Circle the Soul Softly

by Davida Wills Hurwin

An elite school. Glamorous students who have fancy cars and mansions for homes (and all the haughty attitude to go with it). This is Katie O'Connor's fabulous new life since her family's recent move to Brentwood –– a perfect opportunity for a fresh start, at least in theory. The only time she can overlook the hostility of her classmates is when they share the stage for plays. Onstage, directed by her awesome drama teacher, Tess, she has the confidence and talent that she cannot seem to muster in her everyday life. And it doesn't hurt that one of Katie's fellow actors is smart and cute and interested in her. But beneath the glossy surface, there are secrets buried deep, even in Katie's own past. Nightmares and dark memories continue to plague Katie's consciousness, and in order to deal with the present, she needs to come to terms with the past. If only she could remember it.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published February 21, 2006

About the author

Davida Wills Hurwin is the author of A Time for Dancing (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults) and The Farther You Run. She teaches theater at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences and lives in Southern California with her husband, Gene, and their daughter, Frazier Malone.

Reviews

[Ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!!! Emotinally gripping and so heart felt at the same time! I'm re-reading it again :)

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I absolutely loved it! It was super sad though so if you aren't in the mood to tear up I would not recommend this book. However, it was awesome!

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is some dark backstory here plus a decidedly non-zero amount of drinking, and it flies through the first 3 months of the school year way too fast, but oh, that David is pretty darn quality as boyfriends go, especially first boyfriends. The San Francisco trip is the most magical chapter in relationship perfection I could envision. They do test my boundaries on the hookup front more than once, but outside forces keep them nicely in line, so I'm not even mad. Katie is mostly just a darling innocent and the pair of them make me clasp my hands together over my heart. Bonus: Awesome Drama Teacher Tess.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.2

[Shaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed up until 1:30 reading Circle the Soul Softly. I started it at like 4 in the afternoon. I adored it. When I picked it up at the library I was sort of drawn to it. On the inside cover there is a circular design that resembles a mandala and I like the wording of the title. Even thought the book is pink and the jacket cover talks about a girl going to a rich kid school I still brought it home. The book is written with her thoughts included. The plot seems to be made to fit what her Mind needs to do instead of the other way around. I'm not sure how much I can tell without revealing too much. I'm not sure it's actually a "good" book. I liked reading through her thoughts. Yay someone else has Mind dialogue! The book did skip around a little. The format was about her mind so some parts were just listed and some were gone into detail. It felt like reading someone's journal and their thoughts at once. I skimmed the book this morning knowing what the outcome would be.

Lines I really liked from Circle the Soul Softly by Davida Wills Hurwin:
"This Being Present thing sucks. I hurt people. I hurt myself. I spit out little barbs I don't even know I feel."

"My 'truths' have shifted. There's no final answer, no absolute right or wrong. There is an order that works-- a relationship between souls that allows them to grow. But no one truth. Each soul seeks its own. I have to search for mine and the way it fits into my life now."

"That's the purpose of pain.
Each time the crying stops, another fragment of anger and hurt is sliced off the gigantic mass of ugly feelings I've collected and hidden all these years. It floats out and away and in that instant I sense what it will be like whne I fit into my self-- like I did when I was five."

"My soul shifts, and I circle it softly
I try to stay here, in this moment. I try to breathe. And listen. And just be... my self. It's really all anyone has to do. It's very simple.
Oh wait..."

And that is how the book ends (the last quote).

Circle the Soul Softly has one theme in common with The Last Safe Place on Earth (which I read before this). Both families move to escape problems in school and with teenagers. But really the problems exist where they move just in different forms.

I'm eager to read her next book.

[Hannah Tworek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not recommend this book to a younger audience because some parts are a bit more mature and the concept might be hard to grasp. "Circle the Soul Softly" is about a girl Katie who just moved into a fancy new school and immediately starts screwing things up. Although with the help of her getting the lead in the school play, she meets David who ends up being her boyfriend. She is constantly fighting with her head and these nightmares she keeps having of this monster. I loved the idea of the book but not so much how it was written.

I really liked the part when David talks about the psychic reading he got. It's all about how the soul looks for the same soul through all of its lives, soul mates, and how they might be each other's. That part was very interesting and sweet. I did not like how this book was written. It seemed to be very choppy to me and it went one thing after the other, very quickly. Some parts I wish the author would elaborate more.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katie mess up her first steps in the new school when she was congratulated for getting a leading part in the school play. She had took the part that popular girl, Stacie, wanted, and now she end up on Stacie's bad side. Thankfully, Katie meets David and his sweet talks brough them together. Later on, Katie finds Stacie's diary and found out the sadness that was revolving around Stacie's life. At the same time, katie realized she had forgotten a part of her past life and it had something to do with her dead father.

The deepest moment of this book to me was when Katie woke up in the middle of the night and, suddenly she sees a man standing on the corner of her room. She didn't know it was an illusion and it scared her. I was scared too.

[Wicked ♥ (Wickedly Bookish Reviews) aka Bat-Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was one of the first to read this book for Harper Collins as a test reader. I enjoyed the story very much, but was surprised by the deeply disturbing situation the main character finds herself in right away. I wasn't forewarned this was such a heavy piece and was caught off guard which is probably why this book gets only 3 stars. Definitely not for young readers I would suggest 16+ due to the disturbing themes. The subject matter of a girl remembering her dad sexually abusing her as a young child is not to be taken lightly and could leave a bad taste in the mouths of some readers.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I loved A Time for Dancing and I recommend it to students frequently. I wanted to see if this one was as good... and it wasn't. I thought it tried too hard to fit in with the new glamorous, rich-kid genre when it really wasn't necessary. Once the plot finally got moving, I was pretty hooked, but as a whole, it was so-so. I can see students putting it down before it gets to the good part.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the subject matter, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I found myself getting irritated with them at time. The writing was okay, but I felt like it could have been a little stronger. I'll probably try another one of her books to see if I like it a little better. Others have really liked this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea unfortunately.

[Hatsune Miku · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sad book. It was very interesting though. I love the part where the mother gets married to Richard. The saddest part though was when Kate found out about what her dad did. If you like books about teenage girls facing issues due to teenage-hood, or bad memories you should read this!!!

[Christine Emme · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl deals with repressed childhood memories of abuse. Kate stars in school play, gets first boyfriend. Relationship threatened with past memories. It might be good for teens who have dealt with those issues. Otherwise it is a bit sad and glamorizes teen partying and sex.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING STORY!!! Katie's story touched me so much that I was close to tears. An all time favorite in my book :)

[Angela Sellers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I toved this book because I remember going through what this girl went through.

[Israa Ismail · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an amazing book. i recommend it to everyone who likes romance/teen.
it is a very interesting book.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, I worked with Davida freelance a bit on this one, which she had written before the sequel to A TIME FOR DANCING. A difficult, difficult book, both to read and to edit...

[Jacquelynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have read this book 6 times and loved more and more each time

[Darsha18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a teenager having PTSD og her childhood abuse...A sleek, Well - written, You can't leave the book until you finish it. Good work.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. I enjoyed it but didn't love it. I didn't really connect with Kate, not sure why.....in saying that I read it in 24hrs so it must of held me a bit.

[Jean Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because of the writing style this should barely be a two-stars rating, but since the story and its themes are extremely beautiful, yet sad, I gave it three. This could've been much better.

[Kerdeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!