Circle of Three [Paperback]

Patricia Gaffney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 2004

Through the interconnected lives of three generations of women in a small town in rural Virginia, this memorable novel explores the layers of tradition and responsibility, commitment and passion that bind them. After the sudden death of her husband, Carrie must come to terms not only with her grief, but with the guilt that their love had already died. Struggling to go on, to support her loving and vivacious daughter, Ruth, she slowly shakes off the sorrow that surrounds her and begins a new life. Complicating matters is Carrie's mother, Dana, who believes she has always acted in her daughter's best interests. Having driven Carrie away from her first love, the soulful, unconventional Jess, Dana has no idea how to behave now that he has re-entered her daughter's life. Skilfully weaving together the voices of Ruth, Dana and Carrie, Patricia Gaffney explores the dichotomies inherent in all female relationships in a spirited and wholly unsentimental way. CIRCLE OF THREE is about believing in impossible things, like second chances - and maybe even happy endings.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Patricia Gaffney's remarkable talent for describing the bittersweet connections between mothers and daughters makes the novel Circle of Three a mesmerizing study of three generations of women challenged by their shifting relationships and developing self-identities. With her ability to capture the essence of the timeless conflict of mothers' and daughters' various hopes and frustrations and the overall need for an intense connection with family, Gaffney's novel will appeal to readers of many ages.

The lives of grandmother Dana, mother Carrie, and daughter Ruth are instantly altered by the untimely death of Carrie's husband, Stephen. Having recently returned to her hometown in rural Virginia, Carrie had just begun to recognize and express her dissatisfaction in her bland marriage. Stephen's death tips Carrie into a deep depression, and 15-year-old Ruth feels as if she has lost both her mother and her father. Determined to get Carrie back on track, Dana encourages her to accept a job. As Carrie begins to emerge from her depression, she finds solace in the company of her old flame, Jess, and her work as a wooden menagerie designer for a local religious group called the Arkists. When Carrie refuses to return to her old patterns, both Ruth and Dana struggle to adapt to this change and develop their own new approaches to life.

With moments of quirky humor, realistic dialogue, and classic romance, Circle of Three does a tremendous job of describing the complex and conflicting process of growing up--at any age. This novel is sure to linger in your mind for months and to make the lending rounds between moms, daughters, sisters, and friends. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Three generations of small-town Virginia womenAtroubled teen Ruth Van Allen, her equally insecure mother, Carrie Van Allen, and bossy grandmother Dana DanzigerAstruggle to overcome personal problems and self-absorption to grow closer as a family in Gaffney's sweepingly sentimental novel. When Carrie's unfeeling husband Stephen suddenly dies of a heart attack, she desperately wants to bounce back into the arms of divorced farmer Jess Deeping, her conveniently available high school sweetheart. Problem is, Dana never approved of this once wild boy whose rough and rural upbringing reminds her too much of the verbally abusive country home she tried so hard to escape by marrying spineless academic George. Dana also harrumphs Carrie's interest in helping Jess reproduce a miniature Noah's Ark to honor the request of dying Arkist religious cult member Eldon Pletcher. Nevertheless, early on in this sprawling book it becomes clear that, after much flaky deliberation, Carrie will get a second chance with the man she's always loved. Meanwhile, Ruth is experimenting with a perpetually stoned boyfriend and a job at a health-food store, and trying to get over the shock of her father's death. Gaffney (The Saving Graces) relies too heavily on stale pop cultural references and language in telling Ruth's story, and male characters take a lot of abuse in this female-centric drama. Nevertheless, she turns out some resonant scenes, including one in which steely grandma Dana finally admits to an addiction. Though handicapped by transparent characterizations and poor pacing, the novel offers a reliable if predictable emotional roller-coaster ride. Literary Guild/Doubleday Book Club selection. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (January 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743468260
• ISBN-13: 978-0743468268
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,558,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Gaffney began her writing career with the publication of Sweet Treason, a historical romance set in revolutionary Scotland. Eleven romance novels later, she tried something different--The Saving Graces, a story of women's friendships, that ended up spending 17 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List.

