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Turning In Circles
Savannah and Charleston, two sisters living in a small Southern town, have always been close. They've shared everything with one another...until Dillon, the one boy in school who's bad news, sets his sights on Charleston. As she's drawn down his dark, destructive path, Savannah panics, knowing this isn't a relationship destined for anything but trouble.
She turns to her lifelong best friend, Ellerbe, for help, but there's a shift in their relationship. The connection they've shared is taking a turn toward something more, something deeper. And Savannah isn't sure she's ready for a romance while trying to save her sister.
As Savannah's foundation begins to crumble, every decision becomes an unchangeable step toward an outcome that could have tragic repercussions.
She turns to her lifelong best friend, Ellerbe, for help, but there's a shift in their relationship. The connection they've shared is taking a turn toward something more, something deeper. And Savannah isn't sure she's ready for a romance while trying to save her sister.
As Savannah's foundation begins to crumble, every decision becomes an unchangeable step toward an outcome that could have tragic repercussions.
- GenresYoung Adult
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2017
4 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Buckman
11 books38 followersMy writing journey began in my youth. Although born in New York, most of my childhood was spent in Ontario, Canada, and many long winter nights were spent reading an abundence of novels and penning tales. My family moved to North Carolina while I was a teenybopper, which was a great relief for me. I’d had enough cold to last me a lifetime. In my new home, I discovered the peace of spending afternoons walking the endless Carolina beaches. With over half my life lived in the south, I have discovered the advantage of writing like a southerner from an outsider's point of view.
Although I never lost my zest for writing stories and poetry, I studied computer programming in college because it seemed more practical than a degree in English, but when my son was six weeks old, I quit my day job and turned computer programming into what I loved best—writing, beginning with computer software manuals that I could write at home. Eventually I expanded my writing into freelance writing for trade magazines, then, in my free time between non-fiction assignments, birthing four daughters, potty training, and soccer games, I returned to my truelove—fiction.
Although I never lost my zest for writing stories and poetry, I studied computer programming in college because it seemed more practical than a degree in English, but when my son was six weeks old, I quit my day job and turned computer programming into what I loved best—writing, beginning with computer software manuals that I could write at home. Eventually I expanded my writing into freelance writing for trade magazines, then, in my free time between non-fiction assignments, birthing four daughters, potty training, and soccer games, I returned to my truelove—fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 13, 2017
Michelle Buckman’s distinctive voice, vivid and authentic characters, and brutal honesty are very much in evidence in her seventh novel,”Turning in Circles.” Stunning, suspenseful, and poignant, this coming of age story is set in the South, in a town so small it barely seems to have come blinking into the 21st Century. There’s something about the literary spirit of America’s South– some knack that sets writers like Michelle Buckman apart from authors whose roots are elsewhere.
Taut with suspense, yet rich in descriptive detail and character development, the story grips us from the opening lines and won’t let go. I love the deceptively simple, timeless opening: "My sister lay sleeping in the sun on the beach beside me." Narrated in hindsight by a heroine who’d give anything to rewrite a chapter in her life, “Turning In Circles” haunts us with what-ifs. Every decision we make has consequences, not just for us, but our loved ones, our neighbors, even our pets, and for the whole community.
Savannah and Charleston, so close in age they’re practically twins, are named after towns that “epitomized the South and all a Southern woman ought to be, as if we lived back in some historic generation when women wore long gowns and went about with escorts to teas.”
More than sisters, they’re kindred souls, and they’ve always kept each other’s secrets, always had each other’s best interests in mind–until Dillon, the local bad boy, adds Charleston to his collection of conquests.
In an age when other teens are immersed in video games and cell phones, these girls are busy with chores on the family farm. Their best friend and neighbor is a hard-muscled, calloused guy named Ellerbe who rides a horse to school. Ellerbe is the best teen hero I’ve seen in all the fiction I’ve read in the past ten years. Or twenty. How do we get our teenage daughters to look beyond vampires and werewolves to the sterling virtues of the boy next door, who is in fact nothing short of awesome?
Ellerbe’s beloved Snow is as near and dear to his heart as Daddy’s mare, Boudicca–“the pride of the county–a beautiful buckskin Lusitano.” The local sheriff will stop at nothing to acquire Boudicca for himself, even test a father’s love for his wayward daughter. When Dillon lures Charleston into assorted law-breaking antics, she’s not to the only one who will suffer the consequences. Most kids get away with all sorts of mischief most of the time, but sometimes, thoughtless, reckless teenage behavior has tragic consequences.
