dream. . . . [A] wonderful portrait of a complex woman who lived—defiantly—on her own terms.”People (Book of the Week)

Circling the Sun soars.”Newsday

“Captivating . . . [an] irresistible novel.”—The Seattle Times

“Like its high-flying subject, Circling the Sun is audacious and glamorous and hard not to be drawn in by. Beryl Markham may have married more than once, but she was nobody’s wife.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“[An] eloquent evocation of Beryl’s daring life.”O: The Oprah Magazine

Ratings and reviews

4.3
41 reviews
S M (MaChienneLit)
December 3, 2016
My Mom, Susan, a formidable and inspiring woman herself, recommended this book to me, so I had high hopes from the beginning. I can honestly say that this book exceeded my expectations on every level! This is a must read!!!! Beryl Markham's story is inspiring, shocking, honest and brave. She was a woman both ahead of and a product of her time and place who lived fiercely and honestly, making no apologies. While life taught her to guard her heart, her loyalty and steadfastness to those truly close to this remarkable woman and her commitment to herself has much to offer as food for thought. This novel will make you think about how your life has shaped you, those around you, and how you in turn want to shape your life. In short, it is just a bloody good book!
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Ann Lordeman
October 15, 2015
What a remarkable book. Beryl Markham was a fascinating, courageous and deeply complex person. Her life growing up in Africa defined her character and made her strong and her own person. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time.
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Tom Lyons Fine Books
March 26, 2016
Nicely done; fictional account of the no this fascinating woman. Beryl Markham; would suggest first reading WEST WITH THE NIGHT, Markham' s memoir, an incredible read!
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About the author

Paula McLain is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Love and Ruin, Circling the Sun, The Paris Wife, and A Ticket to Ride, the memoir Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s Houses, and two collections of poetry. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, O: The Oprah Magazine, Town & Country, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and elsewhere. She lives in Ohio with her family.

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