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231st out of 355 books
—
277 voters
Circle of Grace
When tragedy occurs, four friends come together in a bittersweet reunion and are forced to confront the falsehoods and also embrace the truth in their lives.
On college graduation day, Grace and her friends—Liz, Tess, and Lovey—agreed to keep a journal that would make the rounds. They vowed to always be truthful.
For three decades, the journal has been circulating, carrying...more
On college graduation day, Grace and her friends—Liz, Tess, and Lovey—agreed to keep a journal that would make the rounds. They vowed to always be truthful.
For three decades, the journal has been circulating, carrying...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
May 9th 2006
by Broadway
(first published March 5th 2004)
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This was such a well-written book! I was immediately sucked into the story of 4 college friends who had kept in touch through the years through a circle journal. The book goes back and forth between the time periods and has a section focused on each character. At the end they are reunited where it is discovered that not everything written in the journal was the truth. One character in particular has lied about much of her life and at the reunion, confesses the truth to her friends, hoping they w...more
I LOVED this book! I wish I could give it 4-1/2 stars cause I wouldn't really say "it was amazing" but I did really really like it and enjoyed reading it.
It's not a book for everyone---I'd call it definitely a "chic book". It's about 4 ladies that become BFF's in college. Upon graduation they decide to do a circle journal between them---write in it, mail it to the next girl, she reads what is there, writes what she's been doing, and mails it to the next person, etc. They do this for 30 years unt...more
It's not a book for everyone---I'd call it definitely a "chic book". It's about 4 ladies that become BFF's in college. Upon graduation they decide to do a circle journal between them---write in it, mail it to the next girl, she reads what is there, writes what she's been doing, and mails it to the next person, etc. They do this for 30 years unt...more
The writing in this book is really "just ok", to be quite honest. The characters are often 2 dimensional, predictable, and stale. Yet, at the end it starts touching on some really deep, spiritual stuff, universal truths and whatnot. That made sticking this book out a good choice.
THIS made me mad - and the fact that she never ONCE outright said the lesbians were a couple, and never had them do any more than hold hands once....
From Lovey's journal - "Sometimes I hate what this world has done to th...more
THIS made me mad - and the fact that she never ONCE outright said the lesbians were a couple, and never had them do any more than hold hands once....
From Lovey's journal - "Sometimes I hate what this world has done to th...more
Four college friends keep a 'friendship journal' over a period of 30 years. Finally getting together in their fifties, each fearing the upcoming "reunion" as each of them has been less than truthful in the journal during the past 30 years.
Shows what "true" friendship can and will endure. This is my first Penelope Stokes novel and I will be reading more of her in the future.
From dust jacket:
"All her adult life, Grace Benedict has been living a lie. Now that deception is about to catch up with her...more
Shows what "true" friendship can and will endure. This is my first Penelope Stokes novel and I will be reading more of her in the future.
From dust jacket:
"All her adult life, Grace Benedict has been living a lie. Now that deception is about to catch up with her...more
What is truth? A midterm exam question that got four college students together and their answer: Truth is the core of human experience, the center point which keeps us balanced and aligned, the hub which connects us to all we value. It goes by many names - faith, beauty, love, justice - but whatever we call it, however we experience it, it is the source of meaning and purpose in our lives. 4 college friends; 4 different views on life; 4 different careers planned - but things don't always turn ou...more
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This was my Book Club's read for this past month. Everyone loved this book about four women who met in a freshman college philosophy class where they were put in a group to discuss the question "What is truth?" They become close friends and end up rooming together for the rest of college. For thirty years they keep in touch with a circle journal where they all stretch the truth. Then thirty years later they meet again for a weekend retreat. I loved it!! It had a bit of a slow start but by the ti...more
This was a fantastic book about true friendship that stands the test of time, even through difficulties. It was also about the value and power of truth in love. It follows the lives of 4 women from their college years until their early 50s. In spite of sadness, it was an uplifting book that encourages people to value their own friendships more, to reach out to others and be true friends. This is not a Christian book, and the Christian aspects are extremely minor, but I appreciated that they were...more
This book made me think about my college girl friends- the bonds we created during those years living together, the choices and paths we took in different directions and how we've changed over the years. I'm glad those women are still a part of my life despite being spread across the country and being busy with life. I enjoyed reading about Grace, Tess, Lovey and Liz and how they came together after years of drifting apart and withholding the truth about their lives. Sometimes I felt things were...more
This was a good read, I liked reading about the differant characters lives. I didn't really like Grace at first, especially when she stuck her nose in Lovie's relationship, I couldn't believe Grace thought she had the right to tell Lovie what to do. If anything, she should have complained to her about Beau being a rude house guest instead of their sex life. I was kind of weirded out by Grace at that point.