While a sense of impending doom keeps us turning pages, the prose sparkles with rich, warm, and loving details. Though danger lurks and a beloved sister strays from the straight and narrow path, a leisurely sense of summer in the South takes readers to front porches, or among families over the dinner table. Every detail matters, every observation, every incident.
Several subplots emerge, naturally and inevitably, reminding us how the rich but troubled history of families is also the rich history of the troubled south. The racists, the innocents, the broken homes; the vicious dog fighting, petty vandalism, and bullying; the sheriff protecting the good ol’ boys; the judgments we make against others, not knowing the facts. “It doesn’t take long to figure out where a person’s loyalties lay,” Savannah observes.
One of the most stirring subplots involves Hickory, a 35-year-old black man with the mind of a child. Charlie and Savannah have nothing but affection for him.They wouldn’t dream of hurting him.
“I loved Hickory,” Savannah reflects. “Every afternoon, he stood at the end of the dirt road that led from his house to Brown School Road and waved cars by as if he was conducting an orchestra.” Tell Hickory it’s hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, and he’ll set off with an egg to fry. The scene is almost slap-stick funny, but sad, and every maddening detail in the story is portentous.
Savannah nails the mood and attitude of her world. There’s Jim Miller, who “developed a thing for Hickory’s mama back years ago. Folks said he couldn’t do enough for her boy in those months when he first got it in his head to win her over.”
And there’s the new teacher at school: “No one knew much about Mr. Jefferson or if he had even been a teacher prior to that. What we did know was he was cousin to Sheriff Darlington, moved in from the other end of the state, but everyone in town was related some how or other through blood, property or feud.”
Then there’s Tasheika.
Tasheika “wasn’t just black; she was a gorgeous girl with chocolate skin and a beautiful blonde, white mama with a figure to die for. Whatever political correctness and blurring of racial differences had come about in the rest of the world had skipped right over Mr. Jefferson’s heart. He was still living back somewhere between Mama’s historical romance novels and modern day. Knowing what I did about him and how I’d seen him look at her mama …I’d say it burned him to the core of his soul to think of a black man married to that pretty blonde lady. So he was out to get Tasheika.”
Savannah takes us step by step through the gradual escalation of conflict, like a stew heating in a pressure cooker that’s gonna blow. She reflects on what happened, wondering if she could have done things differently.
“God granted us the free will to sow our seeds as we see fit,” Savannah says, but she cannot bear seeing her sister’s exercise of free will. It’s Ellerbe whose wisdom helps her put things in perspective.
The theme will hit hard and true for anyone who’s ever watched a loved one make bad decisions, and tried to steer them from the wrong path, only to see one misstep lead to another. From the serenity of the opening scene, “the peace of the whole world around us” and God’s glory “shining down in that everlasting blaze of South Carolina sunshine,” Savannah pulls us with her, inexorably, as her world spirals down, down around her, and finally shatters. It’s a journey nobody wants to take, but at the end of that tunnel, a shining light named Ellerbe brings Savannah back into the circle of life.
What makes one sibling so headstrong and foolish, the other so sensible? This is only one of many questions that would make “Turning In Circles” a great subject for the high school classroom. If I had to choose between “Rome and Juliet” and this story, I’d choose this one. Romeo was an idiot, while Ellerbe’s heart is true.
Ah, Ellerbe: “His hands were strong, like rest of him, used to hard work under the hot southern sun.” He’s good at physics. No matter what, he’s always there for Savannah. She may be slow to realize that, but she does notice “his hands, his ragged nails, cracked and broken from hauling hay, fixing fencing boards, mucking stalls, or whatever. I’d seen him use his nails to pry up boards and watched him smash ice from troughs in the winter with his bare hands.”
Savannah may not be ready yet to think of Ellerbe as anything more than a friend, but she knows Dillon is nothing but trouble. He’ll just “turn you into some gross saying on the bathroom wall like with Erin,” she warns, but Charleston, like teenagers everywhere, believes bad things happen only to other people.
Even when Charleston’s whereabouts are sure to get her grounded, should their dear, devoted parents found out, Savannah feels she has to cover for her sister. Loyalty is everything… right? And yet, the harder Savannah tries to reason with Charleston, the farther her sister, her soul mate, heads down the dark road that good girls fear to tread.
