Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Great Circle

This is a tricky book to review because I enjoyed the second half but the first half was SO slow and meandered aimlessly. I almost gave up on it a few times but kept reading because another review on here said the ending was satisfying, and it was. I think I’d have enjoyed the book more if the first half had been condensed.

Spoiler

Additionally, I found the grooming storyline really hard to keep reading.

Check out the content warnings because there’s a lot, and the first half especially contains some hard to read stuff.

Content Warnings

karenmsecrest's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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? Yes

5.0

A sweeping epic spanning generations written in lyrical prose. Themes of connection, isolation, triumph, loss, trauma, and victory.

At the core is the story of a girl growing up in prohibition-era Montana desperate to become an aviatrix, and the actress who will play her on film 90 years later. Without giving any spoilers, there is a LOT of trauma in this story, as with any story set during depression, prohibition, WWII, etc. The way the disparate lives are woven together is stunning.

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littlefish's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

5.0

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natgzmun's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-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

4.25

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kinddog2073's review against another edition

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Can't trust this writer. The prose is nice and I enjoyed the realism of in particular Marian's story but my god read the content warnings (sure wish I had!) and never doubt this author's ability to throw in heinous adults who are not shed in any critical light (maybe that changes later, I'll never know).

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saville08's review against another edition

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Didn't read warnings and should have don't like books about kids being abused.

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maryclaire92's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

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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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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