Customer Reviews

Going in Circles

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is intelligent, funny, and completely honest. It's like being in the booth at IHOP with your best friend while she tells you her sad and inspiring story. I love it.

I've been reading Pamela Ribon's writing online for years, but this is the first of her novels that I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's -- refreshingly -- non-romantic chicklit. The main character does fall in love, though: with roller derby. Pamie is a derby girl, obviously -- the roller derby scenes feel very true (I say that as a derby girl myself).

The characters are engaging, especially Francesca (the girl who draws the main character into derby), and the story kept me going.

I was excited to discover a book about roller derby, I thought it would offer a peek into an interesting subculture.

But, I found the first half of the book was about a woman who whined incessantly about her ex-husband. I couldn't wait to get to the part when the character would predictably discover roller derby and become transformed.

When we finally get there, we endure page after page of the same character whining about all the bruises she got from skating. She simply substituted emotional pain with physical pain, and one bad relationship with another.

The book kept me entertained for a weekend, but it lacked substance, interest, and was mostly just depressing. The book would have been better if it had more deeply explored the skating culture, and/or we saw greater character transformation.

Going in Circles is one of those books where you battle the desire to rush to the end and find out what happens versus lingering over certain pages and conversations, enjoying the characters, their feelings, and words.

Charlotte Goodman and her husband have been married for five months when he abruptly announces he is leaving her. Just as abruptly, four weeks later he decides he has made a mistake and moves back in, ready to start their relationship anew. Charlotte, angry, hurt, and afraid to love her husband again, decides a separation is necessary for her to discover what she really wants.

Charlotte is an unremarkable 30-year old woman, with a comfortable but stagnant job, an uneven relationship with her parents, good and not-so-good friends, and a tendency for self-absorption and control. All of Charlotte's friends and family are shocked and uncomfortable by her marital problems, and her overwhelming sadness and introspection begins to affect her relationships and work performance. Then Francesca, a co-worker Charlotte never paid much attention to before, sense Charlotte's feelings of abandonment and powerlessness, and offers Charlotte friendship, support, and some tough love. Part of the tough love is introducing Charlotte to roller derby, where Charlotte discovers physical challenges, emotional resilience, and the strength that can come from supportive relationships.

There are many stereotypes about roller derby, and I feared that it would be used as a plot device to simplistically turn Charlotte into a strong woman. I was delighted to discover just the opposite--the demanding, sometimes violent sport of roller derby and its participants are presented with empathy, compassion, and respect.

Throughout the book, there are delicate hints of a secret in Charlotte's marriage. The revelation of this secret is on a parallel plot line with Charlotte's growing strength, creating a poignant ending.

Going in Circles is a luminous story, one I enjoyed quite a lot and would recommend to others.

I bought this as a Christmas present for my best friend when she was part of a roller derby team. She LOVED it so much she finished it within the week. She said it inspired her so much, and she let her sister read it and she loved it as well! Since I did not read this book, but my friends LOVED it SOO MUCH, I give this book 5 stars!

I was just recommending this book to a co-worker when I thought I might as well recommend it to others as well! I've been a fan of Pamela's since she wrote for TelevisionWithoutPity (Gilmore Girls!) and I continue to be a fan of hers to this day. As a girl who has recently gone through some heartbreak myself, I could really relate to the need to make A Plan to get out of bed and do the things you need to do. I'm not a derby girl myself but enjoyed how the main character threw herself into something unfamiliar and was then able to piece together her life. I enjoy Pamela's conversational writing style and would buy and read any book she writes! Highly recommended.

Pam Ribon is a great writer. Reading her book is like hanging out with your best friend over coffee at your favorite cafe. In this, her third novel, she goes deeper than ever before. While chick-lit has a reputation of being on the vapid, predictable side, this story takes us into a real breakdown and a real putting back together of a very real-feeling life. It's sweet and inspiring. It's grown-up and funny simultaneously. Refreshing.

I don't usually read chicklit, but I read Pamela Ribon because I enjoy her blog and her sense of humor.

This book didn't charm me as much as "Why Girls are Weird" did. Granted, the subject matter is a little dark -- the protagonist, Charlotte, is in limbo as she decides whether to try to reconcile with her estranged husband. She gets pretty depressed, and eventually reveals the what the low point of the marriage was.

Unfortunately, none of it seems horrible enough, and Charlotte comes across as whiny and needing to just snap out of it and get on with her life. The secondary characters (Charlotte's coworkers, one of whom has a Skype boyfriend & drafts Charlotte into a roller derby team, the other of whom has unexpectedly impregnated his wife and is dealing with imminent & possibly unwanted fatherhood) are more interesting and well-rounded than Charlotte.

Ultimately, the book is not terribly nuanced, but it's a fun read for anybody who likes chickbooks or Pamie's online writing.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, so I bought sight unseen, not really knowing anything about it. I'm really glad I did. The story of a failed marriage might not necessarily be original, but how our heroine Charlotte finds her way out of her funk certainly is. I loved going on this journey with her, and found her voice as funny as she was real.

I really enjoyed this one. It's touching and funny and I just couldn't put it down. Now I'm sad I finished it!