March meeting recap

Kathy K., Kathy T., Deb, Jan, Jeanne, Susan, Jackie and I (Mary T.) met at Deb's (a last-minute change of venue) to discuss Circling the Sun by Paula McLain. Jackie had recommended the book, and conversation lasted almost the whole hour!

The book is a fictionalized account of the true story of Beryl Markham, a woman who was born in England but was raised by her father in Africa. Her mother had traveled to Africa with them but quickly realized it was't her 'cup of tea,' and she fled back to England. Beryl grew up to be a very strong and independent woman, ahead of her time in many ways, but permanently scarred by her mother's abandonment.

Susan had read Beryl's autobiography, West with the Night, (as had Jeri) and a couple of other books about some of the other people in the Happy Valley group of British ex-pats. Several people also brought up the movie Out of Africa, based on the autobiography of Karen Blixner (writing under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen), the other 1/3 of the love triangle with Beryl and Denys Fitch-Something-or-Other. We talked about some of the differences between Circling the Sun and these other works. Jan wondered why the author would attempt to fictionalize an already well-documented life and we discussed the challenges of doing so. I questioned why, if Beryl was primarily known for her aviation accomplishments, was so little of the book devoted to that part of her life? We also psychoanalyzed why Beryl, who grew up as such a strong and independent child and teenager, spent her adult life in serial dysfunctional relationships with men.

We all agreed we liked the book -- the author provided vivid descriptions of the locations in Africa and well-developed characterizations of the many characters (in several senses of the word!) in Beryl's life, and piqued the interest of several of us in reading her autobiography and viewing Out of Africa (which was released in late 1985, starred Robert Redford and Meryl Streep and earned 7 Academy Awards).

April meeting will be at Deb's again (the cafe', not Debbie's home!) on April 17 and we will discuss Etta & Otto & Russell & James by Emma Hooper.

P.S.: I'd like to have a conversation sometime about the pros and cons of reading book reviews before reading a book and how that influences our perceptions and expectations.

A photo essay in honor of International Women's Day 2017

An interesting compilation of photos of women at work 100 years ago. Many of the original captions reveal the biases of the times: a woman driving a tractor is referred to as a "farmerette" ... one of the best machinists in Maine, and the only female, is "5 feet, 4 inches in height, 39 bust, 39 hips, 20 waist and can lift 400 pounds” (that's probably the only relevant fact) … and notice the shoes on the woman building an airplane in #12.

(I couldn't get the link to work so you'll need to copy and paste it into your browser.)

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/03/women-at-work-in-1917/518964/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-photo-030817

West with the Night

When I went to purchase Circling the Sun (this month’s book club selection) for my Kindle, I read numerous reviews. Many of them were unfavorable (for example, Alexandra Fuller in the  New York Times) and a couple of them mentioned West with the Night – Beryl Markham’s memoir.

I read that Ernest Hemingway said the following about her memoir: “This girl, who is to my knowledge very unpleasant and we might even say a high-grade bitch, can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers.” I wonder what a “high-grade bitch” in the 1940s amounted to. Independent? Entreprenuerial? Divorced? Sexually active?

Anyway, I opted to read her memoir instead of our chosen book.

The memoir was published in 1942. In it she talks about her adventures and experiences, but not any of her romances. From her descriptions of the men in the book, you might guess at them. The attitude of the times (mid 1930s) is also evident. For example, she helped scout male elephants for safaris. Of course, those elephants would be killed for their ivory. What really came through for me, though, was the loving descriptions of Kenya, horses, and flying.

So, let me get this straight. She could train horses, fly planes, and write beautifully. Apparently that last bit is in question. I read on Wikipedia (so it has to be true) that it was rumored her third husband actually wrote it. Another version suggests that she wrote it, but her third husband edited the manuscript.

In any event, the writing is a joy to read. I highly recommend it.

Lucky me!

As suggested, I am posting a pic of my prize for being "post-ess the most-est" - along with evidence that I have been a passionate reader almost forever!