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salreads's review against another edition
5.0
‘Mankind lacks that sixth sense which seems to guide seabirds across thousands of miles of trackless ocean.’
Great Circle and I had a tempestuous love affair - at the height I was flying…but at other times I was tempted to bail out. Reading this with a group we shared frustrations and some decided this this wasn’t for them..
There is a dual storyline - Marian and Jamie are twins..their childhood was unconventional, they had to be independent, self reliant…. Marian is a pilot, Jamie is a vegetarian. Years into the future, Hadley a rising movie star has been hired to play Marian in a film…Marian’s plane disappeared in Antartica ..
Great Circle is expansive, ambitious with a huge cast, weaving into the fiction true stories from aviation history. The writing is brilliant - not surprising for a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop but at times I felt it was slightly self -conscious…and I found swift tense changes distracting. For me the biggest thing I wasn’t sure about was the dual timeline. I couldnt totally convince myself we needed Hadley and a movie framing the original story..At times the stories felt discordant and almost 2 different novels - Marian and Jamie’s story gave me Crawdads vibes whilst Hadley’s story reminded me of Evelyn Hugo. I was much happier in the first story..
But mostly this book was so utterly brilliant that I forgot my reservations and rushed for the five stars at its epic ending which gathers everything together so perfectly…It was as though the two stories had been circling around each other and suddenly I could see the view The characters are wonderfully drawn. Marian has much in common with Crawdads Kyra - self sufficient, resourceful, born into adult shoes, driven by an overwhelming desire to fly.. And then there’s Jamie. Jamie blew me away. I have never seen my thoughts and feelings articulated so closely in a character - there were many parallels between us in our relationship with animals. ‘..he must have conveyed his feelings about animals, the burden of his anguish for them.’ At some points this induced an anxiety in me that I have never experienced before - was Jamie going to die, was Jamie going to abandon his ideals? This felt personal.
Although for me this was sometimes a bumpy ride it was an epic journey and the view at the end was unbelievably wonderful.
Great Circle and I had a tempestuous love affair - at the height I was flying…but at other times I was tempted to bail out. Reading this with a group we shared frustrations and some decided this this wasn’t for them..
There is a dual storyline - Marian and Jamie are twins..their childhood was unconventional, they had to be independent, self reliant…. Marian is a pilot, Jamie is a vegetarian. Years into the future, Hadley a rising movie star has been hired to play Marian in a film…Marian’s plane disappeared in Antartica ..
Great Circle is expansive, ambitious with a huge cast, weaving into the fiction true stories from aviation history. The writing is brilliant - not surprising for a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop but at times I felt it was slightly self -conscious…and I found swift tense changes distracting. For me the biggest thing I wasn’t sure about was the dual timeline. I couldnt totally convince myself we needed Hadley and a movie framing the original story..At times the stories felt discordant and almost 2 different novels - Marian and Jamie’s story gave me Crawdads vibes whilst Hadley’s story reminded me of Evelyn Hugo. I was much happier in the first story..
But mostly this book was so utterly brilliant that I forgot my reservations and rushed for the five stars at its epic ending which gathers everything together so perfectly…It was as though the two stories had been circling around each other and suddenly I could see the view The characters are wonderfully drawn. Marian has much in common with Crawdads Kyra - self sufficient, resourceful, born into adult shoes, driven by an overwhelming desire to fly.. And then there’s Jamie. Jamie blew me away. I have never seen my thoughts and feelings articulated so closely in a character - there were many parallels between us in our relationship with animals. ‘..he must have conveyed his feelings about animals, the burden of his anguish for them.’ At some points this induced an anxiety in me that I have never experienced before - was Jamie going to die, was Jamie going to abandon his ideals? This felt personal.
Although for me this was sometimes a bumpy ride it was an epic journey and the view at the end was unbelievably wonderful.
ashtrimmmer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
kellerm's review against another edition
5.0
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.
brenna_law's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
helena_chris's review against another edition
Hard dnf, far too many sexual themes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Pedophilia
reblihovde's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
shimmery's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up. An enjoyable read that I was keen to get back to to discover what happens next, until the last 100 pages or so when it really started to drag. The story of Marian Graves, a girl who wants to be a pilot in the early 20th century, was fun and moving, and I loved her bond with her brother, and best friend Caleb. I thought the parts of the book about Hadley, set in the modern day and telling the story of an actress who is set to play Marian in a film about her life, were less successful. While there was an interesting interplay between both narratives, with us finding out some of the plot through the modern day story only to have it unwound and intricacies revealed as we follow Marian’s life, I think the book could have done without the modern day part. I would blame the editor but the acknowledgments show 400 pages were cut out before publication (meaning the book would have been 1000 pages instead of 600!) — I’m guessing they had to give up at some point.
There’s a part near the end where Hadley decides she doesn’t need to keep searching for clues, that some stories should be left open ended as you can never know the whole — if only the author had shared the same sentiment.
Still, a good book on the whole.
There’s a part near the end where Hadley decides she doesn’t need to keep searching for clues, that some stories should be left open ended as you can never know the whole — if only the author had shared the same sentiment.
Still, a good book on the whole.
annalaurasw's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating and deeply researched character study, Marian was so fully realized I forgot she wasn’t a real life historical figure. I found it to be engrossing, even with the dual timeline, which I don’t normally like. I felt the parts set in modern day informed the way we view Marian’s status as a legendary historical figure, and solidifies the impact her story has. The difference between fact and fiction within her actual story and the biopic being made about her I also found interesting, and reflective of the way certain parts of real people’s stories are glossed over, smoothed out, or erased.
abisnail564's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really enjoyed reading this but it definitely could have been shorter. I also thought there were bits of just unnecessary description that didn’t add much. But I was rooting for both Hadley and Marian.
amandawhit's review against another edition
I had such high hopes for this book, and I did like the writing style, but was just not into the random child sexual abuse that happens. And the constant mention of her throbbing vagina. Like I am not a prude, but they added nothing to the story? I also felt like this suffered a bit too much from the constantly changing POV problem that the book about the Panama canal did. I just want to get to know the characters! Also, the present day storyline was not needed.