Their sixteenth summer began so well, that day on the beach: “Right then, no one could have convinced me life was less than perfect or that heaven was more than a whisper away for either of us, and on that day I would have been right,” Savannah reflects.
The final lines are as simple, and as epic, as the opening lines: “and we continue to stroll hand-in-hand down the beach, the rain misting around us,” Ellerbe’s horse “plodding along behind to the beat of time moving on.”
Did I mention that Ellerbe is the best teen hero I’ve seen in forever?
Millions of young readers, I hope, will agree.
Taut with suspense, yet rich in descriptive detail and character development, the story grips us from the opening lines and won’t let go. I love the deceptively simple, timeless opening: "My sister lay sleeping in the sun on the beach beside me." Narrated in hindsight by a heroine who’d give anything to rewrite a chapter in her life, “Turning In Circles” haunts us with what-ifs. Every decision we make has consequences, not just for us, but our loved ones, our neighbors, even our pets, and for the whole community.
Savannah and Charleston, so close in age they’re practically twins, are named after towns that “epitomized the South and all a Southern woman ought to be, as if we lived back in some historic generation when women wore long gowns and went about with escorts to teas.”
More than sisters, they’re kindred souls, and they’ve always kept each other’s secrets, always had each other’s best interests in mind–until Dillon, the local bad boy, adds Charleston to his collection of conquests.
In an age when other teens are immersed in video games and cell phones, these girls are busy with chores on the family farm. Their best friend and neighbor is a hard-muscled, calloused guy named Ellerbe who rides a horse to school. Ellerbe is the best teen hero I’ve seen in all the fiction I’ve read in the past ten years. Or twenty. How do we get our teenage daughters to look beyond vampires and werewolves to the sterling virtues of the boy next door, who is in fact nothing short of awesome?
Ellerbe’s beloved Snow is as near and dear to his heart as Daddy’s mare, Boudicca–“the pride of the county–a beautiful buckskin Lusitano.” The local sheriff will stop at nothing to acquire Boudicca for himself, even test a father’s love for his wayward daughter. When Dillon lures Charleston into assorted law-breaking antics, she’s not to the only one who will suffer the consequences. Most kids get away with all sorts of mischief most of the time, but sometimes, thoughtless, reckless teenage behavior has tragic consequences.
While a sense of impending doom keeps us turning pages, the prose sparkles with rich, warm, and loving details. Though danger lurks and a beloved sister strays from the straight and narrow path, a leisurely sense of summer in the South takes readers to front porches, or among families over the dinner table. Every detail matters, every observation, every incident.
Several subplots emerge, naturally and inevitably, reminding us how the rich but troubled history of families is also the rich history of the troubled south. The racists, the innocents, the broken homes; the vicious dog fighting, petty vandalism, and bullying; the sheriff protecting the good ol’ boys; the judgments we make against others, not knowing the facts. “It doesn’t take long to figure out where a person’s loyalties lay,” Savannah observes.
One of the most stirring subplots involves Hickory, a 35-year-old black man with the mind of a child. Charlie and Savannah have nothing but affection for him.They wouldn’t dream of hurting him.
“I loved Hickory,” Savannah reflects. “Every afternoon, he stood at the end of the dirt road that led from his house to Brown School Road and waved cars by as if he was conducting an orchestra.” Tell Hickory it’s hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, and he’ll set off with an egg to fry. The scene is almost slap-stick funny, but sad, and every maddening detail in the story is portentous.
Savannah nails the mood and attitude of her world. There’s Jim Miller, who “developed a thing for Hickory’s mama back years ago. Folks said he couldn’t do enough for her boy in those months when he first got it in his head to win her over.”
And there’s the new teacher at school: “No one knew much about Mr. Jefferson or if he had even been a teacher prior to that. What we did know was he was cousin to Sheriff Darlington, moved in from the other end of the state, but everyone in town was related some how or other through blood, property or feud.”
Then there’s Tasheika.
Tasheika “wasn’t just black; she was a gorgeous girl with chocolate skin and a beautiful blonde, white mama with a figure to die for. Whatever political correctness and blurring of racial differences had come about in the rest of the world had skipped right over Mr. Jefferson’s heart. He was still living back somewhere between Mama’s historical romance novels and modern day. Knowing what I did about him and how I’d seen him look at her mama …I’d say it burned him to the core of his soul to think of a black man married to that pretty blonde lady. So he was out to get Tasheika.”
Savannah takes us step by step through the gradual escalation of conflict, like a stew heating in a pressure cooker that’s gonna blow. She reflects on what happened, wondering if she could have done things differently.
“God granted us the free will to sow our seeds as we see fit,” Savannah says, but she cannot bear seeing her sister’s exercise of free will. It’s Ellerbe whose wisdom helps her put things in perspective.
The theme will hit hard and true for anyone who’s ever watched a loved one make bad decisions, and tried to steer them from the wrong path, only to see one misstep lead to another. From the serenity of the opening scene, “the peace of the whole world around us” and God’s glory “shining down in that everlasting blaze of South Carolina sunshine,” Savannah pulls us with her, inexorably, as her world spirals down, down around her, and finally shatters. It’s a journey nobody wants to take, but at the end of that tunnel, a shining light named Ellerbe brings Savannah back into the circle of life.
What makes one sibling so headstrong and foolish, the other so sensible? This is only one of many questions that would make “Turning In Circles” a great subject for the high school classroom. If I had to choose between “Rome and Juliet” and this story, I’d choose this one. Romeo was an idiot, while Ellerbe’s heart is true.
Ah, Ellerbe: “His hands were strong, like rest of him, used to hard work under the hot southern sun.” He’s good at physics. No matter what, he’s always there for Savannah. She may be slow to realize that, but she does notice “his hands, his ragged nails, cracked and broken from hauling hay, fixing fencing boards, mucking stalls, or whatever. I’d seen him use his nails to pry up boards and watched him smash ice from troughs in the winter with his bare hands.”
Savannah may not be ready yet to think of Ellerbe as anything more than a friend, but she knows Dillon is nothing but trouble. He’ll just “turn you into some gross saying on the bathroom wall like with Erin,” she warns, but Charleston, like teenagers everywhere, believes bad things happen only to other people.
Even when Charleston’s whereabouts are sure to get her grounded, should their dear, devoted parents found out, Savannah feels she has to cover for her sister. Loyalty is everything… right? And yet, the harder Savannah tries to reason with Charleston, the farther her sister, her soul mate, heads down the dark road that good girls fear to tread.
Their sixteenth summer began so well, that day on the beach: “Right then, no one could have convinced me life was less than perfect or that heaven was more than a whisper away for either of us, and on that day I would have been right,” Savannah reflects.
The final lines are as simple, and as epic, as the opening lines: “and we continue to stroll hand-in-hand down the beach, the rain misting around us,” Ellerbe’s horse “plodding along behind to the beat of time moving on.”
Did I mention that Ellerbe is the best teen hero I’ve seen in forever?
Millions of young readers, I hope, will agree.
September 29, 2018
I really enjoyed this Southern fiction! Michelle Buckman has a beautiful and engaging writing style that pulls readers deep into the story and doesn’t let them go. The story begins at a leisurely Southern pace, introducing Savannah and her sister Charleston, but always hinting at trouble to come. The setting details and tone are captivating and give incredible dimension to the story. And while it’s set in modern times, the life of the people in this small farming community reminds me of simpler days when everyone knew everyone else and neighbors sat around drinking iced tea on front porches and took leisurely strolls through lovely streets and trails. But there is always something lurking beneath the surface, a hint of trouble, of mistakes that change lives, and of danger.
As the story developed, this book became almost impossible to set down. And I came away with a bit of introspection. Savannah faces the same problem many of us do: watching a loved one go down the wrong path (in this case, a potentially dangerous one) and feeling powerless to do anything about it. She wrestles with how to respond to this, sometimes making things worse and other times not doing enough. So many moments in this story resonated with me and I’m sure they will with everyone who reads this story of family, friendship, and the challenges we all face with those we care about.
This is the first book by Michelle Buckman that I’ve read, and I look forward to reading more by her.
As the story developed, this book became almost impossible to set down. And I came away with a bit of introspection. Savannah faces the same problem many of us do: watching a loved one go down the wrong path (in this case, a potentially dangerous one) and feeling powerless to do anything about it. She wrestles with how to respond to this, sometimes making things worse and other times not doing enough. So many moments in this story resonated with me and I’m sure they will with everyone who reads this story of family, friendship, and the challenges we all face with those we care about.
This is the first book by Michelle Buckman that I’ve read, and I look forward to reading more by her.
