Reviews with content warning for Abortion - O Grande Círculo

Reading this started as a marathon, but finished in a sprint! I enjoyed learning every little tidbit I could from every scrap of text about Marion. The switches in POV and time kept the story fresh and added to the momentum for me. I found myself the least interested in the modern actress Hadley who is portraying Marion in a film, but loved the way that she was tied in more meaningfully towards the end and couldn’t put the book down for the last 150 pages or so.

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.

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sophiegs's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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booksconleche's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

I put off starting 'Great Circle' for literally 50 weeks even though I knew I'd love it, like the silly goose I am. But on the other hand, I love that I read this at a less busy time of my life, so that I could take my time with it and appreciate all the things that Maggie Shipstead does wonderfully in this epic novel.
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'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.
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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!
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TLDR: read 'Great Circle' for a fantastic exploration of wanderlust, womanhood, family, love, and longing. You really won't regret it.

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btodd12's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

Great Circle takes the top spot for the longest book I’ve read in a while (608 pages/25 hours!) but the author absolutely deserves every award it has won!
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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.” 💔
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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.

Content Warnings

eating_or_reading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.0

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cle1862's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring 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

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