Great Circle
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- Create Date：2021-05-04 08:32:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Maggie Shipstead
- ISBN：B08J8FHYHC
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Reviews
Debbie
，
I saw this novel mentioned several times online with readers loving it。 I wanted to love it。 I loved some of the strong characters。 But the novel was too long to me and very slow to start。 It took me awhile to get into it and even then it never pulled me in the way I had hoped it would。 It starts in 1914 in Montana and covers aviation， prohibition， war， art， and present day Hollywood。 The main character is Marian and it covers her life and fascination with being a pilot。 I found Hadley and her H I saw this novel mentioned several times online with readers loving it。 I wanted to love it。 I loved some of the strong characters。 But the novel was too long to me and very slow to start。 It took me awhile to get into it and even then it never pulled me in the way I had hoped it would。 It starts in 1914 in Montana and covers aviation， prohibition， war， art， and present day Hollywood。 The main character is Marian and it covers her life and fascination with being a pilot。 I found Hadley and her Hollywood lifestyle distracting from the novel。 I have seen where this novel has been selected for some book clubs and I do think it would， be a great discussion。 Thank you NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Joan
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Jenna Bush Hagar
Jenna Hager
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Now， more than ever， I love reading about women who chart their own course。 As a mom of two little girls and a young boy， I believe it is important to highlight fictional and nonfictional stories of fierce， independent women who don’t conform to what society says we need to be。 The heroines in my May pick， “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead， do just that。 Marian Graves is a woman before her time。 Born in 1914， she drops out of school at 14 years old to follow her passion for aviation。 She becom Now， more than ever， I love reading about women who chart their own course。 As a mom of two little girls and a young boy， I believe it is important to highlight fictional and nonfictional stories of fierce， independent women who don’t conform to what society says we need to be。 The heroines in my May pick， “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead， do just that。 Marian Graves is a woman before her time。 Born in 1914， she drops out of school at 14 years old to follow her passion for aviation。 She becomes a pilot after a wealthy bootlegger provides her with a plane and lessons， a debt she pays back for the rest of her life。 A century later， Hadley Baxter is an actor caught in the prison of celebrity culture in Hollywood。 When she is cast to play Marian Graves in a film about the pilot’s disappearance in Antarctica， the two women’s fates collide。 Both characters although flawed， represent how women can be their own people and how important it is to learn from the stories of the women who come before you。 I have been a fan of Maggie Shipstead since reading her debut novel “Seating Arrangements。” While I have enjoyed the beautiful writing in all of Shipstead’s previous books， “Great Circle” is truly epic。 I’m not sure I have ever highlighted such an ambitious novel。 The way Marian and Haldey’s stories intersect will entrance readers as they dive into this sweeping tale。 Told over many years， generations and places， “Great Circle” is about courage and daring defiance。 。。。more
Julie
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Great Circle， great epicRelease date 4 May 2021Review to follow
Anissa Telle
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Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead is a book that is truly epic both in time periods encompassed and actual length。 The book starts of with an actual tragedy in the 1920s of a sinking ship and the captain making the unconscionable decision to abandon his ship to save his twin babies。 You are then taking on a journey of more than 80 years from the far reaches of Montana， NYC， London and of course the clouds。 The girl twin， Marian， saved becomes a famous aviator and pushes the boundaries of her gend Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead is a book that is truly epic both in time periods encompassed and actual length。 The book starts of with an actual tragedy in the 1920s of a sinking ship and the captain making the unconscionable decision to abandon his ship to save his twin babies。 You are then taking on a journey of more than 80 years from the far reaches of Montana， NYC， London and of course the clouds。 The girl twin， Marian， saved becomes a famous aviator and pushes the boundaries of her gender almost from our first meeting with her， Truly an unforgettable character。 We also meet the modern day actress， Hadley， cast to play Marian in a movie。 Hadley has her own challenges and the exposure to the life story of Marian can help her find redemption。This book grabs hold of your heartstrings from the start and does not let go。 You also are educated gently on a history that few may know anything about。 Shipstead is a masterful weaver of past and present timelines in a way to bring much understanding。 Happiness and sorrow are intertwined with grace and these characters will not soon be forgotten。I was provided a free advance reader copy from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley。 The opinions shared in this review are my own。 。。。more
Alli Theis
