Historical

Great Circle

Great Circle

  • Downloads：2251
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-03 06:51:07
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Maggie Shipstead
  • ISBN：0857526812
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER
'Smart， ambitious and so beautifully written。 An amazing literary feat' CURTIS SITTENFELD
'Epic in spirit and scope。 A soaring masterclass' TELEGRAPH （five stars）
_______________________
I WAS BORN TO BE A WANDERER

From the night she is rescued as a baby out of the flames of a sinking ship; to the day she joins a pair of daredevil pilots looping and diving over the rugged forests of her childhood， to the thrill of flying Spitfires during the war， the life of Marian Graves has always been marked by a lust for freedom and danger。

In 1950， she embarks on the great circle flight， circumnavigating the globe。 It is Marian's life dream and her final journey， before she disappears without a trace。

Half a century later， Hadley Baxter， a brilliant， troubled Hollywood starlet is irresistibly drawn to play Marian Graves， a role that will lead her to probe the deepest mysteries of the vanished pilot's life。

An enthralling journey over oceans and continents and a drama of exhilarating power， GREAT CIRCLE is perfect for book clubs and fans of William Boyd and Donna Tartt。
_________________________________________

'Gripping' SUNDAY TIMES
'Extraordinary' NEW YORK TIMES
'One of the most hotly anticipated books of the spring' MARIELLA FROSTRUP

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Reviews

Ann Pierson ，

The only thing that this book has in common with The Goldfinch is that it’s long。 I found it a real slog to get through and would put it down out of boredom often。 The writing is pretentious。 I was really glad when I was finished with it。 Not recommended。

Susan Gorman ，

Really well-written。 I think Hadley’s storyline could have been cut with no detraction from the story。 It was so long！

Murray Heltzer ，

Beautifully written。 Great character development for the historic part。 Current part really does not fit for the story

Marge Keller ，

I loved this book。 I have not read such a wonderful book in a long time。 The language used in the book was extraordinary。 The themes were very relevant and covered thoroughly。 You are missing out if you do not read this book。

Rose Brooks ，

An epic tale filled with flawed characters - and aren’t those always the most interesting？

Bryan ，

This never really took off （bada bing） for me。 I loved Maggie Shipstead's last book but I never warmed up to this one。 It was fiiiiiine but for such a huge book I expected more than fine。 As many other people have said， I was not feeling the Hadley sections and even though I appreciated their ultimate message about Marian's life， I didn't really need to know so much about Hadley's life （like girl how many affairs can you have-- get it together） and so her story didn't really payoff for me。 I lik This never really took off （bada bing） for me。 I loved Maggie Shipstead's last book but I never warmed up to this one。 It was fiiiiiine but for such a huge book I expected more than fine。 As many other people have said， I was not feeling the Hadley sections and even though I appreciated their ultimate message about Marian's life， I didn't really need to know so much about Hadley's life （like girl how many affairs can you have-- get it together） and so her story didn't really payoff for me。 I liked Marian and was invested in her journey but many of the other characters stories felt like asides that never went anywhere。 Overall， it was fine but it definitely felt like Maggie Shipstead was trying to get a Hulu series out of this book-- which is fine， bless her--but this left me underwhelmed。 。。。more

MORENO CLARKSON ，

I pulled my credit report and it gave me the usual report。 However， when I tried to apply for a small business loan， in order to boost my business， they said there was no credit history of my TransUnion report and when I contacted TransUnion directly they said the same thing。 I had to write METRONET CREDIT SOLUTION via metronetcreditsolution@gmail。com and also texted 205 518 3032， in less than 9 days my report was cleared and my score rose to 810， yes I was skeptical at first until it was pulled I pulled my credit report and it gave me the usual report。 However， when I tried to apply for a small business loan， in order to boost my business， they said there was no credit history of my TransUnion report and when I contacted TransUnion directly they said the same thing。 I had to write METRONET CREDIT SOLUTION via metronetcreditsolution@gmail。com and also texted 205 518 3032， in less than 9 days my report was cleared and my score rose to 810， yes I was skeptical at first until it was pulled again at the bank and I was qualified for the loan this time。 All thanks to Metronet。 。。。more

Jackie Marchant ，

This was really three stories， that of Marian Graves， her brother and the starlet who plays Marian。 To be honest， I found Hadley rather spoilt and irritating and her connection to Marian rather tenuous。 But， having said that， I did find the life of a rich Hollywood starlet quite interesting。 But I found Marian's life much more interesting， in particular her childhood and her relationship with Jamie and Caleb that shaped so much of her life。 I'd have liked to have known what happened to their fat This was really three stories， that of Marian Graves， her brother and the starlet who plays Marian。 To be honest， I found Hadley rather spoilt and irritating and her connection to Marian rather tenuous。 But， having said that， I did find the life of a rich Hollywood starlet quite interesting。 But I found Marian's life much more interesting， in particular her childhood and her relationship with Jamie and Caleb that shaped so much of her life。 I'd have liked to have known what happened to their father though。 I thought the book was rather long， but it did have span a long time。 I felt almost disappointed by the revelation at the end， but it was quite a twist。 。。。more