Circle of Three, Flight Lessons, and The Goodbye Summer followed, all bestsellers that established Gaffney as a premier mainstream fiction writer.

Her new book is Mad Dash, the story of a happy marriage in trouble. It's due out in Spring 2008.

Gaffney, who lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, is currently at work on a novel about a man who changes his life when he finds out he's dying--then finds out he isn't. Working title: On Second Thought.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful relationship drama, May 31, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circle of Three: A Novel (Hardcover)

Carrie instigates an argument while her husband is driving home from an outing when he suddenly keels over and dies from a heart attack. Carrie's guilt is so intense, she slides into a deep depression for the next four months, unable to eat or even dress until her mother Dana forces her into obtaining a job. Dana hopes that Carrie's new boss will prove to be a suitable spouse once her daughter comes out of mourning.

Carrie cares about no male except perhaps her first love Jessie, a person she fled when she decided to abandon her small hometown. Carrie's teenage daughter Ruth knows nothing about the shared past her mother and Jessie had. Instead she likes him, treating him like a friendly older brother and occasionally like a father. Dana never approved the "socially inferior" Jessie, but feels that when he thinks the time is right he will make his move. However, when Ruth catches Jessie and Carrie in a compromising position, she feels betrayed causing a crisis that forces the three generation of women to confront each other and themselves.

Patricia Gaffney follows up her last bestseller THE SAVING GRACES with another powerful drama that will appeal to her fans as well as that of Delinsky and Siddons. The poignant story line deals with problems on different levels as the three females bring differing perspectives to the table. This makes for an engaging tale that charms the audience as everyday people try to do their best to attain a happy life for themselves while hoping to bring contentment to their loved ones. CIRCLE OF THREE is family drama that is impossible to put down until the final page is read.

Harriet Klausner

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Worthwhile Read, June 9, 2000

By 

Maudeen Wachsmith "BeachReader" (Port Townsend, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circle of Three: A Novel (Hardcover)

Ah - a new Patricia Gaffney book -- reading rarely gets better than a work from this talented author. The follow-up to her much-acclaimed THE SAVING GRACES, CIRCLE OF THREE is really more of a romance than THE SAVING GRACES in that the main character, a recent widow, ends up seeing her old high school sweetheart and things really heat up. I think the main theme of the story is intended to be the relationships between three generations of women in a family, but this middle character is so much stronger than the other two that her story really is at the forefront of the book making the other two (her mother and daughter) more like subplots. The story is told in first person from the POV of each of the three main characters and I love the way Gaffney seems so easily able to alternate between the three and give them their own unique voice. I can only give it 4 stars because it really isn't as powerful as THE SAVING GRACES, but nevertheless a very worthwhile read and worth paying the hardcover price.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Richly layered and complex, June 28, 2000

By 

Laurie Gold "bookie" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circle of Three: A Novel (Hardcover)

Many romance readers were sorry to see Patricia Gaffney move from historical romance into hardcover women's fiction last year. I for one am glad she made the move if that means more readers will read her books. In Circle of Three, author Gaffney does what she does best - creates complex characters who might not always be likable, but who are true to themselves. They don't act according to the plot written for them; they drive the plot by the force of their personalities.

The three women whose voices narrate this book are bound by blood and gender in a manner only women can be. Grandmother, mother, and daughter, Dana, Carrie, and Ruth are connected through their actions and the men in their lives in an honest and emotional story. The plotting is inventive (the ark subplot is funny at times and poignant at others) and the writing is intimate. The reunion and developing romance between Carrie and her first love, Jess, is quite lovely, although her choices do not always have the impact she'd hoped for.

This can be a difficult book to read, however, precisely for the same reasons it is worthwhile. I'm going to get Gaffney's The Saving Graces out of my TBR pile and try it next!

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

Publisher, All About Romance