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This story was so fun to read！The first 20% I admit was hard for me to follow along with。 It took a long time to set the story up and there was a lot of switching between present-day and historical recount。 But once I started to understand what was happening， I was hooked。Thank you to the author， Knopf Publishing， and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。
Melissa
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This book does historical fiction very well: it creates a specific set of moments in time inhabited by characters who are of the moment， whether breaking through social conventions or being confined to the times。 It also juggles stories of the past and present well showing the ways they are connected without seeming overly contrived。The writing is polished and flows along smoothly with sophistication—forward momentum and specificity。A recommended read！ Sorry to see the story end。
Oriana
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From the NYT:"Here we have an action-packed book rich with character， but it’s at the level of the sentence and the scene， the small but unforgettable salient detail， that books finally succeed or fail。 In that， 'Great Circle' is consistently， often breathtakingly， sound。"https://www。nytimes。com/2021/05/02/bo。。。 From the NYT:"Here we have an action-packed book rich with character， but it’s at the level of the sentence and the scene， the small but unforgettable salient detail， that books finally succeed or fail。 In that， 'Great Circle' is consistently， often breathtakingly， sound。"https://www。nytimes。com/2021/05/02/bo。。。 。。。more
Cathy Garrison
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A captivating story！ This book drew me in right from the beginning。 Maggie Shipstead did an amazing job of keeping the reader wanting more and turning the pages。 As the daughter of a pilot I have an even better appreciation for the love my father had being in the sky。 This is a must read and I highly recommend it to all。
Terri
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The strength of this book， the prose， was also what made me dislike it some。 I just don't think this book needed over 600 pages to tell the story。 Shipstead's writing may be viewed as superior by a lot of readers， but honestly I just wanted it to end。 This is not a usual review for me， because I tend to give 5 Star reviews as long as I'm happy at the end of the book。 The only thing I was happy about was that I didn't have to read it anymore。 I did finish the book。 I was surprised at the ending， The strength of this book， the prose， was also what made me dislike it some。 I just don't think this book needed over 600 pages to tell the story。 Shipstead's writing may be viewed as superior by a lot of readers， but honestly I just wanted it to end。 This is not a usual review for me， because I tend to give 5 Star reviews as long as I'm happy at the end of the book。 The only thing I was happy about was that I didn't have to read it anymore。 I did finish the book。 I was surprised at the ending， which is good。 However， I'm still asking myself why everybody in the book was either cheating on someone or sleeping with someone of the same sex。 Just not for me。 。。。more
Judy
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This book is one of the best I’ve read in a long time。 It’s full of drama， excitement， romance and it’s all done with great writing。 There are two story lines in this book- Marian， who is a brave young woman in the 1920’s who becomes a pilot。 The second story line is Hadley who is an actress stuggling to reinvent herself and is set to play Marian in a movie。 Ms。 Shipstead has written an exciting story that takes place in places all around the world and deals with women trying to make their way t This book is one of the best I’ve read in a long time。 It’s full of drama， excitement， romance and it’s all done with great writing。 There are two story lines in this book- Marian， who is a brave young woman in the 1920’s who becomes a pilot。 The second story line is Hadley who is an actress stuggling to reinvent herself and is set to play Marian in a movie。 Ms。 Shipstead has written an exciting story that takes place in places all around the world and deals with women trying to make their way through lives that began as orphans and trying to figure out how to get what they want in their lives。Thanks to Netgalley I was able to preread this book。 I will purchase this book for our library and I know I will re-read this book many times。 There is so much going on that I know it will be exciting everytime I read it。 。。。more
Linda
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“Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。 Genre: Historical Fiction。 Location: All over the world。 Time: From early 1900s until 2015。 Note: This is a really long book。 Don’t get discouraged。 It’s an epic adventure worth finishing！--In 1914， newborn twins Maggie and Jamie Graves survive a ocean liner sinking in the Atlantic Ocean。 Sent to Missoula， Montana， USA to be raised by their gambling， hard-drinking uncle， they lead a neglected life until 14 year old Marian falls in love with flying。 S “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。 Genre: Historical Fiction。 Location: All over the world。 Time: From early 1900s until 2015。 Note: This is a really long book。 Don’t get discouraged。 It’s an epic adventure worth finishing！--In 1914， newborn twins Maggie and Jamie Graves survive a ocean liner sinking in the Atlantic Ocean。 Sent to Missoula， Montana， USA to be raised by their gambling， hard-drinking uncle， they lead a neglected life until 14 year old Marian falls in love with flying。 