Circle of Three

by Patricia Gaffney

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.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Novels, Book Club

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Patricia Gaffney was born in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, and also studied literature at Royal Holloway College of the University of London, at George Washington University, and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After college, Gaffney taught 12th grade English for a year before becoming a freelance court reporter, a job she pursued in North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., for the next fifteen years.

Her first book, a historical romance, was published by Dorchester in 1989. Between then and 1997, she wrote 11 more romance novels (Dorchester; Penguin USA), for which she was nominated for or won many awards. Many of these previously out of print classics are available again today as digitally reissued classics, including the author's most recently re-released and much beloved novels in The Wyckerley Trilogy.

In 1999, she went in a new direction with her hardcover fiction debut, The Saving Graces (HarperCollins). A contemporary story about four women friends, the novel explored issues of love, friendship, trust, and commitment among women. The Saving Graces enjoyed bestseller status on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and other lists.

Circle of Three (2000), Flight Lessons (2002), and The Goodbye Summer (2004) followed, all national bestsellers. Gaffney’s most recent novel was Mad Dash (2007), a humorous but insightful look at a 20-year marriage, told from the viewpoints of both longsuffering spouses.

More recently, Pat's been indulging her purely creative side in a brand new format for her -- novellas. With friends including J. D. Robb, she has contributed stories to three anthologies, all New York Times bestsellers. In "The Dog Days of Laurie Summer" (The Lost, 2009), a woman in a troubled marriage "dies" and comes back as the family dog. "The Dancing Ghost" (The Other Side, 2010) brings together a pretty spinster and a shady ghost buster in 1895 New England. And in "Dear One" (The Unquiet, 2011), a fake phone psychic (or IS she?) meets her match in a stuffy Capitol Hill lobbyist -- who couldn't possibly be that sexy-voiced cowboy from Medicine Bend who keeps calling the psychic line.

Patricia Gaffney lives in southern Pennsylvania with her husband.

Reviews

[Judie Parks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a hard read. Not the topic, just the manner in which it was written.

[Claire Simmons · Rating 2 out of 5]

What most books look like


What this book looks like

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the sudden death of her husband, Carrie struggles with feelings of immense grief and guilt. She silently wonders: "Can grief last for a person's whole life?" For her, these feelings are twofold: Although she mourns the loss of her husband, she also mourns the death of their love - an emotional erosion that occurred long before her husband's heart gave out. Struggling to go on, to support her vivacious, loving fifteen-year-old daughter, Ruth, Carrie must shake off the sorrow and depression that surrounds her and begin a new life. For Ruth, as much as for herself, Carrie will somehow learn to live again.

Complicating matters is Dana - Carrie's mother - an industrious, snobbish, yet sympathetic woman who tries to do what's right for herself and, unfortunately, for Carrie as well. It was fear of her mother's disapproval that drove Carrie away from her unforgotten first love - the soulful, passionate Jess - who has recently re-entered her life.

Little does Carrie realize that her mother suffers secret miseries of her own. For Dana, life is still as mysterious as it was in early youth. Like her only daughter, Dana has lived within the confines of a silent marriage. And, like Carrie, Dana too, mourns a painful loss - the slow disintegration of her relationship with her daughter. Her unspoken wish is: "I'd give anything for the closeness we used to have. I love my daughter more than anyone else on this earth, but she won't let me in."

At the end point of these two generations is Ruth, who silently copes with a double tragedy of her own - the loss of something she can never know - a real relationship with her father - and the emotional abandonment of her mother. Her secret sadness is: "She's still got me, but she's about half the mother I used to have. When Dad died I lost him and part of her. I'm almost an orphan." A precocious girl, quivering on the brink of womanhood, Ruth is eager to discover who she is and what life holds - even if that knowledge will draw her away from the people she loves.

Shining through the interconnected lives of three generations of women in a small town in rural Virginia, this poignant, memorable novel reveals the layers of tradition and responsibility, commitment and passion these women share. Ms. Gaffney explores the dichotomies inherent in all women's relationships - the tears and laughter, despair and hope, misunderstanding and compassion, anger and love - that occasionally divide them yet ultimately bind them together. In Circle of Three, the silken bonds of family are brilliantly illuminated, as are the delicate yet resilient bonds of feminine understanding and friendship.

I absolutely loved this book. I truly became immersed in this story - it was definitely a page-turner; moving and poignant, filled with emotional, well-developed characters with whom I connected deeply. I found myself caught up in the story, wanting to know what happened next. I actually have read this book before - about ten years ago - and while the story was familiar to me in places, I still enjoyed reacquainting myself with these characters. I give Circle of Three: A Novel by Patricia Gaffney an A+!

