Circling the Sun

Circling the Sun Paula McLain 4 / 5	Published 2015 First Sentence "The Vega Gull is a peacock blue with silver wings, more splendid than any bird I've known, and somehow mine to fly."
Publisher's Description: Brought to Kenya from England as a child and then abandoned by her mother, Beryl is raised by both her father and the native Kipsigis tribe who share his estate. Her unconventional upbringing transforms Beryl into a bold young woman with a fierce love of all things wild and an inherent understanding of nature’s delicate balance. But even the wild child must grow up, and when everything Beryl knows and trusts dissolves, she is catapulted into a string of disastrous relationships. 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 also 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.
Dear Reader, I requested this book from Netgalley several months back, despite my having been pretty lukewarm about The Paris Wife. However, I enjoyed this book far more than McLain's previous work. I was almost immediately drawn in by Beryl Markham and her unique life story. I am curious to know how different this book was from Markham's own autobiography; does it explore a different part of her life? I will have to read her own book. In any case, what a remarkable woman Ms. Markham was - especially given the time and her situation! Moved to Africa as a child by her father and then left there by her mother, it is understandable that she grew into the "tomboy" and feminist that she did. At a time when women didn't do what men did, Beryl continually proved that they could. She became one of the first female horse trainers and aviators. Her love of Kenya's land shone through in this story. Having seen Out of Africa, I knew more about Karen Blixen's story than Beryl Markham's, of course. So it was fascinating to see the colonial African world through another pair of eyes. I was surprised by how little appeared, in this novel, to be racially driven. More, it focused on alliances and the many, many infidelities which seemed de rigueur for society Europeans living in Kenya during Markham's time. Overall, this was an enjoyable audiobook to spend several days on. I was disappointed to leave Markham's world upon completion. And now I look forward more eagerly to more historical fiction from Ms. McLain. Yours, Arianna

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Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity Elizabeth Wein 4.5 / 5	Published 2012 First Sentence "I AM A COWARD."
Publisher's Description: Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun. When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?  A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called "a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel" in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.
Dear Reader, How to write about this book? It's a beautiful and heart-wrenching story about a deep and almost instant friendship, formed during the early years of WWII. Queenie charms her way into both Maddie's and the reader's heart almost immediately. I think one of my favorite lines from the book will help explain it: "It's like being in love, discovering your best friend." This book is the story of the girls' passionate friendship, developed during the early years of the war. I have put off writing this review, however, because there is so much that cannot be written about the story without giving things away. I can't even mention what happens in the beginning because that would tell the reader too much going in! I suppose instead I will try to write in vaguer terms what I liked about this book. Yes, it was about these amazingly strong female characters and their iron wills. It was about women stepping up to play significant roles in WWII, and it was about friendship and family and love of the best kind. And yes, I might have loved it because it mentioned my family name in passing, and that is rare thing to see in literature of any kind! - The only other time I have seen my name in print in a book was in Howards End! But, I want to simply highly recommend this book to you, Dear Reader. I can't say enough. You will most likely love & laugh, and you will certainly be brought to tears. But it is all worth it. All of it. Yours, Arianna

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