She finds a benefactor in a wealthy bootlegger， which begins a tense and controlling relationship lasting for years。 Her ultimate goal is to circumnavigate the globe from North Pole to South Pole。--A century later， famous and troubled actress Hadley Baxter is chosen to play Marian in a film。 An orphan herself， Hadley finds herself wondering about Marian’s true story。--This is an epic story that spans decades and continents。 While Marian is the main character， it also follows many other characters whose lives intersect with Marian and Jamie。 It travels from WWI to prohibition to WWII and beyond。 The characters change with the times， and Marian keeps her goal of flying first in her heart。 One reason the book is so long is that the author includes many stories of real female pilots over the years。 I almost think this could be 3 books: a book about daredevil Marian， a book about her sensitive artist brother Jamie， and a book about their wildly independent and lifelong friend Caleb。 It’s 4 stars from me with thanks to NetGalley。 Knopf Doubleday publication date: May 3， 2021。 🌵📚👩🏼🦳” 。。。more
Jessica
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I was provided a free copy of this by @netgalley and @knopfdoubleday in exchange for my honest review！ This was a pretty epic historical fiction story （just over 600 pages）！ In it we follow the life of Marian Graves （born in 1914） as she grows up through many historical events （especially prohibition and WWII）， becomes an aviatrix， and ultimately is lost as she tries to fly a great circle around the Earth from pole to pole。 In more modern times （2014） we learn out about Hadley Baxter， a popular I was provided a free copy of this by @netgalley and @knopfdoubleday in exchange for my honest review！ This was a pretty epic historical fiction story （just over 600 pages）！ In it we follow the life of Marian Graves （born in 1914） as she grows up through many historical events （especially prohibition and WWII）， becomes an aviatrix， and ultimately is lost as she tries to fly a great circle around the Earth from pole to pole。 In more modern times （2014） we learn out about Hadley Baxter， a popular actress who is cast to play Marian in a biographical movie and has many troubles of her own。I finished this book about a week ago， but have been conflicted on my feelings of it and what to write。 On the one hand I stopped reading at one point to Google "Marian Graves" because I couldn't remember if this was based on a real person， and Marian seemed very real to me！ But on the other hand， it did feel long and arduous at times。 The beginning definitely took some time to get into， and I found myself not excited about Hadley's storyline。 When the narrative would switch I was often anxious to get back。 Hadley was a difficult character to like。 I do feel she got some redemption as the story progressed， and I appreciate what she brought to the end， but for most of the book it was a struggle。Thankfully the story was focused more on Marian and her adventurous life， so ultimately I decided to give it four stars！ This is set to be published Tuesday （May 4th）， so definitely add it to your TBR and look for it soon！#NetGalley #GreatCircle 。。。more
Annette
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If you like long family saga type books， pick this one up For me it starts out a bit confusing and it took me awhile to figure out what was going on。 It’s told in alternating timelines and parts where more interesting than others。It’s a bit too long for me and drags at times。Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy
Gail
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I have to be honest and say that I almost did something I’ve never done。 I almost DNF and told Net Galley I would not be giving feedback。 I’m really glad that I stuck with it and am now finished and writing a review。 I found the first part of the book very tedious。 It is understandable that the author wanted to give the reader information about Marion’s family background to better understand why she made the choices she did， but she could have done it more succinctly。 I also did not enjoy the pr I have to be honest and say that I almost did something I’ve never done。 I almost DNF and told Net Galley I would not be giving feedback。 I’m really glad that I stuck with it and am now finished and writing a review。 I found the first part of the book very tedious。 It is understandable that the author wanted to give the reader information about Marion’s family background to better understand why she made the choices she did， but she could have done it more succinctly。 I also did not enjoy the present day storyline featuring Hadley。 This storyline helped to tie everything up at the end of the book， but there could have been another way to do that。 All that said， I loved Marion。 She was a great character who will stay with me for a long time。 Her story was great from her childhood to her becoming a pilot and beyond。 I particularly loved the World War II part。 I’m giving the book three stars。 It took way too long for me to enjoy the reading experience for it to be a higher rating which is really too bad。 。。。more
Rose Douglas