[Kitty Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family of women deal with relationships and each other. Dana is the matriarch, unhappily married to silent, George. Carrie, Dana's daughter is dealing with the recent death of her husband, while trying to help her daughte, Ruth deal with the loss of her father. Then Carrie's old flame returns to town.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The imagery and writing was great, and the characters were multidimensional and real. But the utter lack of plot made this a boring read. The story plodded along with no real agenda, making this a book I really can’t recommend to anyone. A shame, because I do think she’s an artful writer.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I loved this book. It brought a family together and explored the lives of 3 women. 3 totally different people but the same as they found out that they were alike as mother, mother, and daughter. It resembled so much like my family that I am keeping Circle of Three in my permanent collection.”

[Mechele Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

God, this book was insipid. It started off interesting enough, I'll admit, but the characters just got increasingly more annoying as the book progressed. I felt everyone but Carrie was a stereotype-- and even she was, though less of the others. You have Dana; the pushy, aggressive mother/grandmother and Ruth the stereotypical teenager who is way too naive at 17 and no one understaands and doesn't have a single damn ounce of maturity. Are some teenagers like this? Sure. But that seemed to be all she was.

Reading the blurb after wards it was supposed to be a book about dealing with grief. Which, yeah kinda? But it mostly seems to be dealing with guilt. Because, how convenient, the husband was a cold dick so no reason to dwell on that! He couldn't be a kind, loving, supportive husband because that would just cast Carrie in a bad light if she decided she cared for someone else. Makes it easy~

It's also so very 90s conservative white bread. Anything the least bit subversive is like GASP Shock and Horror! or Kooky. Krystal who runs an alternative medicine shop? A complete space case and we know none of her stuff actually works. Raven who dresses all in black? Just a kind of dork ass nihilist because obviously that's all he can be. don't get me started on the tattoo parlors near the end of the book and her getting a woman symbol automatically assuming she's a lesbian. Please. It was so stupid.

I suppose my main problem with this book was expectation v. reality. I had thought it would be a book about three generations of women, having their problems but bonding and supporting each other. But no, everyone is annoying and no one talks to/understands one another and it sort of feels all about men in the end.

Also the Ark thing was stupid and pointless.

And I hate that the sexual assault was just like OH WELL MEN WRONG SIGNALS. Like I realized this was probably written in the mid to late 90s but Come On. Don't excuse him for that shit.

In the end I don't really recommend.

Tho I do have to say the writing was pretty decent. I really enjoyed the parts where she was talking about art and getting into it.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three strong women form the circle of the title. Carrie is the protagonist, with her mother Dana taking the position of the well-meaning antagonist and daughter Ruth the typical teenager who forces them to make allowances for each other. They go through a rough patch together, with Carrie reeling from her husband's untimely death from a heart attack. As Carrie emerges from her grief and guilt, she and Ruth try to formulate the new "normal" for their lives. There are several major events that demand adjustments in their traditional roles and relationships. The most amazing transformation is the softening of Dana's inflexible self-righteousness, because her mature age makes it so hard for her to change her stripes.
The pacing of this story is good and the end is satisfying. This may be my first Gaffney novel and I will definitely try another.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. My mom recommended that I read this, and reluctantly, I agreed. Coming up on the 1-year anniversary of my father's passing, I felt a lot of the emotions that the characters in the book felt. The book was written in such a fashion that each chapter was narrated by either the mother, the daughter, or the granddaughter. I saw a lot of myself in the granddaughter and in the daughter(at times). I definitely saw a lot of my mom in the mother and the daughter. All in all, I enjoyed the book.

[Cristel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story reminded me of Hope Floats. The movie is actually even mentioned in the book. Still, I enjoyed it, and thought the characters' personalities and thoughts were explained very completely. I liked The Saving Graces a little better than Circle of Three, but both were a good way to spend a day on a lounge chair.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Circle of Three was a grandmother, mother and daughter. The story is of the angst between the mothers and daughters. Interestingly, the grandmother was turning 70 and wasn't happy about it at all. As I turn 70 in a few months, I must say I disagree with her. If you could see my stash of wool and fabrics, you would know that I have enough to keep me knitting and quilting for many more years to come. I enjoyed the book.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the interaction between the three women - gradmother, mother and daughter. Each chapter is written from the perspective of one of the three and as the story unfolds one can understand each woman, and how she sees, and deals with problems.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into this book. I really thought I would like it since it mirrors some of my experiences but it was just boring. After trying for 3 weeks, I finally abandoned it, and that is rare for me.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am going through my bookshelves during the stay at home orders, reading books I have long ignored for various reasons. This is a quick read about 3 generations of women and their relationships with each other (mostly) and with their respective romantic partners (to a lesser degree). The story was compelling enough to keep me reading, but I had trouble with the author's point of view of the 15-year-old daughter who just lost her father (less than 6 months prior when the book begins.) Having lost my own father at that age, I found her quick ability to move on (yes she dealt with grief a bit, but not at all as one would expect) and also her seeming encouragement of her mom to do so as well. She also seems to be written too 'breathy' like a 15-year-old who speaks more like a 9-year-old. Disclaimer, my job working with teens and speaking to them daily likely makes me a too critical reviewer for the author's teen pov.
The author did better when writing in the pov of the 70ish grandma and the 40+ mom. She does make great points and develops the characters well, but I guess I was couldn't get past the (for me) unrealistic teen in the story.

