|
4.0 out of 5 stars
Circle of Three Plus You = Great Reading, Feb 21 2004
I bought this book because I had read "Saving Graces" and wanted to see if Gaffney's power with the written word would be consistent.I also find myself tired of seeing so many books that are solely based on romance. Is that all women care about? Not this one. Gaffney has an exceptional talent for inhabiting the mind of her characters and speaking distinctively as she writes each character. All three protagonists in this novel are strong, complex, likeable and dislikeable. All three are real. All three are dealing with a variety of players, different challenges in different stages of life. It was effortless to feel compassion, anger, laugh and cry with each of them. While the main point of the book is to be a study of the relationship of three generations of women in the same family, I saw it as an additionally strong study in personal evolution through challenging situations and everyday situations. I saw the responses as realistically human just as each character was realistically human. Some examples of Gaffney's word weavings which I found especially enjoyable: page 66: "Brian's job becoming, at least it had accomplished what my mother, guilt over Ruth, and 50 milligrams of Zoloft hadn't been able to: my return to the real world. Half of me might be in the ether, zoned out and inattentive, mired in the old grief and guilt that a death in the family brings - naturally - but the other half was coping. It was a start." page 101: "Sex weas different -- he could and did make love in the face-to-face position -- but for everyday, standing-up, fully clothed affection he literally couldn't face me." Ruth, the youngest woman, made this observation that stirred me: "My mouth was making too much water, I couldn't swallow fast enough." (This was right before she became ill). There is much, much richness... I suggest you read it for yourself.....
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