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Wow！ This novel is an epic， sweeping story spanning the entire life of twins Marian and Jamie Graves。 From their conception and birth through their entire lives - challenges， heartaches， dreams， and failures。 It also simultaneously follows Hadely， a modern day movie/TV star going through her own challenges and finding herself， while playing Marian in a biopic。This is not an easy read， counting in over 600 pages， but worth it by the end to understand such interesting and varied lives and experien Wow！ This novel is an epic， sweeping story spanning the entire life of twins Marian and Jamie Graves。 From their conception and birth through their entire lives - challenges， heartaches， dreams， and failures。 It also simultaneously follows Hadely， a modern day movie/TV star going through her own challenges and finding herself， while playing Marian in a biopic。This is not an easy read， counting in over 600 pages， but worth it by the end to understand such interesting and varied lives and experiences。 Marian's story span Prohibition， World War 2， and beyond， with some great travel and adventure writing as well as some truly heartbreaking events throughout as well。 This is historical fiction at it's best - both character and plot driven。I actually enjoyed Hadley's story the most， which is probably less than 1/3 of the book， but both timelines were interesting。 The only caveat I have is the length of the book - yes， it is sweeping， but it did drag for quite a bit （kinda like life） around halfway mark。Overall， this is a beautifully written beautiful story that does get where you want it to in the end！ 。。。more
Eleanor
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Strong contender for book of the year so far。 More later。
Beth M。
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3。5 ⭐️
Cindy Stone
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Wow， this is a book I both loved and hated， but I could not put it down！ This is a story， beautifully written， about people， particularly women who don't know who they are or what they want out of life。 One， Marion Graves， is destined to become a pilot， one of the brave women who flew during WWII transporting planes from one place to another to "free up" the men to do the "important" work！ At home only in the sky， Marion is a fully developed character I adored， but wanted to shake hard several t Wow， this is a book I both loved and hated， but I could not put it down！ This is a story， beautifully written， about people， particularly women who don't know who they are or what they want out of life。 One， Marion Graves， is destined to become a pilot， one of the brave women who flew during WWII transporting planes from one place to another to "free up" the men to do the "important" work！ At home only in the sky， Marion is a fully developed character I adored， but wanted to shake hard several times。 James， her brother， is an artist with his own story， just as complicated and imaginative as Marion's。 Almost every character in this novel， even the minor ones， are carefully drawn and became real to me。 Cable， Hadley， Barclay， Ruth， Eddie， even Joey Kamaka at the end were fully realized human beings with their own idiosyncracies， personalities and lives。 Yes， the book is VERY long， but so worth while reading。 Once I was fully into the novel， I was hooked and read almost continuously for three days （I read fast！）。 Allow this book to capture you as the entirety of it is wonderful！ I did have some qualms about Hadley， the modern-day parallel to Marion， her life and her inability to control her urges， but they are minor in the face of the entire novel。 This is written so well that I fully believed Marion Graves existed！ Thank you Alfred A。 Knopf for letting me read an Advance Copy。 All thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Ann
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Would give this wonderful book 10 stars if I could。 It is the story of an actress in today's Hollywood and the story of a woman from the 1930's who was a front runner in women's flying。 It amazes me that women were treated so badly not only by men but the laws of the US。 Marian and her twin brother Jamie Graves were born on an ocean liner the week it sank in the Atlantic。 Their father， the Captain got them into a lifeboat but later went to prison for "abandoning ship"。 Raised by their Uncle， a p Would give this wonderful book 10 stars if I could。 It is the story of an actress in today's Hollywood and the story of a woman from the 1930's who was a front runner in women's flying。 It amazes me that women were treated so badly not only by men but the laws of the US。 Marian and her twin brother Jamie Graves were born on an ocean liner the week it sank in the Atlantic。 Their father， the Captain got them into a lifeboat but later went to prison for "abandoning ship"。 Raised by their Uncle， a painter they ran free in the Montana hills。 More than a century later， actress Hadley Baxter is picked to star in a movie about Marian's life。 With duel timelines I thought I'd be more interested in the modern story but I was completely drawn into Marian's life story。 I couldn't put this book down。 I find myself becoming more and more hooked on books that are historic fiction from the WWII era。 Pick up this book and read it not only for the great story but a history lesson。 Great read。 I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Pamela
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4。5 rounded up。 The only reason this isn’t a solid 5 stars is that the parts about the modern actress， to me， seem totally unnecessary to the story。 I would have loved it completely had the little bits of information gleaned from the “present” had simply been incorporated into the story of Marion Graves life。 The bulk of the book that is Marion’s story is wonderful。 Keep with it even though it starts slowly。 The time spent with the main characters— Marion， Jamie， and Caleb — are worth it。
Mo Smith
