48 pages • 1 hour read
Beryl MarkhamWest with the Night
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1942A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
West with the Night by Beryl Markham chronicles her adventures growing up in Kenya among indigenous communities, learning to hunt and train racehorses, and eventually becoming an aviation pioneer. Her captivating journey includes searching for downed pilots, training horses, and flying solo across the Atlantic, crash-landing in Canada in 1936. The text reflects colonialist biases and includes references to suicide and animal attacks.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Reviewers widely praise Beryl Markham's West with the Night for its lyrical prose and vivid depiction of early 20th-century Africa and aviation. Readers admire her adventurous spirit and storytelling. Criticisms include perceived embellishments in her accounts and occasional disjointed narrative flow. Overall, it's considered a compelling memoir blending adventure with introspection.
Who Should Read West with the Night?
Readers who enjoy West with the Night by Beryl Markham relish adventure memoirs and historical narratives. Comparable to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Wind, Sand and Stars and Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, this book appeals to those fascinated by early aviation, African landscapes, and pioneering spirits.
RecommendedReading Age
14+yearsLexile Level
1140LBook Details
Action / Adventure
Travel Literature
History: World
Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Identity: Femininity
Identity: Race