Review: Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Want to escape from the turmoil of our lives? Here is a solution: Buy or borrow Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, published by Alfred A. Knopf. Find a quiet place in your house, in your yard, on a beach, deep in a forest, or on a boat that you rowed out in a lake—and then read. Maggie Shipstead will sweep you away from the messiness of daily life in the soaring prose of this historical fiction novel. It is the kind of book you never want to end.
This enthralling book follows two timelines of the female characters: Marion, the main character, determined to become an airplane pilot in the 1914 wilds of Montana, and Hadley, a modern-day actress juxtaposed in a few alternating chapters. Hadley is making a film about Marion’s life. These parallel stories echo each other in a variety of ways. For example, both women are orphans who endure and thrive. Hadley becomes a successful child actress, but as an adult, a relationship with a co-star threatens to derail her ambition until she decides to make a film of Marion’s story. Marion follows her childhood dream, learning to fly despite the obstacles she faces as a female pilot. But most important is the theme of powerful and courageous women overcoming tragedy to become independent and successful against the odds.
The story begins with an explosion and sinking of a ship whose captain, gripping his newborn twins, jumps aboard a lifeboat and saves their lives. He is sent to prison, so a negligent uncle, the only family available, must raise his children. Marion, one of the twins, is determined to become a pilot at a time when very few women sought this career. When she drops out of school at age 14, she is unwavering in her search for flying lessons. A wealthy and dangerous bootlegger becomes her patron, supplying lessons and a plane. Her first missions involve transporting illegal liquor.
Marion’s flying adventures soar with her undisputed talent. However, she is in constant conflict with a male-dominated profession and traditional societal expectations that she should settle down and be a wife and mother. Marion wants to pilot Spitfires in WWII, but women pilots were relegated only to transfer planes from one maneuver site to another
You might ask, “Do I really want to wade through a 600-page novel?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” We have been stuck at home for so long. We haven’t had the freedom to come and go as we please. Want to go to Prohibition-era Montana? The Pacific Northwest? Alaska? New Zealand? Modern-day Los Angeles? WWII London? This book will take you on an unforgettable and exhilarating flight you will cherish.