A completely fascinating novel - fictionalised retelling of the first 30ish years in the life of Beryl Markham, the first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic.

The novel opens with her taking off on this flight, so I was initially a little confused as most of the novel takes place in Kenya and deals with Markham’s unconventional childhood, scandal filled marriages and career as a horse trainer. However once I’d got into it, I was engrossed by the depiction of such a complex character living in such a complex time and place.

I wasn’t always sure about the presentation of colonial Kenya - were Beryl’s attitudes realistic for a white woman at the time? The novel glossed over difficult but important events and questions about the role of white settlers in British East Africa, probably because they weren’t the focus of the story.

I ended up googling almost all the main characters and wanted to know more about both the history and the real life people depicted - always a sign of good historical fiction!

this is a well written book with engaging characters. good descriptions. it was captivating and intriguing. enjoyable read.

I do enjoy biographies and this did not disappoint abut the life of Beryl Markham who was a very diverse character and definitely shaped by her upbringing. Very interesting and would recommend.

Interesting enough fictionalized account of the life of Beryl Markham. I'm always a bit wary of biographies written as fiction, nonetheless they can be very readable and I enjoyed "The Paris Wife" by the same author. I don't feel this was quite as successful and I'm not sure why. Maybe because Beryl was beautiful and brilliant at everything she turned her hand to but not terribly likable.

I adored The Paris Wife and I was desperate to read this novel as a result! Beryl is almost the female Hemingway and I felt that her tale really suited Paula Mclain's voice. A dashing tale of Beryl's life loves and derring-do adventures that had me utterly gripped. Mclain has swapped Paris for Africa but kept the essential ingredients that captivated me - expertly blending fact and fiction to bring another fascinating and complicated historical character brilliantly to life. I wanted to live some of Beryl's adventures during the book and felt that they were well researched and grippingly executed. The only thing about this book I never fell hook line and sinker for was Finch-Hatton - but I suppose there's no accounting for taste. A gripping read that allowed me to escape into Beryl's world and fly too close to the sun alongside her. Heartily recommend for a gripping escapist read and a real insight into the life of a fascinating woman