A review by candacesiegle_greedyreader
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

5.0

This delicious novel satisfies on so many levels. Marian Graves was a pioneering aviator who crashed into Antarctica in 1950. Some of her journals were found years later, and now her story is being made into a film starring an actress whose success in a dystopian film series has lead to a cult following. Her recent romantic antics have lost her many fans, and she sees this film as a way to point her career in a new direction.

Marian is much more interesting, but as our understanding of actress Hadley grows, so does her role in the story. There are parallels between the women--both lost their parents young and were raised by indifferent uncles whose indifference turns out to allow then freedom they would otherwise not have had.

If the book has any downside, it's that the set up opening chapters are slow and bewildering. Just keep thinking that the payoff is coming and the pieces will all snap together. You'll be surprised and gratified by the way "Open Circle" evolves.

All my gratitude to Knopf and Netgalley for supplying a digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Here's my honest response to this book--you'll love it.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader