jodar's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
hayleyvem's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexism, Gun violence, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Violence, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Rape, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Suicidal thoughts
rly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and War
antoniav's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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.toothpastefairy's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
jazhandz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, War, Alcoholism, Death, and Alcohol
Moderate: Abortion, Rape, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Confinement, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Dementia, and Hate crime
saville08's review against another edition
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, and Toxic relationship
maryclaire92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
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.
Graphic: Gore, War, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Rape, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Homophobia, and Misogyny
booksconleche's review against another edition
- 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
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
'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.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
TLDR: read 'Great Circle' for a fantastic exploration of wanderlust, womanhood, family, love, and longing. You really won't regret it.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion