![]() ![]() Marian’s haunting origin story involves her father, the taciturn captain Addison Graves her mother, the louche and mysterious Annabel the doomed ship Josephina Eterna a secret cache of weapons and so much more. Instead, Great Circle is densely populated by similarly fascinating characters and episodes, spanning as far back as 1909 and as far forward as the 21 st century, taking us to masterfully described national and global destinations and points in history. ![]() Marian’s story is engrossing, but if Great Circle were only her chronicle, it would not be the richly-layered, riveting narrative that it is. Her desire to be airborne is almost strong enough to lift her however, to really fly, she has to pursue and withstand an abusive relationship with a gangster who gives her the necessary training and machinery for flight in exchange for submission and pantomimed domesticity. ![]() After she witnesses two stunt pilots flying over her Missoula home in 1927, she is determined to become a pilot herself. Marian is built for flight and only truly happy when she’s in the air. Adventurer Marian Graves of Maggie Shipstead’s exceptional novel Great Circle would have writhed under such limitations. 2020-21 was a year for reflection and appreciation of the things in our midst a year without travel a global, public grounding. ![]()
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