Mary ，

This is one lumbering book， filled with delicately written passages and chunky， heavy writing that threatens to ground the book。 Every character is given a time to shine and a time to descend into near madness。 I’m too tired to write a proper review。 Suffice it to say that it is about a woman who yearns to fly。

Diana ，

3。5 I enjoyed the personal perspective of a brave historical person I hadn’t known about before。 The story gives context to all that Marian faced and accomplished in a remarkable era。 I wish Shipstead would’ve explored more there rather than the modern subplot to wrap it up。

Cynthia Wrenn ，

A novel becomes a movie。 Perhaps the author should have supplied the cast of characters， settings with the use of maps of cities， states， countries， topography， and climate。 The plot twists and characters got lost on the reader。 Somehow the novel was bogged down with verbose passages。 Going between the past and actress who set out to perform a movie about the heroine aviator became redundant。 Over six hundred pages is more of a tome than an epic。 And what becomes of Addison Graves after he is re A novel becomes a movie。 Perhaps the author should have supplied the cast of characters， settings with the use of maps of cities， states， countries， topography， and climate。 The plot twists and characters got lost on the reader。 Somehow the novel was bogged down with verbose passages。 Going between the past and actress who set out to perform a movie about the heroine aviator became redundant。 Over six hundred pages is more of a tome than an epic。 And what becomes of Addison Graves after he is released from prison。 Does he ever navigate the circle to find his children！ And who is Mitch that Hadley referred to？ Is a move ever better than the book。 In this case the novel should have been the only focus。 It became the unbearable quote， “When is going to end。” Or perhaps “This is a never ending song it goes on and on。” 。。。more

Steve ，

Very satisfying。 An excellent read， a closed circle/

Susan Oram ，

Too much jumping around between time periods for me。 In the end， I didn't care about the two main characters as much as I had in the beginning。 It would have been wonderful to read less about extraneous details and secondary characters， with more focus on the main story lines。 Too much jumping around between time periods for me。 In the end， I didn't care about the two main characters as much as I had in the beginning。 It would have been wonderful to read less about extraneous details and secondary characters， with more focus on the main story lines。 。。。more

Janet Schneider ，

A great book！！Some said this was boring and too long to tell Marians story。 I couldn't stop reading and hope others will read and enjoy it too。 A great book！！Some said this was boring and too long to tell Marians story。 I couldn't stop reading and hope others will read and enjoy it too。 。。。more

Dale ，

Wow， just wow。 This book has everything spanning across generations。 Follows the exploits of a woman trying to make it in the world as one of the few female pilots between the World Wars。 From Montana to Alaska to war torn England the story follows her through adventures and relationships， all done while a modern day movie about her life takes shape。 Recommend the audio book。

Amy Colbert ，

4。6

Bridget M ，

First half 1 star， second half 4 stars。 Agree with JanB comments but I starting "skimming" after the first 100 pages until mid-book and did finish。 The second half moves much quicker。 First half 1 star， second half 4 stars。 Agree with JanB comments but I starting "skimming" after the first 100 pages until mid-book and did finish。 The second half moves much quicker。 。。。more

Jackie ，

This was a bookclub book， and I was really put-off at first by the length - I didn't think I would get through it。 But， I ended up being unable to put it down。 The characters are so well developed， and the story kept me wanting more。 I felt like Marian was a real person！ I wasn't really as engaged by the present-day actress， but luckily， that seemed secondary to Marian's story。 This was a bookclub book， and I was really put-off at first by the length - I didn't think I would get through it。 But， I ended up being unable to put it down。 The characters are so well developed， and the story kept me wanting more。 I felt like Marian was a real person！ I wasn't really as engaged by the present-day actress， but luckily， that seemed secondary to Marian's story。 。。。more

BooksnFreshair （Poornima Apte） ，

http://booksnfreshair。blogspot。com/20。。。 http://booksnfreshair。blogspot。com/20。。。 。。。more

