You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
raiimundo97's review against another edition
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault
rosie_b's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Check out the content warnings because there’s a lot, and the first half especially contains some hard to read stuff.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
karenmsecrest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
At the core is the story of a girl growing up in prohibition-era Montana desperate to become an aviatrix, and the actress who will play her on film 90 years later. Without giving any spoilers, there is a LOT of trauma in this story, as with any story set during depression, prohibition, WWII, etc. The way the disparate lives are woven together is stunning.
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
littlefish's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Rape, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, and Abortion
Minor: Animal cruelty, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Mental illness
natgzmun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War
kinddog2073's review against another edition
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
saville08's review against another edition
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
maryclaire92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
If I’m being honest, it dragged at times for me, but that can also be attributed to me reading it towards the end of this semester of grad school.
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Abortion, and Death of parent
booksconleche's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
'Great Circle' is an entire world, a handful of lives, all within 600-ish pages. If I could encapsulate it into one word, I'd choose "vivid" – the characters seem like they're just about ready to walk off the page. Not an easy feat when you're carrying multiple points of view (though the book is mostly focused on Marian's and Hadley's), but each character definitely felt like they had a distinct voice and personality. They all had that humanity to them that tends to make books four or five stars for me. Marian and Jamie, in particular, stole my heart, even in their less loveable moments. I also loved Hadley and her Old Hollywood wit in a 21st-century movie star's brain. Maggie Shipstead can definitely pull off the art of making characters' flaws part of their charm. And even the side characters that we get smaller glimpses of made their mark so wonderfully.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The prose itself is beautiful. I have various lines highlighted for their way of capturing what seem to be universal truths of the experience of being a human who loves and dreams and yearns and loses. Seemingly simple lines that, when you pause, capture so much more. (I felt very validated when I noticed that Maggie Shipstead had highlighted a couple of these passages on Goodreads too). Swipe for some of my top ones!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
TLDR: read 'Great Circle' for a fantastic exploration of wanderlust, womanhood, family, love, and longing. You really won't regret it.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion
btodd12's review against another edition
- 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
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Nothing short of an epic saga, Great Circle spans multiple generations and reaches (literally) around the world. Marion Graves attempted to fly a great circle from pole to pole in 1950, but disappeared during the last leg of her journey. ✈️ Yes, this is a story about flying but it is also so much more. It’s the lengths to which Marion would go to achieve her dream of being a pilot during a time when women generally couldn’t hold such a career. It’s her struggles against her controlling husband and her attempts to find true love. It’s her twin brother Jamie’s journey to becoming an artist. And fast forwarding 60 years, it’s actress Hadley Baxter’s experience playing Marion in a movie about her astonishing feats. And I’d be remiss not to mention the shipwrecks, LGTBQ, bootlegging, WWII, brothels, and Great Depression that all add to the myriad of plot lines. Summed up in a line from the book, “Hope shouldn’t be so expensive.” 💔
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I was admittedly intimidated by the size, which is why this signed copy of the book has sat on my shelves for over a year. I eventually listened on audio during a long road trip & loved it. The only parts I didn’t care for were the early chapters of Hadley Baxter & the sexual abuse. (Definitely look up or DM me for trigger warnings, because there are several but they relate to spoilers so I’m not listing them here) While the beginning can be confusing, stick with it.
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and War