[Sherrill Watson]

Interlocked story of three women coping with the loss of Stephan, Carrie's husband, who dies suddenly. Carrie didn't really love him, he was too taciturn (the Invisible Man). Teenaged Ruth, whose rebelling includes taking the car, and getting a visible tattoo. Grama, who overcomes her reticence, too slowly in this book. Just when she is about to deliver some really good advice she goes to bed. I was REALLY frustrated with it. There are incidental characters, like cardboard Jess, who has carried a torch for Carrie since they were in grade school. Ugh.

Each chapter suddenly began, with some character just beginning to talk. It sometimes took me all of one page to figure out who was talking. Did anyone else have this trouble? Drove me nuts.

'They' say it takes about a year to move on after a death. It took the Circle of Three about a year. It felt like a year for me to move thru this book. Valuable read for those who have had someone who died, I suppose.

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care for this book very much. First, the book and the chapters were too long. I think more space is dedicated to what the characters are thinking as to what is happening, which could be good character development. But I could not relate to any of the characters. I also didn't like the continuous use of God's name in vain and the foul language. None of the characters had any faith except for the Arkists, who were a bit odd and some were into New Age stuff. I was glad by the end of the book the characters were communicating honestly and better with each other.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three generations of women, Dana, Carrie, and Ruth find their way through life after Steven, Carrie’s husband dies unexpectedly. Carrie finds her mother, Dana helpful but bossy, difficult but loving, and still trying to control her life. Her daughter, Ruth is fifteen and therefore feels entitled to judge the whole world while being anxious and difficult at the same time. Throw in a past love for Carrie and the building of an ark and the animals that go with it and you have an interesting novel told in alternating chapters by all three generations.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story explores Mother-daughter relationships- at times frustrating and aggravating, at times bittersweet and loving. Over a year, Carrie looses her emotionally distant husband to a sudden heart attack and through her grief forges ahead into a new life with an old but true love. Along the way she must cope with her overbearing mother and emotionally wounded daughter and become her renewed self.

[Aabha S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so extremely mid. I wanted to like it, I really, really did. But it just... I guess it just couldn't make up its mind about where it wanted to go.
The book was supposed to be a story of three women, from three different generations, all interconnected, going on their own separate journeys while exploring what they mean to each other. Instead, it became about one guy who drove literally every plot point. In this book about three women, yet again, a man takes centre stage.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Original Thoughts (2000):

Wonderful! I really like this author and enjoyed this novel just as much as The Saving Graces. Told from three points of view. Nice romance. Believable mother-daughter relationships. Perfect beach read!

My Current Thoughts:

I wonder if this will be as enjoyable as the first time I read it. I own a copy and may give it a try later this summer.

[Kathleen Oneil · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t wait for this book to be over. So boring. I skipped over most of the pages. Going into detail about the paint colors and how to mix to get them right. The daughter Ruth a real spoiled child. But taking her moms car and driving to Washington to get a tattoo? Puleeze! And the ending? Ho hum.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled to finish reading this book. I just couldn't get into it. It bored me but I got to a point where I had already lost so much time to it that I decided to just finish it. I was relieved when I finally did and could move on to another book.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished this book mostly so that I could get rid of it. Mom, daughter, and grandmother are all screwed up in so many different ways. So frustrating, and the ending didn’t even feel like it tied anything up. Bleh.

[Evelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so boring with nothing to motivate you to continue reading. I skipped a lot and read the last few chapters. It had such a weak ending! I wish I had my hours back that I spent plowing through this book!

[Suzanne Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed lots and cried too. I cheered Carrie on. Didn’t like Dana until the end. Ruth would have destroyed my sanity but I don’t have to raise her. So many real moments build on not a great read.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ending.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the mother-daughter relationships. Well-written and thoughtful.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about relationships between three generations - mother, daughter, granddaughter. Enjoyable.

[Therese Bergwall · Rating 2 out of 5]

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