This is a monumental work of fiction, that is totally believable. It often reads like a biography, and includes many interwoven stories. The main one is about Marian Graves, who triumphed over all kinds of obstacles to become a woman flyer in the first half of the 20th century. Another story is about a Hollywood starlet who is to play the part of Marian in a film 50 years later. At first I found the movement between the two stories disconcerting, but they slowly drew me in and eventually melded together into a satisfying whole – a great circle, perhaps.
The Great Circle of the title is a flight around the earth, encompassing both north and south poles, which Marian plans to take. All the characters drew me in, especially Marian’s brother, and those involved in World War Two. There are loves lost and found throughout, and I came to feel resentful when the story returned to the present day.
At 589 pages this is a substantial book, and towards the end I had to read it sitting up because it was too lopsidedly heavy to read lying in bed as I usually do.
The detail is meticulously researched, to the extent that I began to wonder whether in fact Marian was an actual person. If you enjoy historical books about strong woman characters, you will like this one.
Beginning from a shipwrecked berth
she planned to fly all round the earth
Ruth's Reflections 
This reminds me of Fiona Kidman’s book The Infinite Air which is about Jean Batten. FK’s latest memoir, So Far for Now, gives a fascinating account of writing the book. We are hungry for stories about the inspiring feats of women which have, somehow, been lost.
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Yes, we are. This one was most welcome, even though it’s fictional.
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