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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。All opinions are my own。3。5 starsOverall， I really enjoyed this book。 I was drawn to it because I love stories about female aviators and read everything I can get my hands on about Amelia Earhart's last flight。 What prevents me from rating this higher is the length of the book。 The last 10-15% is wonderful。 The characters， the writing， the story itself- all wonderful。 But it took me like 500 pages to get to that point I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。All opinions are my own。3。5 starsOverall， I really enjoyed this book。 I was drawn to it because I love stories about female aviators and read everything I can get my hands on about Amelia Earhart's last flight。 What prevents me from rating this higher is the length of the book。 The last 10-15% is wonderful。 The characters， the writing， the story itself- all wonderful。 But it took me like 500 pages to get to that point。 So many unnecessary details woven into the beginning。I loved the story and wish that it could have been told in less than 600 pages。I would recommend this to others， but caution prospective readers of its length。Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC！ 。。。more
Anna Whitmore
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The story of Marian Graves kept me intrigued from the first to the last page （which is really something considering the book is over 600 pages）。 Marian doesn’t know what she wants out of life except that she is meant to fly。 Flying during prohibition and through WWII leads Marian to attempt a flight around the world， from pole to pole。 Told from multiple different perspectives this book tells the whole story of Marian’s life and her legacy and by the end I felt like I truly knew her。 I don’t fee The story of Marian Graves kept me intrigued from the first to the last page （which is really something considering the book is over 600 pages）。 Marian doesn’t know what she wants out of life except that she is meant to fly。 Flying during prohibition and through WWII leads Marian to attempt a flight around the world， from pole to pole。 Told from multiple different perspectives this book tells the whole story of Marian’s life and her legacy and by the end I felt like I truly knew her。 I don’t feel like I have ever read a book that painted such a complete picture of a character。 This story and the emotions expressed in the novel will stick with me for a long time。 。。。more
Cat
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If you want to immerse yourself in the life of a strong female protagonist， this is it。 Marion Graves is lightyears ahead of her time （1914）， and there’s absolutely nothing that can stand in the way of her dream: fly， fly， then fly some more。 What a beautiful and lyrical tribute to a character who embodies so many women from her era， many who are noted throughout the book as a reference to the time period。 Marion and her twin brother Jamie have a terribly rocky start to life， and thanks to the c If you want to immerse yourself in the life of a strong female protagonist， this is it。 Marion Graves is lightyears ahead of her time （1914）， and there’s absolutely nothing that can stand in the way of her dream: fly， fly， then fly some more。 What a beautiful and lyrical tribute to a character who embodies so many women from her era， many who are noted throughout the book as a reference to the time period。 Marion and her twin brother Jamie have a terribly rocky start to life， and thanks to the care， or lack thereof， of their guardian uncle， they basically raise themselves。 Filled with beautiful detail， well-described thoughts and deeply moving viewpoints， their life and times are a mesmerizing saga。In a dual perspective （2014）， we meet Hadley， an actress with similar roots as the twins who has been contracted to play Marion in an in depth movie。 I found Hadley to be an empty shell in compassion to Marion， and I wondered why her character was even involved。 While reading， I was always relieved to turn the page and find we were back with Marion again。 But this didn't affect the overall impact of the book and it’s story- the life of a strong， independent， lonely and private woman who loves to fly。Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 The publishing date was May 4， 2021。 。。。more
Jennyh
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A sweeping novel of two interwoven lives; Marion Grove， an aviator who disappeared in 1959， and an actress， Hadley， who will portray her in an upcoming film。Exquisitely written and researched this lengthy novel is worthy of and deserves， every word and phrase。Devote some reading time for this novel。
Bri
，
Sometimes interesting， sometimes goes off on unnecessary tangents。 The point of Hadley's story was never made。 Yes， she found the answer， but it wasn't necessary or adding anything to the plot with her story。 The characters are quite one dimensional， and you don't really care what happens to them。 In amongst all the waffle， there are some interesting stories that make you plough on through。 The beginning story of the shipwreck， the barnstorming pilots， when Marion discovered a love of flying， th Sometimes interesting， sometimes goes off on unnecessary tangents。 The point of Hadley's story was never made。 Yes， she found the answer， but it wasn't necessary or adding anything to the plot with her story。 The characters are quite one dimensional， and you don't really care what happens to them。 In amongst all the waffle， there are some interesting stories that make you plough on through。 The beginning story of the shipwreck， the barnstorming pilots， when Marion discovered a love of flying， the bush pilots adventures in Alaska， the ATA piloting in WW2， and the actual last flight attempting the great circle were interesting。 。。。more
