Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Great Circle

The premise is interesting and what parts focused on the circumnavigation were fascinating and enjoyable. But the author jumps around a lot and I’m not sure what the point of Hadley was. She felt superfluous since we had all the other info through Marian anyway. Also the focus on sex and relationships drove me up the wall. Every other page there was a reference to or discussion of sex that was unnecessary and added nothing. I think if this were 300 pages it would have been much better

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ppppaula's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I adored the main story about Marian and all of the historical side stories, but the present day story about the actress added nothing and to me, was unnecessary. This would have been a 5 star read without it. The writing was spot on, and the historical stories were so well told from the get go and really gave a sense of place and character. I really could picture the different places, especially Missoula, Alaska, Seattle & Antartica. Loved the stories about Addison, the ship,, Jamie, Eddy, Caleb, Wallace, and of course Marian.

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doilooklikeamolly's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a marathon of a read! It's incredibly dense with painstaking backstory. I went into it knowing that many reviewers didn't enjoy these perhaps superfluous additions, but as I read I kept thinking to myself "would I have edited this out," and more often than not my answer was no. The interwoven timelines are supported by histories that add complexity to the characters and the way they experience pain, joy, and one another's flaws. The end result is this dynamic, emotional, expertly crafted arc. I recommend it to anyone who loves a slow burn - an opportunity to just steep in the narrative and language.

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beatriks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved this book so much.
I‘m pretty sure this will be on top of my List for 2023.

The story is everything I want, characters are so complex and well-explained, the plot is so carefully planned and built up.

The writing is superb. There is no book so far with so many highlighted sentences and passages.

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lols_cat's review against another edition

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adventurous informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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cecilialau_'s review

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3.75

So much happens especially in the beginning of this book. I defo recommend reading it at a time where you can take it in and also “handle”/grasp a lot of characters and plot; it’s not a light read.

However, it is a very good story, it’s heavy and intense at times, it’s well-crafted and I enjoyed Jamie’s storyline the most tbh. Also, Marian is a pretty wonderful kind of main character.
My big book fear came out though as I thought it dragged a little here and there but I also had high expectations for it which is unfair of course.

Sounds like I didn’t really enjoy it but I did and I thought it was done very well. What a task it must have been to put this all together - so much happens!!
Very glad I read it and think it’s defo worth a read. And it stays with you bc so much happens both emotionally, time-wise and geographically so you sort of remember things here and there which means the author knew what see was doing imo.

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toothpastefairy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Screaming, crying, and throwing-up throughout.

Marian is someone who you desperately want to hug and throttle at the same time. Devastating and heartwarming, the novel's end is poignantly built in a way you could not predict from the start. Each character is crafted with care and depth, their lives reach across the pages to brush each other and arrest the reader's heart.

Overall, brutal and tender.

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sinbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A queer, bold novel that gripped me with its slow almost biographical nature

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