July 8, 2017
“Regrets, regrets. How often do we have them and still make the same mistakes over and over, wishing we could relive a moment, to change what we said or did, and in turn change the domino effect of everything that fell afterward?”
The above quote is from Chapter Twelve of Turning in Circles, a young adult, southern fiction novel by Michelle Buckman in which two sixteen year old “almost twin” sisters make very different, and crucial, decisions. The pace of the novel reminds me of a spinning top, but in reverse speed. It is deliberate and methodical in its beginning, then gradually spins faster until the ending when prior, well-set up actions of the main characters whirl woefully out of control.
There are important messages here for young adults, and adults as well. A wonderfully satisfying read! And great for a teen group discussion.
The above quote is from Chapter Twelve of Turning in Circles, a young adult, southern fiction novel by Michelle Buckman in which two sixteen year old “almost twin” sisters make very different, and crucial, decisions. The pace of the novel reminds me of a spinning top, but in reverse speed. It is deliberate and methodical in its beginning, then gradually spins faster until the ending when prior, well-set up actions of the main characters whirl woefully out of control.
There are important messages here for young adults, and adults as well. A wonderfully satisfying read! And great for a teen group discussion.
April 26, 2017
I loved writing this book. I was living in a sleepy Southern town in SC, surrounded by small farms where one could easily imagine a boy still riding a horse through town like John-boy Walton.
I met Earl Hamner, Jr., creator of The Waltons, years ago in an online writing group. He became a dear friend, and I was thrilled when he endorsed Turning in Circles.
I hope you enjoy reading it. I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you enjoy, please post a review!
I met Earl Hamner, Jr., creator of The Waltons, years ago in an online writing group. He became a dear friend, and I was thrilled when he endorsed Turning in Circles.
I hope you enjoy reading it. I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you enjoy, please post a review!
November 9, 2018
While I tend to steer away from heavy, emotional drama – there is enough of that in real life - this Southern drama is very well written. This book has beautiful, descriptive prose and is a powerful, gripping story. Turning in Circles is the story of two, extremely close, sisters and the drama that tears them apart. If you love a good family drama, this might be a great book for you.
April 9, 2017
Turning in Circles exhibits the wonderfully languorous feel of what is, to my mind, a quintessential Southern novel. Narrative visits to the town post office, the creek, the barn, and horse trails immerse the reader in a town that feels as if it hasn't quite caught up to the 21st century, dawdling in the waning days of summer.
Savannah can do little more than watch as her sister Charleston, so close in age they're in the same grade, drifts further from family and faith into the dangerous arms of Dillon, a possessive and abusive boy.
As Charleston courts danger again and again, Savannah straddles the line between keeping her sister's secrets and seeing that she stays out of trouble. Neither her parents nor her dearest, deepest friend Ellerbe can set Savannah's world - or Charleston's - to rights.
Suspense builds as Charleston's troubles come to a head, resulting in surprising revelations, sorrow, and tragedy. Turning in Circles is a beautifully-written study of the consequences of free will and the limitations in attempting to safeguard those we love.
(I received an advance copy from the author. Opinions are my own.)
Savannah can do little more than watch as her sister Charleston, so close in age they're in the same grade, drifts further from family and faith into the dangerous arms of Dillon, a possessive and abusive boy.
As Charleston courts danger again and again, Savannah straddles the line between keeping her sister's secrets and seeing that she stays out of trouble. Neither her parents nor her dearest, deepest friend Ellerbe can set Savannah's world - or Charleston's - to rights.
Suspense builds as Charleston's troubles come to a head, resulting in surprising revelations, sorrow, and tragedy. Turning in Circles is a beautifully-written study of the consequences of free will and the limitations in attempting to safeguard those we love.
(I received an advance copy from the author. Opinions are my own.)
July 31, 2020
The imagery and use of description in this was absolutely gorgeous. I was absolutely transported to the rural south... to horse rides and sticky summer days and cornfields and town squares that consist of three buildings. Was so impressed by how the writing nailed every tiny detail, down to the gossip and boredom and tendecy to hurry to the scene any time there's anything at all remotely exciting going on.
And oh, how I felt for the two sisters in this drama. Both Savannah, who can see trouble coming from a long way off and struggles to know what to do bout it... and also Charleston, who clearly acts out both because it's in her nature, but also because of hints of issues with her self-worth. The author does such a nice job, such a delicate job painting these characters, and it made for a truly delightful read.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Please excuse typos. Learning to use screen reader.
