Scan barcode
A review by xyzeereads
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
5.0
Have you ever picked up a book, its cover nothing phenomenal nor eye-catching, read the synopsis and thought, “Ngeh, seems rather benign but let’s give it a go” and then next thing your know, you’re 250 pages in at nearly 3am on a Sunday, and not ready to put the book down or go to bed?
Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle is that book and my biggest surprise read of 2021 (so far).
I chose this book on NetGalley because it was in the Read Now list, which could either end up being a bomb or a treat.
I'm glad it's the latter.
There's a lot of historical back and forth, which I often find distracting but works here. One moment you're in the 1900s, next you're in 2014, then the 18th century, and so on, but it’s not done in a way that gives you whiplash and a bad case of “what’s the point of all this?” The storytelling is excellent. There are a number of characters to focus on, namely Marian, who became enthralled with flying since a very young age; Jamie, Marian’s twin brother and lifeline; and Hadley, an actress who “became” Marian a century later.
The story builds up into a crescendo with orchestra-like precision. We ache as the twins find out their father never cared about them; we hiss at the leering Barclay, Marian’s entitled gangster husband, whose goal in life is to control everything Marian does; we lust for Caleb and his emotional detachment; and we question Hadley’s suitability in her role as Marian, if her own loss at a young age should warrant such a possibility.
In its essence, the book is about being free to be who you want to be; not necessarily freedom per se, but the realisation that other people’s hope for you will always imprison you, and that all you have to do is not give in to them and just BE.
Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle is that book and my biggest surprise read of 2021 (so far).
I chose this book on NetGalley because it was in the Read Now list, which could either end up being a bomb or a treat.
I'm glad it's the latter.
There's a lot of historical back and forth, which I often find distracting but works here. One moment you're in the 1900s, next you're in 2014, then the 18th century, and so on, but it’s not done in a way that gives you whiplash and a bad case of “what’s the point of all this?” The storytelling is excellent. There are a number of characters to focus on, namely Marian, who became enthralled with flying since a very young age; Jamie, Marian’s twin brother and lifeline; and Hadley, an actress who “became” Marian a century later.
The story builds up into a crescendo with orchestra-like precision. We ache as the twins find out their father never cared about them; we hiss at the leering Barclay, Marian’s entitled gangster husband, whose goal in life is to control everything Marian does; we lust for Caleb and his emotional detachment; and we question Hadley’s suitability in her role as Marian, if her own loss at a young age should warrant such a possibility.
In its essence, the book is about being free to be who you want to be; not necessarily freedom per se, but the realisation that other people’s hope for you will always imprison you, and that all you have to do is not give in to them and just BE.