Stephanie
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If you like to follow characters through various phases of their lives， if you have interest in women's aviation， if you want a real feel for Antartica and what drives an adventurer this story is for you。 The story follows Marian and her brother Jamie through the decades while concurrently following current day Hadley who is making a film about Marian's life。 I wasn't as enthralled with Hadley's story though it does come together but it just wasn't as compelling to me。 I kept wanting to get back If you like to follow characters through various phases of their lives， if you have interest in women's aviation， if you want a real feel for Antartica and what drives an adventurer this story is for you。 The story follows Marian and her brother Jamie through the decades while concurrently following current day Hadley who is making a film about Marian's life。 I wasn't as enthralled with Hadley's story though it does come together but it just wasn't as compelling to me。 I kept wanting to get back to Marian and Jamie to see what life was going to throw at them next。 Highly recommend。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Janelle
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Holy cow there is a lot going on in this book！ And it's a long story！ I didn't think it was going to end。 It's interesting how the dual storylines are tied togther。 It starts out slow and takes a while to build into it - I almost quit about 20% into reading， but felt it had to get more interesting - and it does！ Thank you to NetGalley for a timed， digital ARC in return for my review。 Holy cow there is a lot going on in this book！ And it's a long story！ I didn't think it was going to end。 It's interesting how the dual storylines are tied togther。 It starts out slow and takes a while to build into it - I almost quit about 20% into reading， but felt it had to get more interesting - and it does！ Thank you to NetGalley for a timed， digital ARC in return for my review。 。。。more
Karen
，
Great Circle is an epic！ There’s no denying Maggie Shipstead is a phenomenal writer and Great Circle is her best work to date。 Great Circle is a novel that will stay with me for a while。 It starts a bit slow， but I soon found myself enmeshed in the life of Marian Graves。 I wonder， though， why was her story alone not enough？ What does Hadley add and is it necessary？ I guess she provides a way to learn the full story of Marian， but I am uncertain if that could have happened in another way。 Overall Great Circle is an epic！ There’s no denying Maggie Shipstead is a phenomenal writer and Great Circle is her best work to date。 Great Circle is a novel that will stay with me for a while。 It starts a bit slow， but I soon found myself enmeshed in the life of Marian Graves。 I wonder， though， why was her story alone not enough？ What does Hadley add and is it necessary？ I guess she provides a way to learn the full story of Marian， but I am uncertain if that could have happened in another way。 Overall， Great Circle is a wonderful story！ 。。。more
Carolyn Russett
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This is going to be a hard review for me to write -- while i did not LOVE the book， i'm glad i made myself finish it。 The book opens with the rescue of two infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914。 The novel tracks their lives across America and beyond as Marian pursues her dream of becoming the first pilot to circumnavigate the globe going over the north and south poles。 The infants are twins and their characters are written well: very different from each other。 Marian is the thrill seeker an This is going to be a hard review for me to write -- while i did not LOVE the book， i'm glad i made myself finish it。 The book opens with the rescue of two infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914。 The novel tracks their lives across America and beyond as Marian pursues her dream of becoming the first pilot to circumnavigate the globe going over the north and south poles。 The infants are twins and their characters are written well: very different from each other。 Marian is the thrill seeker and Jamie is the shy artist。 In the present day Hadley is an actress who is going to portray Marian in a movie based on Marians' flight log book。/ journal。 I didn't have a problem with the story going back and forth between time periods。 I did find it a bit confusing when the author would backtrack in time a few months while telling the story in the past。 Just seemed a lot of back and forth for me。 Honestly ， I was not impressed with having to read about Hadley's sexual exploitations and her lifestyle。 It did not add to the story at all for me。 If I didn't need Hadley to help pull the ending together I could have done without her entirely。 She was a character I could not get into too。 The book was a very slow start for me and I found myself wanting to give up many times。 However the story of Marian and Jamie， in the end was very good so i'm glad i stayed with it。 The last 25% of the book was probably the best。 The ending was well done and a bit of a surprise。 while it was not my favorite， I would recommend it as a read。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Great Circle
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Great Circle&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Great Circle&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0