And oh, how I felt for the two sisters in this drama. Both Savannah, who can see trouble coming from a long way off and struggles to know what to do bout it... and also Charleston, who clearly acts out both because it's in her nature, but also because of hints of issues with her self-worth. The author does such a nice job, such a delicate job painting these characters, and it made for a truly delightful read.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Please excuse typos. Learning to use screen reader.
May 9, 2017
One word to describe my reaction after finishing this book…Brilliant!
I decided to read this book because I saw an advanced copy of it being offered on Netgalley. The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly I didn’t know what to expect going into this story. The blurb on the cover of the book said, “ …a suspenseful and illuminating and unforgettable story…” and the book definitely delivered on that but what I didn’t expect was for it to pull at my heart strings so much.
Turning in Circles is about two sisters Savannah and Charleston growing up in a small southern American town. The sisters are so close in age everyone assumes they are twins. Being the same age the sisters are best friends and do and share everything together until one day Charleston meets Dillon, the town’s bad boy. Dillon is bad news and pulls Charleston into his destructive life. At a very fast pace Savannah is losing her sister and her best friend to his corruption and is ill prepared to pull her sister free from him.
I have a bad habit of judging books by their covers. This cover did not appeal to me in the least but what I mistake it would have been to pass on this book. I really enjoyed reading this book. I love how the author captured the voice of the south and the experiences of growing up and living in small town America. The story is told from Savannah point of view and my heart just ached for her infinite love for her sister and community. Some of my favorite parts of this book are the chapters with Ellerbe who is Savannah’s neighbor, second best friend (her sister is her first), and love interest. Ellerbe is this amazing boy that has you hoping one day your own daughters will find their own Ellerbe in the world. But back to Savannah and her sister. I was so immersed in Savannah’s story that I wanted to grab her sister by the shoulders and just shake some sense into her. I was so darn frustrated not only for Charleston’s selfishness towards her sister and loving family but also I was exasperated with the destructive path she was embarking on with help from her awful boyfriend Dillon. The wonderful way this book is written though it’s impossible to hate Charleston, frustrating she is but she has enduring qualities that come from out of nowhere that instead of hating her your heart cries for her. You want to just swaddle her up and show her some extra love she craves. The message delivered to me from this book is sometimes its impossible to help others that can’t help themselves no matter how much love and attention you give them. Sometimes people have to go through an experience themselves in order to learn from it as heartbreaking and frustrating as that is for their loved ones to watch.
Ultimately this story is about the relationship between two sisters but there is a smidge of sweet romance between Savannah and Ellerbe. I would recommend this book for anyone ages 16+. Any readers who enjoy coming of age novels will love this book. Readers of southern/women’s fiction will also very much appreciate.
I decided to read this book because I saw an advanced copy of it being offered on Netgalley. The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly I didn’t know what to expect going into this story. The blurb on the cover of the book said, “ …a suspenseful and illuminating and unforgettable story…” and the book definitely delivered on that but what I didn’t expect was for it to pull at my heart strings so much.
Turning in Circles is about two sisters Savannah and Charleston growing up in a small southern American town. The sisters are so close in age everyone assumes they are twins. Being the same age the sisters are best friends and do and share everything together until one day Charleston meets Dillon, the town’s bad boy. Dillon is bad news and pulls Charleston into his destructive life. At a very fast pace Savannah is losing her sister and her best friend to his corruption and is ill prepared to pull her sister free from him.
I have a bad habit of judging books by their covers. This cover did not appeal to me in the least but what I mistake it would have been to pass on this book. I really enjoyed reading this book. I love how the author captured the voice of the south and the experiences of growing up and living in small town America. The story is told from Savannah point of view and my heart just ached for her infinite love for her sister and community. Some of my favorite parts of this book are the chapters with Ellerbe who is Savannah’s neighbor, second best friend (her sister is her first), and love interest. Ellerbe is this amazing boy that has you hoping one day your own daughters will find their own Ellerbe in the world. But back to Savannah and her sister. I was so immersed in Savannah’s story that I wanted to grab her sister by the shoulders and just shake some sense into her. I was so darn frustrated not only for Charleston’s selfishness towards her sister and loving family but also I was exasperated with the destructive path she was embarking on with help from her awful boyfriend Dillon. The wonderful way this book is written though it’s impossible to hate Charleston, frustrating she is but she has enduring qualities that come from out of nowhere that instead of hating her your heart cries for her. You want to just swaddle her up and show her some extra love she craves. The message delivered to me from this book is sometimes its impossible to help others that can’t help themselves no matter how much love and attention you give them. Sometimes people have to go through an experience themselves in order to learn from it as heartbreaking and frustrating as that is for their loved ones to watch.