Christy ，

Marian Graves has always wanted to fly。 But as a young woman in the 1930s， she doesn't have many opportunities to do so。 She makes her own way， no matter what it takes。 She can leave her past and just "be。" After Marian attempts to circle the world， she is never heard from again and her plane is never found。 Her flight logs and some journals are recovered in the Antarctica。 Cut to 2014， and out of control actress， Hadley， who's life and （possibly） career are imploding due to her poor choices。 Wh Marian Graves has always wanted to fly。 But as a young woman in the 1930s， she doesn't have many opportunities to do so。 She makes her own way， no matter what it takes。 She can leave her past and just "be。" After Marian attempts to circle the world， she is never heard from again and her plane is never found。 Her flight logs and some journals are recovered in the Antarctica。 Cut to 2014， and out of control actress， Hadley， who's life and （possibly） career are imploding due to her poor choices。 When Hadley is offered the role of Marian in a new film， Peregrine， she decides to take the part and realizes just how similar her life is to Marian's。 。。。more

Amy Van den dijssel ，

Great story。 The writing is spectacular too。 I highly recommend this book。

Dorothy K ，

Interesting story but was overly long in places that distracted from the story。

Mandy Raff ，

Epic。 Multiple female protagonists。 Loved every page。 Will easily be in my top 3 this year！

Sarah Benjamin ，

I have to admit to finding this novel a bit of a struggle it was just too long at times I felt I would never reach the end The book was longlisted for the Booker prize 2021 There were elements of the story I loved ，I liked the portion dealing with the adventurous Marian who lives to fly aeroplanes in the days when women pilots were a rare and exotic thing The book has 2 parallel stories with the second element dealing with a film actress and her eventual portrait of the airwoman in a book pic 。T I have to admit to finding this novel a bit of a struggle it was just too long at times I felt I would never reach the end The book was longlisted for the Booker prize 2021 There were elements of the story I loved ，I liked the portion dealing with the adventurous Marian who lives to fly aeroplanes in the days when women pilots were a rare and exotic thing The book has 2 parallel stories with the second element dealing with a film actress and her eventual portrait of the airwoman in a book pic 。There were similarities in the lives of the 2 women and their romantic relationships but I personally felt that the second story was not needed abs the book would have felt more complete just focusing on the historical elements as this story was full enough on its own There are a lot of sequences focusing on airplanes and their flying which felt rather encyclopaedic to me as if the author had done a huge amount of research and wanted to get it all in some how The details do however make the book highly visual and I’m sure it would make a fantastic filmI suspect my review may be at odds with others ， this book will have its lovers and if my experience of the Booker prize is anything to go by it is often the books I don’t like that win ！ 。。。more

Sheri ，

An epic tale set in two time frames。 The first involves a female aviator akin to Amelia Earhart， who also disappears。 The second involves a Hollywood actress of the modern day who will be playing the aviator in a biopic about her life。 Due to the many unknowns about the aviator， how she is to be portrayed and the details of her personal life are up in the air。 This was a wonderful book！

Amanda ，

An epic saga of a book （600+ pages） centered on the life of Marian Graves， a fictional female pilot who circumnavigates the world North/South through both poles。 Interspersed with the biography of the pilot are chapters set in 2014 from the perspective of the actress portraying Marian in a movie。 There were times that the book felt long， but ultimately it was satisfying and truly a “great circle” to finish。 The structure of the book reminded me of Plain Bad Heroines （2020） which also shifted bac An epic saga of a book （600+ pages） centered on the life of Marian Graves， a fictional female pilot who circumnavigates the world North/South through both poles。 Interspersed with the biography of the pilot are chapters set in 2014 from the perspective of the actress portraying Marian in a movie。 There were times that the book felt long， but ultimately it was satisfying and truly a “great circle” to finish。 The structure of the book reminded me of Plain Bad Heroines （2020） which also shifted back and forth between a historical plot and women acting in a movie about things that happened years ago。 。。。more

Andrea Kirch ，

Really 3。5 stars， but I’ll round up。

Amy ，

This one wasn't for me， I actually didn't finish it。 Interesting premise but too much drama。 Meh。 This one wasn't for me， I actually didn't finish it。 Interesting premise but too much drama。 Meh。 。。。more

Cindy ，

Best book I’ve read this year！ All 600+ pages are riveting。

Louise ，

On the Booker prize long-list this is the story of Marian Graves。 A woman who comes of age in the age of flight and her journey from abandoned child to Amelia Earhart style pilot。 However that is to massively over simplify the plot。 This is a grand and sweeping novel that explores all of Marians life and the people she loved and lost。 Some people from history pop up in the narrative which adds to the sense of richness。 This is a really lyrical book that is ultimately about freedom and the price On the Booker prize long-list this is the story of Marian Graves。 A woman who comes of age in the age of flight and her journey from abandoned child to Amelia Earhart style pilot。 However that is to massively over simplify the plot。 This is a grand and sweeping novel that explores all of Marians life and the people she loved and lost。 Some people from history pop up in the narrative which adds to the sense of richness。 This is a really lyrical book that is ultimately about freedom and the price we sometimes pay。 Can anyone be truly free unless they are separate from all earthly considerations？ And if you do that， is freedom worth it ？An excellent 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