Great Circle is a sweeping, dual-timeline epic that balances historical adventure with a modern-day character study. It’s no surprise it was a Man Booker Prize Finalist and a Read with Jenna pick; it’s ambitious, meticulously researched, and deeply emotional.
The story weaves together two women born decades apart who are both yearning for a life of their own design:
Marian Graves: A female aviator in the early-to-mid 20th century. After surviving a shipwreck as a baby, she becomes obsessed with flying. Her journey takes her from the Prohibition-era Northwest to wartime London, culminating in her 1950 attempt to fly a "great circle" around the globe (north-south over the poles).
Hadley Baxter: A scandal-plagued Hollywood actress in 2014. After a career meltdown, she is cast to play Marian Graves in a biopic. As she digs into Marian’s life to prepare for the role, she finds unexpected parallels in their struggles against fame, expectations, and the desire for freedom.
Why It Stands Out
Impeccable Research: Shipstead’s descriptions of early flight—the mechanics, the danger, and the sheer visceral thrill—are stunning. You can practically smell the fuel and feel the vibration of the cockpit.
The "Great Circle" Metaphor: The title refers to the shortest distance between two points on a sphere, but it also reflects the cyclical nature of history, grief, and self-discovery.
Complex Femininity: Both Marian and Hadley are "difficult" women. They are ambitious, sometimes selfish, and fiercely independent, making them feel refreshingly human.
Reader’s Notes
Length: This is a "doorstopper" (roughly 600 pages). It requires patience, as the pacing is deliberate, but the payoff of the interconnected endings is worth it.
Atmosphere: It captures the grit of the early 20th century perfectly—it isn't a sanitized version of history.