Ultimately this story is about the relationship between two sisters but there is a smidge of sweet romance between Savannah and Ellerbe. I would recommend this book for anyone ages 16+. Any readers who enjoy coming of age novels will love this book. Readers of southern/women’s fiction will also very much appreciate.
May 30, 2017
"If only we had known." That's the refrain at the heart of Michelle Buckman's latest novel for teens: Turning in Circles, a story of sisters, small-town secrets and teenage rebellion. The novel is a study in character contrast. Savannah, busy covering for her sister who's sneaking off to meet Dillon, uncovers way too many long-buried secrets as she seeks a way to protect her sister from her boyfriend. You know this won't end well, but the ending is not what you expect. At the same time, it's the only ending possible.
April 28, 2020
Turning in Circles is a suspenseful coming of age story rich with the life of a small coastal town in South Carolina. This extraordinary teen novel somewhat redeemed my negative view of Southern fiction. It looks at life through the lens of love. Darkness is exposed but it cannot overcome the Light...
Read my full review here:
https://www.booksforcatholickids.org/...
Read my full review here:
https://www.booksforcatholickids.org/...
October 14, 2025
Turning in Circles is a beautifully written and emotional story about sisterhood, love, and the painful choices that come with growing up. Michelle Buckman captures small town life and teenage turmoil so vividly that you can almost feel the tension between Savannah’s fear and Charleston’s rebellion. It’s heartbreaking, real, and impossible to put down. A touching reminder of how far we’ll go to protect the ones we love and how sometimes, love means letting go.
April 2, 2019
I definitely enjoyed this book. Good story line that caught my attention. I did feel there was one subplot about an extramarital affair that was weak and unnecessary. It added nothing to the story and seemed a little contrived. Over all a good read.
March 28, 2018
Turning in Circles is not the first book by Michelle Buckman that I have read. I have loved them all; but this book, in my opinion, is indeed her masterpiece. Michelle Buckman has captured much of small-town Southern life in this book: the dialect to which my West Coast ears are slowly adapting, the lush landscapes when left to grow wild, the provincialism but also the authenticity and generosity of the people who choose to live in small Southern towns. Her characters come alive, walk off the page, and right into the reader's heart as she tackles the blindness, pain, and repercussions of wrong choices made in teenage years. Although targeted for YA, the adult reader is in for true Buckman-enchantment. Enjoy!
April 28, 2017
Once I began reading Turning In Circles, I had a hard time putting it away until I finished the book. The interaction between the two sisters kept my attention as I read the frustrations experienced by Savanah as the close relationship she had with Charleston dissolved. In spite of Savanah’s efforts, Charleston made choice after choice that kept me interested and disappointed at the same time.
Michelle Buckman’s characters felt real and believable. The story increased in drama the further I read. I visualized the settings as I read.
The sisters’ story illustrated what sometimes happens to people we love. We see them make choices that change the course of their life, often with inescapable consequences. We are powerless to stop the unhealthy changes in their life.
Turning in Circles depicts life as it often happens to us or those around us. We can learn from our mistakes and those of others to make changes for a better life.
For a thought-provoking read, pick up your copy of Turning in Circles.
Michelle Buckman’s characters felt real and believable. The story increased in drama the further I read. I visualized the settings as I read.
The sisters’ story illustrated what sometimes happens to people we love. We see them make choices that change the course of their life, often with inescapable consequences. We are powerless to stop the unhealthy changes in their life.
Turning in Circles depicts life as it often happens to us or those around us. We can learn from our mistakes and those of others to make changes for a better life.
For a thought-provoking read, pick up your copy of Turning in Circles.
January 18, 2019
Turning in Circles is the first Michelle Buckman book I’ve read but I’ll read more. She is a talented author and has an amazing flair for descriptive prose, I felt immersed in Southern culture from page one. The story grabs you immediately to the point where it was nerve wracking to keep reading but I had to see how the story turned out. It makes you think long after you’ve finished reading it.
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