MobileRead March 2015 Discussion: West with the Night (spoilers)

[HomeInMyShoes]

It appears my library has this through Freading. I've never used that, but I shall endeavor to find out. I had requested the paper copy, but then I went on vacation and my request came through so I missed it while out of town. Thank you Mr. Murphy. I will get to this. Honest. Eventually. I requested the paper copy again yesterday. I'm sure my library loves me.

[ccowie]

Wow. Lots of thoughts on this book so far. I read it what seems like weeks ago now, but I've been away without time check in. I was at the Peace on Earth Film Festival in Chicago for 4 days. It was great!

Prior to reading the book I had only heard a little of the authorship controversy and frankly, didn't care much while reading it. But a few good points have been made, most notably that there’s something misleading at best if the book was promoted in 83 (I didn’t know this) casting Markham as feminist icon. I feel a little less duped by 2nd hand descriptions of Africa from someone who hadn’t been there simply because I think whoever wrote them got them right.

This bugged me: “ I couldn’t help wondering what Africa would have been like if such physique as these Kavirondo had were coupled with equal intelligence — or perhaps I should say with cunning equal to that of their white brethren.”

Just in terms of the general reading experience I’d have to say that I really enjoyed all the passages that involved Beryl flying or learning to fly. I also liked her relationship with Tom. But, I wasn’t prepared for the long passages about the training and racing of horses. I was just plain bored through most of that.

[Synamon]

If anyone hasn't started this yet, cadele just posted in the Deals forum that it's on sale for $1.99 at the ebookstores. I snagged a copy and will get to it soon I hope (once I've finished prepping the tax data ugh).

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by ccowie

Just in terms of the general reading experience I’d have to say that I really enjoyed all the passages that involved Beryl flying or learning to fly. I also liked her relationship with Tom. But, I wasn’t prepared for the long passages about the training and racing of horses. I was just plain bored through most of that.

Interesting, I found those important parts and didn't get bored with them. True, the flying was more a part of the book as a travel book, but the horses were always a part of her life, from small child to old woman. She was, after all, the first woman licensed trainer. (And, to be clear, I know next to nothing about horses.)

[ccowie]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Interesting, I found those important parts and didn't get bored with them. True, the flying was more a part of the book as a travel book, but the horses were always a part of her life, from small child to old woman. She was, after all, the first woman licensed trainer. (And, to be clear, I know next to nothing about horses.)

I actually agree with you regarding the important role horses played throughout her life. From all the book descriptions I was just looking forward to lots of flying adventures and wondered at times if I was reading the right book. I'm also not a horse person and nothing of horses: training, riding, racing etc. really interests me.

[issybird]

I thought the horse bits were interesting enough, but I didn't like the writing style, which seemed overwrought to me. The Camciscan part had me rolling my eyes; I really dislike anthropomorphizing animals. I also thought the play-by-play of the race between Wrack and Wise Child was OTT, but in fairness, this might have been down to Julie Harris's reading of it.

I think this is my biggest problem with the authorship issue; the voice doesn't seem consistent throughout, the way it would if it were informed by a person's relating her own experience. There were too many tonal shifts.

[WT Sharpe]

I had no problem with her or any of the book's other characters anthropomorphizing animals. It was the way they saw them, and the way they interpreted their motivations. It was probably projection to a large degree and may have been completely off as far as the true motivation of the animals, but it gave insight into the thought processes of the people making the assumptions.

[CRussel]

It was the way they saw them

Good point, Tom. We do rather need to keep in mind when this was written. Though the "one big race" of the book does appear to be an amalgam from several races, I think it nonetheless captures their feelings about the horses and the racing. Though I'd also agree ccowie that the horses were the least of why I liked the book. For me, the two most compelling parts of the book were the descriptions of time and place of Africa, and the flying and what early aviators did with primitive instrumentation and less than 100 horsepower engines.

[treadlightly]

Since I was waiting for this book to go on sale, I just finished it. The writing was beautiful. I haven't read anything about Beryl's story other than this book, but it does strike one as odd that someone who skipped out on her grammar lessons to go boar hunting would develop such wonderful writing skills. The horse sections were slow for me - it isn't an interest of mine. I wanted to get back to the planes, as that what the book was billed as being about. I loved the descriptions of what it was like to live in such a wild country, where you had to fall asleep at night wondering if your dog (or you) were to be dragged off by leopards at midnight. The actual transatlantic flight section was short, rushed, and at the very end of the book. For an autobiography, it was incomplete. Looking at a picture of her pilot licence at the end of the book, you see that she was married but there is no mention of that. I read here that she had a brother, who was also mysteriously absent. It makes the book feel more like an anthology of short stories of events that happened in her life. A more detailed and complete biography with background of the characters involved would actually have been more interesting.

