Circling the Sun

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I learned to watch, to put my trust in other hands than mine. And I learned to wander. I learned what every dreaming child needs to know—that no horizon is so far that you cannot get above it or beyond it. These I learned at once. But most things came harder.” —BERYL MARKHAM, West with the Night Until I was about to read "Circling the Sun", all I knew about Beryl Markham was of her record breaking voyage across the Atlantic, in 1936, ....Her extraordinary accomplishment.

Circling the Sun - Kindle edition by McLain, Paula Circling the Sun - Kindle edition by McLain, Paula

For this long-awaited debut release, the line-up features no less than nine musicians playing a vast array of instruments, often solo, sometimes ensemble in the case of the brass and woodwind, and a choir of up to eight singers. The full listing of credits reads as Cameron Allen tenor and alto saxophones, John Bell vibraphone, cornet & tenor horn, Cory Champion Buchla modular synthesizer, Julien Dyne drums & percussion, Guy Harrison acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Korg Delta synthesizer, J.Y.Lee flute, bass clarinet, alto, baritone, soprano saxes, Chris O’Connor harp, Finn Scholes trumpet, trombone, vibraphone and Ben Turla acoustic bass, with David Afase, Samara Alofa, Crystal Chen, AJ Fata, Abigail Aroha Jensen, Kenny Sterling, Navakatoa Tekela-Pule and Lisa ‘Romi’ Wright forming the choir. The transition to becoming an aviator comes late in the book. The connection to riding dangerous unruly stallions is not hard to make. Despite the experience of a number of friends dying in airplane crashes, she can’t resist the opportunity of learning to fly from her friend Tom. I loved McLain’s account of her affinity for this new challenge and way of seeing the world. : 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 It was possible everyone ended up in the same place no matter which path we took or how often we fell to our knees, undoubtedly wiser for all of it."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 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. The result is an album on which the sonic palette is awash with lush orchestrations, at times offering an aural experience of expansive depth. Numerous instruments there may be, but each one is given space to breathe, with not a hint of conflict or confusion as vintage synth sounds blend with shimmering harp notes and vibraphone whilst at the same time accommodating horn riffage, undulating flute patterns and esoteric keyboards, all underscored by a solid-sounding upright bass and retro jazz drum kit. Set in 1920s Kenya, this fictionalized history of the beautiful, high-flying aviator Beryl Markham is as luminous as its headstrong heroine. An exhilarating ride.” — Family Circle

Circling the Sun Quotes by Paula McLain - Goodreads Circling the Sun Quotes by Paula McLain - Goodreads

She could not relate to her lovers, and there are several! Primarily because the one she loved most (Denys Finch Hatton) wasn't accessible. Denys was a free-spirit, like her, but I do believe Beryl would have married him if she could have. There are other reasons too. The social milieu of the expat community to which she belonged abounded with extramarital love affairs. Her inability to connect to others must also have been shaped by her mother's early desertion. In the book, very little is explored concerning her father's decision to move to Cape Town, and subsequently her hurried first marriage. How good a father was he? What were the psychological consequences of this for Beryl? We are only told how much she adored him. Beryl Markham was a complicated female -during times when being a complicated female was complicated! Circling The Sun brought this unconventional woman's story alive in the most beautiful contemporary prose. The author borrowed characters from Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen, Karen Blixen, to populate Beryl's story and establish the connection between Karin Blixen and Beryl: Denys Finch Hatton, Lord Delamere, Berkeley Cole, Karin Blixen and her husband baron van Blixen, and a few more.She also experiences more than one man, which only reminds her that she needs to find her own way, to know what she stands for. I had never heard of Beryl Markham. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west in 1936, but she was a pioneer in many more ways, including being the first licensed female horse trainer in Kenya. The story is book-ended with her famous flight, but the meat is in the middle which spins out Markham’s life from early childhood to her early thirties. It’s a remarkable and unconventional life, and Markham is both flawed and inspiring. Equally compelling (if not more so) is the setting. Africa in the early 20th century is the vivid co-star of this book. Supporting cast members include “Out of Africa” author Karen Blixen (pseudonym Isak Dinesen) and her lover, Denys Finch Hatton, who was also Markham’s lover. I had a hard time reading the ending because I knew how it would end for her and Denys. That's the negative thing about reading a book about real people. You know how it all will end. Also, it was a bit hard to read about her and Denys because in my mind he and Karen have always been a couple since the first time I saw Out of Africa. I loved Beryl and Denys together, but at the same time, I felt that they were betraying Karen. It's tough sometimes to read books.

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain | Book of the Month Circling the Sun by Paula McLain | Book of the Month

People who enjoy colonialist attitudes and the complete erasure of the existence of the native populationNot to be outshone, the wind section delivers ecstatic saxophone riffs, fluttering flutes and solid horn choruses throughout. Meanwhile, providing vital foundational support are the percussion (Soundway alumnus Julien Dyne), vibraphone, acoustic bass and full choir arranged by Matt Hunter. It does seem like pure freedom,” I told him. “If you can forget the risk, that is.” “The fear never completely goes away. It makes everything sharper.” I read an advanced copy and the publisher at the beginning requests that you not quote anything until comparing to the final version, so I won't . But I really wish I could - so I could give a little sense into how lush and descriptive the writing is that makes you feel as if you are standing there on that farm in Kenya , or can feel what Beryl is feeling and convince people that they should read this book . No, I don't think he was a good parent. He was so busy training horses and trying to make a living that it seems he almost forgot about her. Lady Delamere did remind him that Beryl was a girl and she was running wild. Then her father tried to "tame"... - annar McClain has found her place in literature, I can't imagine anyone else doing as well with the women of history as she does. Her writing, her descriptions, her characterizations are amazing. The amount of research that went into this novel is documented in the author's afterword. A brilliant rendering of an amazing woman's life.