West with the Night is the best written book I have ever read. You will be drawn in and overwhelmed with awe at the story, how it is written, and Julie Harris's narration is the best I have ever heard for an audiobook. Beryl Markham's life and her experiences growing up in Africa, hunting with the Maasai when she was ten years old, being mauled by a lion, becoming a horse trainer, racing horses, and becoming a world famous pilot will amaze young and old.

Beryl Markham lived a truly unique life in Africa and her book is a captivating glimpse at it. Littered throughout with Swahili phrases, her writing feels very authentic. She was a brave female pilot and even though she helped poach elephants at one point, you still want to love her somehow. I forgive you, Beryl! Your life was a journey and you captured it in this beautiful diary.

Interesting book about the first aviatrix to cross the Atlantic from England to Nova Scotia. Even though it was published in 1942, it's still fascinating reading today. Beryl Markham seemed to be able to do it all and I wonder why we hear so little of her and more of Amelia Earhart. Much has been written whether she actually wrote the book herself, arguements for and against both seem valid and I am firmly on the fence at the moment.

Usually this genre (part travelogue, part biography) isn't what interests me but it was recommended and I was pleasantly surprised. The writing style is clean and crisp. If it's praised by Hemingway, who's to blame? She avoided any mention of the Happy Valley set, which may or may not have been apropriate for her goals. I would have liked to have read about them.