Set across two timelines and narrative styles, this sweeping book narrates the lives of two heroines: the young and brash Marian, driven to become an early pilot of undaunted fame in early twentieth century Montana and Hadley, child-star-turned-disaffected-actress in modern day Hollywood. Shipstead’s greatest talents lie in conceiving boldly drawn characters who navigate and challenge intricately detailed worlds across stories wide in both scope and range Great Circle is no exception.

The dual protagonists are engaging and at times inspirational heroines, talented and capable women who offer a refreshing pair of female voices taking on traditional roles of adventure and daring. The story, at once timely and timeless, fits well in our modern, individualistic age, a clearly well-researched and carefully considered examination of American history. Likewise, Maggie Shipstead’s third novel, Great Circle leans heavily on its namesake as it drives towards its landing, and while we do safely reach the end - completing a long, adventurous, and large-scale journey along the way - at times one cannot help but wonder as to the result if more attention might have been paid to the how over the where.īeginning with her tight-knit, slightly dysfunctional family portrait in Seating Arrangements, and continuing with a delicate examination of the world of professional ballet in Astonish Me, Shipstead’s plots are ambitious, entertaining, and eventful in these respects, Great Circle is her preeminent offering. Rather, a navigator calculates her great circle in order to drive swiftly and surely to the end. While such routes may be the most efficient, they are bent to the laws of mathematics, and brook no thoughts for the beauty of passing landmarks or the elegance of the path. It is, then, the most direct course to a given place, one taken when the journey, perhaps, is of less importance than the destination. In global navigation, a great circle is drawn along the shortest route between any two points on Earth.

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