I liked her at the end of the book though, she really changed.
Sad book but still a very in...more
I liked her at the end of the book though, she really changed.
Sad book but still a very in...more
Jan 05, 2009
Pink
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
any girlfriend looking for a soul-searching, heart-warming good read
Shelves:
soul-searching-but-not-preachy
Penelope Stokes is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of her books until Circle of Grace was published. They are all based on an object and the history and life story surrouding that object. Some concentrate on one persons life, others intertwine lives, and a few concentrate on groups of girlfriends. The Circle of Grace is one such book, and I really do love the format, sh owing how our lives can all go in such separate directions.
It was a nice read. College friends vow to never grow apart -- and then do. They have a journal to write to each other in and vow to be truthful -- and yet never are completely truthful with each other. Grace discovers that she has terminal cancer and decides to come clean with the others -- she doesn't want to die alone. The girls find their way back to each other, only to have their group broken apart in a way they never conceived of.
It was a good book about long time friends who since going their various ways, keep in touch via a journal that makes the rounds between the women. All of them have added to or deleted from the truth of their real lives. Grace, especially, because she has avoided all get togethers with the others. But when she finds out she's dying of cancer and realizes that these friends are all she has in her life, she wants to see them all again. I enjoyed it and would read other books by same author.
A group of unlikely college roommates vows at graduation to keep in touch via a circle journal. While they keep their commitment, they each unbeknowst to the others omit certin unflattering deatils about their lives. Fast forward 30 years where some life events convince one of the ladies that it's time to get real. She schedules a weekend retreat for them and what happens is life altering. They come to realize that by not being honest with one another, they robbed themsleves of the support the f...more
This book is about a group of college friends that after college stay in touch by sending a journal around. Thirty years go by, and the reader sees that all of the friends have left out things about their lives, or lied altogether (some were good things, some were bad things). It was interesting to think about how much you tell your old friends.
Another job well done by Penelope Stokes on this book. What a great book about the friendships of girls and how solid they really can be. Even when there are differences, hurt feelings and jealousy. Another book that has just a whisper of God interwined in the storyline was just amazing. Great book for girlfriends to read and discuss.
I read this through my book club, and if I'd chosen it for myself (which I never really would have), I wouldn't have finished it. I found it trite and poorly written, and it just got worse as it progressed. My book club talked a lot about the things we disliked about this book, so it probably wasn't just me.
Four women learn (the hard way) that transparency with true friends leads to intimacy. In spite of the pain, the joys of intimate friendships are worth everything. Stokes tells the stories of 30 years of secrets in these college friends' lives; I could identify with parts of all the stories.
Sep 21, 2012
M.K.
added it
Circle of Grace begins with so much sadness, but the beautiful prose pushed me onward. Stokes certainly has a way with words; even though the theology was lacking, even wishy-washy, I enjoyed this story of friendship and the redemption that comes with honesty.
I gave it 50 pages or so, but could not handle the total web of lies told by Grace--for 30 years. I felt sorry for her but did not want to descend into her personal hell. Interesting to see how others seemed to love it. No matter---on to the next book!
Nice story of 4 girls who were thrown together in college who became best friends. 30 years pass and Grace is dying of cancer and is alone. She decides to bring all her old friends together and confess her lies over the years. Predictable but good.
Read this for book club, it was a fun read! I ended up liking all of the ladies and enjoying hearing about their lives as they grew older. I liked how the story was told in alternating points of view too. Although I wish a few things were resolved at the end that weren't, otherwise I really liked it!
This would make a good Lifetime movie; a little too predictable and sappy but it did have some redeeming moments. A story of college friends who had shared a circle letter for 30 years before meeting together for a reunion.
It was a little depressing at first because it seemed they all had terrible lives but it ended okay. It was interesting to hear what they come up with for the definition of truth. Some things to think about.
Very good book held my attention all the way thru.You feel you know the people in the story & get caught up in whats going on in their lives.A real page turner for me.
I know other people liked it, maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a predictable downer of a book. Didn't even finish it, I skimmed the last 100 pages just to wrap it up
Story of friendship and forgiveness. I group of friends are reunited years later and learn to understand and love each other all over again.
This was an inspirational novel about hope,the transformational power of friendship, and how shared love can heal.
Four girls were friends in college. Forty years later they get together. For me, this was a very good book.
Good story, but I did not appreciate the language. I thought it was a Christian novel, but the swearing was atrocious.
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Dec 22, 2008 10:48am