Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Maggie Shipstead’s novel Great Circle, was the first to land in my basket, followed by The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton and Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers.

Browsing the shelves of the Hay Bookshop at Hay Festival this year was a test of willpower. I could have bought dozens of books, but we were at the start of a ten-day road trip and half a dozen books were not on the essentials list.

Synopsis o...