American · b. 1983
Maggie Shipstead writes big American novels with global reach. "Great Circle" (2021), shortlisted for the Booker Prize, spans a century and two continents: a female aviator in the 1930s attempts to circumnavigate the world pole to pole; a Hollywood actress in the present day prepares to play her. Shipstead's research shows—she learned to fly for the book—but never overwhelms the characters. Her earlier novels, "Seating Arrangements" and "Astonish Me," established her command of social worlds from WASP weddings to ballet companies.