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bonz_authorshipdown's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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? N/A
5.0
This book is honestly one of the best I’ve ever read. The blurb and the summaries do not fully explain what you will go through reading this, the entire explanation of Marian’s parents, then her childhood, the characters of Jamie and Caleb, all of it is a perfect illustration of her story.
The story of Hadley echoes this too, all that surrounds her and her personality is also wonderful, showing sides of modern people not often reflected in a way that Maggie writes them.
Marians love of flying, her growing up, girlhood, her marriage, her love and her sexuality is all explored incredibly, and I would really recommend this to ANYBODY.
An absolute work of art. A wonderful book, thank you.
The story of Hadley echoes this too, all that surrounds her and her personality is also wonderful, showing sides of modern people not often reflected in a way that Maggie writes them.
Marians love of flying, her growing up, girlhood, her marriage, her love and her sexuality is all explored incredibly, and I would really recommend this to ANYBODY.
An absolute work of art. A wonderful book, thank you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, War, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Incest
dorothygrace's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Alcoholism, and Rape
karingforbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Grief, Rape, War, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
hinkleh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Stalking, Emotional abuse, and War
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
ppppaula's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Abortion
caitie95's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Rape, War, Sexual violence, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death
Minor: Biphobia and Alcohol
antoniav's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Sexual violence, War, and Rape
Moderate: Death, Alcoholism, and Sexism
Minor: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion
doilooklikeamolly's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
There is some sex positive coming of age content, but also brief moments of non-consensual acts under the guise of marital duty.kmuttschall's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
"She supposes there will be nothing. She supposes each of us destroys the world. We close our eyes and snuff out all that has existed, all that will ever be. But if she could choose, she would ask for a lift. She would want to rise from her body and have it be like when she'd first gone up with Trout, as though she were being held aloft by pure possibility, as though she were about to see everything."
This book is a combination of all of my favourite books (Milkman, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, East of Eden) while still managing to be its own distinct entity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Rape
Moderate: War, Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Grief, Animal cruelty, Incest, and Pedophilia
Minor: Abortion
ms_gouldbourne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Phew, it took me a while to get through this one! Maggie Shipstead's epic Great Circle is an absolutely masterpiece of narrative and research, with some stunning prose and an incredible level of detail throughout. It's long, but I definitely found myself excited to pick it up each evening to find out what was next for these complex and mostly tragic characters.
I did find it interesting to note that several reviewers gave up before the 20% mark, because the beginning was definitely the weakest part of the novel for me. I didn't particularly enjoy Shipstead's depiction of female sexuality, with multiple assaults and rapes happening within the first few chapters. However, I persisted, and ultimately I'm glad I did.
Great Circle tells the story from birth to death of female pilot Marian Graves, from her early disastrous marriage to gangster Barclay Mcqueen to her final flight attempting to circumnavigate the globe in the 1950s. This covers about 80% of the novel, but it's interspersed with chapters told from the modern-day perspective of troubled actress Hadley, who has been cast as Marian in a biopic about her life.
Like other reviewers, I didn't feel that Hadley's perspective added much to the novel, except for a few interesting juxtapositions between the truth of Marian's life and the warped way it had been interpreted for the modern-day film. I found Hadley's voice irritating for the most part! However, I have to admit that Marian wasn't much better. Although I absolutely loved the writing and the flow of the narrative, I found most of Shipstead's characters fairly annoying.
It may be that this style of novel just isn't for me; I don't tend to enjoy deeply tragic stories in which a group of tragic characters are depicted following tragic narratives and coming to tragic ends. It feels very literary and beautiful, but ultimately I prefer a happy ending. However, Maggie Shipstead is undoubtedly a wonderful writer, so I would read her again.
I did find it interesting to note that several reviewers gave up before the 20% mark, because the beginning was definitely the weakest part of the novel for me. I didn't particularly enjoy Shipstead's depiction of female sexuality, with multiple assaults and rapes happening within the first few chapters. However, I persisted, and ultimately I'm glad I did.
Great Circle tells the story from birth to death of female pilot Marian Graves, from her early disastrous marriage to gangster Barclay Mcqueen to her final flight attempting to circumnavigate the globe in the 1950s. This covers about 80% of the novel, but it's interspersed with chapters told from the modern-day perspective of troubled actress Hadley, who has been cast as Marian in a biopic about her life.
Like other reviewers, I didn't feel that Hadley's perspective added much to the novel, except for a few interesting juxtapositions between the truth of Marian's life and the warped way it had been interpreted for the modern-day film. I found Hadley's voice irritating for the most part! However, I have to admit that Marian wasn't much better. Although I absolutely loved the writing and the flow of the narrative, I found most of Shipstead's characters fairly annoying.
It may be that this style of novel just isn't for me; I don't tend to enjoy deeply tragic stories in which a group of tragic characters are depicted following tragic narratives and coming to tragic ends. It feels very literary and beautiful, but ultimately I prefer a happy ending. However, Maggie Shipstead is undoubtedly a wonderful writer, so I would read her again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, War, Domestic abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Alcoholism and Abortion