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by CRussel

OK, since everyone went quiet -- here's a question for folks. What did you think of Beryl's description of her trip to England in the Gypsy Moth? Here we are at the cusp of WWII, with Mussolini firmly in power, and the whole world on the edge. Travelling anywhere then was tricky, and certainly through that area. I found the descriptions fascinating, but really have no feel for how accurate they really are. Clearly they had their basis in facts, but whether they're a description of a single trip, or an amalgam of trips, is less clear to me.

I thought this was a bit rushed and would have loved a bit more detail in this section. How aware were they of dangers? Were they scared? Did they consider an alternate route?

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

For an autobiography, it was incomplete. Looking at a picture of her pilot licence at the end of the book, you see that she was married but there is no mention of that. I read here that she had a brother, who was also mysteriously absent. It makes the book feel more like an anthology of short stories of events that happened in her life. A more detailed and complete biography with background of the characters involved would actually have been more interesting.

I am not convinced that a more thorough biography would have been better, especially for a "Travel/Adventure" theme. This book doesn't try to be an exhaustive autobiography. Instead it felt more like a reminiscence through her old journals and memories hitting some of here favorite or most memorable experiences. A full biography would be a good supplement to this, but I don't think the feelings that were developed in this book could have been brought through in the other format.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Three stars. Parts I liked, parts I didn't. I wasn't much for the horses. But it was a nicely written book for the most part and a couple of parts I read last night were brilliant:

Originally Posted by BerylMarkham

A map in the hands of a pilot is a testimony of a man’s faith in other men; it is a symbol of confidence and trust. It is not like a printed page that bears mere words, ambiguous and artful, and whose most believing reader – even whose author, perhaps – must allow in his mind a recess for doubt.

A map says to you, ‘Read me carefully, follow me closely, doubt me not.’ It says, ‘I am the earth in the palm of your hand. Without me, you are alone and lost.’

And indeed you are. Were all the maps in this world destroyed and vanished under the direction of some malevolent hand, each man would be blind again, each city be made a stranger to the next, each landmark become a meaningless signpost pointing to nothing.

I'd like to say boo to Beryl for making me rework my presentation I'm giving next month on spatial data quality. I need to work this in and its going to make me restructure the entire thing. Curses for being so brilliant Beryl.

I was always aiming at the trust aspect in the presentation, but this is just such a perfect quote.

Originally Posted by BerylMarkham

Africa is never the same to anyone who leaves it and returns again. It is not a land of change, but it is a land of moods and its moods are numberless. It is not fickle, but because it has mothered not only men, but races, and cradled not only cities, but civilizations – and seen them die, and seen new ones born again – Africa can be dispassionate, indifferent, warm, or cynical, replete with the weariness of too much wisdom.

This nicely summed up the depth of Africa that few can hope to really understand.

[sun surfer]

For some reason I thought I had already posted in this thread. Lots of things to deal with irl this month so that's my excuse.

I enjoyed the book, especially the beginning and the end. I do feel the narrative was obviously embellished here and there, almost shamelessly so in a few points, but it still presented a vivid and if not completely real then at least mostly- or semi-real portrait of Africa at the time. I love the adventurous feel to it and Markham’s adventurous spirit. I could just imagine the thrill of flying a plane solo over the unknown and mysterious Africa of the time.

I didn't mind most of the horse parts as some of you did. I like horses and rode some when I was young and would love to again some day, but the horse race description I didn't much care for. It was overdone and there was no suspense because the outcome was obvious, when the entire point was to be suspenseful. I prefer say the writing of the horse race in Anna Karenina. Overall though, West with the Night was a fun and vibrant glimpse of an exciting time and place gone by.

[WT Sharpe]

I couldn't understand all the distaste over the horse bits, either. I thought they added a bit of spice to the story.

[ccowie]

Paula McLain has now completed a novel about the life of Beryl Markham, which has garnered a few positive reviews. I thought I'd post a link to a quick interview with her regarding that book that was in this weekend's Globe and Mail.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/...ticle25876229/