Rating: 
Summary: Lovely book
Review: I just listened to the unabridged audio of this book, and it completely carried me away. I disagree that The Saving Graces is better. I loved that one, too, but it said "BESTSELLER" all over it, and this one is quieter, a much more thoughtful book, and in many ways, to me, a better one. I like the way Gaffney captures women's voices. This one is about family, not friendship, so automatically it's more complex and doesn't reach any easy conclusions. I liked the way she didn't force any pat ending on me. Life just goes on. I look forward to this author's next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Better Than Sominex
Review: I like to sleep and I like to read; however, I do not like to participate in both activities simultaneously. Consequently, I would only recommend Circle of Three to those persons who are looking for a quick method to induce sleep. Gaffney's Saving Graces had been such a pleasure to read; I gleefully waited in anticipation for her next book. I so wanted to love her new characters; I so wanted to care about their lives. Unfortunately, the characters in Circle of Three are stereotypical--just like the very lame story line. Let's see: Husband dies during a fight with his wife, sad widow reconnects with high school sweetheart - the one that her overbearing mother hated because she thought he would become an adult loser. But wait, old sweetheart turns out to be a generous, hard-working, respected pillar of the community.(Shocking!) There's more; daughter of dead dad picks the wrong high school boyfriend, steals her mother's car, and gets a bad tattoo-but not before mom gets fired from her lousy job because (gasp) she is not sexually interested in her employer--yes, the guy that only hired widow-mom for her better than average middle aged, sexually-deprived body. As luck would have it, all three generations of women eventually come to understand each other(surprise!), have a picnic on the dead husband's/dead dad's/dead son in law's grave (this was the only entertaining moment in the entire book) and yes (double gasp) all participants live happily ever after. This type of stereotypical and unimaginative writing is called pulp fiction - with good reason - it's not worth the paper it is written on. Save your money - if you really do need a sleeping pill - at least wait for the paperback.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, wise, and warm . . .
Review: I loved this book. Gaffney has drawn three complex women and then thrown them into crisis, and the way they all change and grow, and the way their relationships change and grow, makes for a fascinating tapestry, a complex interweaving of unforgettable characters. Having said that, it's the glorious details that will make this book linger in my mind. I loved the ark and the way Carrie's return to her first love, art, sparks her return to her other first love, Jess. I thought the scenes with Ruth at the end, on the highway and in the streets, were true and harrowing and still life-affirming. And I loved being in Dana's point of view because she was such a funny, exasperating, powerful woman. This isn't a story about victims or perfect women who achieve the impossible dream, this is a story about real women who stumble and learn and triumph. It's just a wonderful, wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books this year . . .
Review: I loved this book. Someone else said, as a woman, you're bound to find pieces of yourself in this book, and I couldn't agree more. So many times I found myself thinking, yes, that's so true, I've felt exactly the same way. The funny thing is, I identified with all three women because Gaffney's portrayal of the different stages of womanhood are right on the mark. This is a beautifully written, terrific story, with lots of humor, and I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed :(
Review: I read The Saving Graces [TSG] and was hooked. I couldn't put it down. The characters were so real and well developed - I laughed and cried. I found out about Circle of Three and couldn't wait till it made it to paperback so I could suggest it for our book club. Unfortunately, after reading it I did not feel the same. It never really took off and the characters were flat. I kept thinking it would get better but sadly it did not. It was an OK book but if I had read it first I would not have read TSG thinking that it was average as well. I was very impressed with the writing in TSG and will give Gaffney another try in hopes that her next book will be better. If you haven't read TSG you should, it is 5 stars!!
Rating:
Summary: Loved her first book, hated this one!
Review: I really enjoyed her first book, "The Saving Graces" and I couldn't wait to read this one. What happened here?! This book was boring, and that's being kind. The chracters were flat and predictable, and I really did not care what happend to any of them. This was a big disappointment after reading such a fun, touching story in her first novel. Hope she tries again and gets it right.
Rating: 
Summary: A sweet mother/daughter tale to share
Review: I really liked Gaffney's "The Saving Graces" and when an opportunity arose for me to buy this book, I didn't hesitate. And it is one of the best summer reads this summer. I read it in a day and a half. It's that good!!We women all understand that we have different relationships with our mothers and daughters ~~ and while I am extremely close to my mother now, I wasn't always so. And this book is a refreshing look into those complex relationships we all share with the most important women in our lives. Carrie, her daughter Ruth and Carrie's mother, Dana were thrown into a life change when Carrie's husband, Ruth's dad died suddenly. And Graffney explores what happens between mother/daughter during a grieving period. Carrie struggles with guilt that she didn't love her husband like she should have. Ruth struggles with the realization that she never really knew her father and she misses the father she thought she had. And Dana comes to several realizations about her marriage and her relationship with Carrie, especially after Carrie falls back in love with her high school sweetheart. All three of them come to painful conclusions about themselves and matured in the process. Every woman needs to pick up this book. I highly recommend it for book clubs. It is well-written, thought-provoking, hilarious in some parts and bittersweet. We all can relate to each of those characters ~~ because at one time, we all were at Ruth's age ~~ trying to figure out what the adult world is really like; and we've all remember our first loves and regrets; and some of us know what it is like to face our mortality and regrets over a long period of life. It is one of the rare insights into women's lives and thoughts. Now that I've read it, I am passing it onto my mother to read. I'm sure she'll find pieces of herself in this book like I did. It is a book worth reading and savoring. It is also a quick read ~~ you can't help but be drawn to the characters and relate to what they're going through. And you won't forget Ruth, Carrie and Dana. You can't. They're around you every day.
Rating:
Summary: What a thought provoking, heartfelt, funny story...
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will recommend it! If you're a daughter, have a daughter, have a mother or a grandmother...I believe you'll relate to these characters. I saw myself and my mother many times throughtout the book and laughed out loud at the similarities. As with The Saving Graces, each chapter is one of the characters voice and point of view; this can get a bit confusing but overall I enjoyed it. I liked getting three different point of views, opinions, and set of feelings. I recommend this book, whether you've read The Saving Graces or not. I say, let Circle of Three have its own glory and quit comparing it to TSG. They are both very good on their own!
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Read
Review: I, like so many others, read The Saving Graces and was thrilled to see another book by Gaffney. It's not QUITE as good, but nevertheless a very enjoyable read -- better than a lot of books I've read! A quick read, enjoyable, heartwarming, funny and at times a little tense. I will definately recommend this to friends.
Rating:
Summary: Richly layered and complex
Review: 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
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