jodar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Well-written and strangely absorbing, but what an odd mix of themes: semi-orphans abandoned to an incapable uncle; a frontier-like childhood; a nasty marriage with liquor-running adventures; wilderness solitude (more than once); a war story; a movie star; an adventure story of long-distance flight.
Scarcely an admirable character appears at all, except perhaps for secondary and tertiary characters. How to think of the MC, her twin brother and closest childhood-then-adult friend? Introverted, certainly, but none to me are attractive. All have their own obsessions (flying, art, wilderness) and seem to care only about their own selfish needs.
There’s sexual promiscuity by the main characters throughout, with barely any consideration for consequences to others. Steps to avoid pregnancy are detailed, but non-historical is the lack of any concern for venereal disease at a time of horrible and inadequate treatment. This ignorance doesn’t even make sense while the characters are young and isolated from society, as the prostitutes the MC befriends would surely be knowledgeable. It’s anachronistic behaviour till after the 1950s–1960s at least, when effective treatments became available and the ‘sexual revolution’ began to take off. The trope of non-heterosexual relationships as some sort of forbidden and secret enlightenment arises, of course; it’s seemingly unavoidable these days.
From time to time throughout the MC’s life and for sure at the end, the futility of existence and a resigned nihilism comes to the fore:
Scarcely an admirable character appears at all, except perhaps for secondary and tertiary characters. How to think of the MC, her twin brother and closest childhood-then-adult friend? Introverted, certainly, but none to me are attractive. All have their own obsessions (flying, art, wilderness) and seem to care only about their own selfish needs.
There’s sexual promiscuity by the main characters throughout, with barely any consideration for consequences to others. Steps to avoid pregnancy are detailed, but non-historical is the lack of any concern for venereal disease at a time of horrible and inadequate treatment. This ignorance doesn’t even make sense while the characters are young and isolated from society, as the prostitutes the MC befriends would surely be knowledgeable. It’s anachronistic behaviour till after the 1950s–1960s at least, when effective treatments became available and the ‘sexual revolution’ began to take off. The trope of non-heterosexual relationships as some sort of forbidden and secret enlightenment arises, of course; it’s seemingly unavoidable these days.
From time to time throughout the MC’s life and for sure at the end, the futility of existence and a resigned nihilism comes to the fore:
All the times she [the MC] has brushed against death, she’s never given much thought to what might come after. Now she considers it. 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. (Final chapter, “The End”)
This is the malignancy that American individualism and its preoccupation with freedom looks like, I suppose, when it is untempered by a wider Christian concern towards others in society or a belief in the ultimate importance of our actions. I doubt this is what the author intends the reader to come away with, however.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Abandonment, Death, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abortion, Murder, Grief, and Infidelity
chloehui106's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, War, and Pedophilia
baileylemoine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and War
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.Spoiler
This includes non-consensual removal of contraceptive device, forced impregnation and mention of 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
janelleaimi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Emotional abuse, Death, Abortion, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, War, and Rape
lols_cat's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
laboettcher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Rape, War, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Alcoholism
heatherilene's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death, and Rape
toothpastefairy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Screaming, crying, and throwing-up throughout.
Marian is someone who you desperately want to hug and throttle at the same time. Devastating and heartwarming, the novel's end is poignantly built in a way you could not predict from the start. Each character is crafted with care and depth, their lives reach across the pages to brush each other and arrest the reader's heart.
Overall, brutal and tender.
Marian is someone who you desperately want to hug and throttle at the same time. Devastating and heartwarming, the novel's end is poignantly built in a way you could not predict from the start. Each character is crafted with care and depth, their lives reach across the pages to brush each other and arrest the reader's heart.
Overall, brutal and tender.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Abortion, Violence, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Rape, War, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Death, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Gun violence