Going in Circles

by Pamela Ribon

Charlotte Goodman has had enough surprises.

In fact, she reached her life’s quotient when her husband of five months walked out on her, only to abruptly change his mind a few weeks later and move back in. Stung by a whiplash of grief, resentment, and confusion, Charlotte calls a time-out, taking a small apartment where she can figure out what she wants. Instead, the thought of making even the simplest choices triggers an anxiety attack. In order to get out of bed in the morning, she must concoct a to-do list for each day, The Plan, one with absolutely no surprises.


“Without The Plan, horrible things can happen. I’m likely to end up sitting on a curb beside a taco truck on Sunset Boulevard, crying over a carne asada burrito, wondering where my marriage went. I can’t handle being the Weeping Burrito Girl.”

Charlotte knows all this self-absorbed introspection isn’t good for her, but she’s running out of people to turn to, as seemingly everyone in her life is pressuring her to make an immediate decision about her future. Then her new friend Francesca—an impulsive, smartass co-worker—offers Charlotte salvation in the unlikeliest of the fast-paced, super-tough, bump-and-bruise-filled world of roller derby.

Sure, it’s dangerous. Yeah, she could get hurt. But what’s a little physical pain when healing your soul is at stake? The question whether she’s on or off the track, will Charlotte be strong enough to stand on her own two feet?

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Roller Derby, Book Club, Humor, Adult Fiction, Contemporary

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Pamela Ribon is a screenwriter (Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Bears), performer, TV writer, comic book writer, best-selling novelist, and a Film Independent Directing Lab Fellow.

She is currently adapting her original comic book series SLAM! — co-created with Veronica Fish — as an animated half-hour with Rooster Teeth and Minnow Mountain for HBO Max. She is attached to direct (with Paul Franklin) her live-action feature adaptation of her critically-acclaimed graphic novel My Boyfriend is a Bear (co-created with Cat Farris). She is also adapting her comedic memoir NOTES TO BOYS (AND OTHER THINGS I SHOULDN’T SHARE IN PUBLIC) as an animated series for FX’s CAKE.

Pamela was a flagship contributor to Television Without Pity, and is known as a pioneer in the blogging world with pamie.com, where she launched such viral essays as “How I Might Have Just Become the Newest Urban Legend” and “Barbie Fucks it Up Again,” the latter of which led to #FeministHackerBarbie, a revamp of Mattel’s products and marketing for Barbie, and the creation of Game Developer Barbie as “Career of the Year.” Pamela’s stage work has been showcased at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival and she created the accidental international scandal known as Call Us Crazy: The Anne Heche Monologues.

A former Austinite with a BFA in Acting from the University of Texas, Pamela has been entered into the Oxford English Dictionary under “muffin top.” That is not a joke. @pamelaribon | she/her

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a 2 star, middle of the road, didn't hate it, didn't love it, it was OK kinda read until the last 40 pages or so. At 40 pages from the end, I stopped reading, stared at the book, and asked it: "Are you fucking kidding?!!" It didn't answer, probably because I'd shamed it into silence, but the answer is no, it was not fucking kidding.



Lemme back up a bit and work up to my vocal incredulity. This book was selected as the November book in my real life bookclub. And so I read it. I was assured that the author is "hilarious" and "smart" and that I would "probably love this book".

Huh. Not so much.

I'm gonna talk about what led me to stare down and then yell at this book now, so if you have intentions of reading this book, or just don't want me to ruin it for you, stop reading right about.... Now.

Let the rant commence.

OK, so, we start this book with Charlotte grieving, unable to get out of bed or deal with her day without a plan. Through her memories, we see her daily morning interaction with her absent husband, Matthew - how she's a horrible morning person, how he would tease her that her right side is still sleeping and tell her left side not to wake her, etc. So cute, sweet, loving... *HURK*. Oh, 'scuse me. I just ate. Anyway, so, we add together Grief + Missing Adorable Husband, and we end up with the assumption that he's dead. Turn that in to the professor and we get a big red FAIL for faulty logic. He's not dead... he's just estranged.

And Charlotte is a fucking wreck.

Alrighty... I don't know how long they were together before they got married, but from the bits and pieces of their courtship, where Mattypoo is impossibly adorable in spite of (if not because of) his OCD, which necessitated Charlotte learning his mannerisms and body language, meaning that she is The Only One Who Gets Him, I really did not get the impression that it was very long. Maybe a year? Then they were married for 5 months, when seemingly out of the blue, Mattypoo says he's moving out. Which he does, until a month later when he changes his mind and comes back home. Which sends Charlotte into a mental crisis tailspin of worry and doubt and what-the-fuckery where she ends up masturbating on the cold bathroom floor in the middle of the night, before skeeving herself out and then scrubbing said floor at 3am.

Charlotte: OMG! My beloved husband left me! This is terrible... I'm sad.
-Later-
Charlotte: He's back! Wait. Why? Why is he back? Did he sleep with someone and now he feels guilty? Did that someone (who is, of course, blonde and beautiful, and utterly uninhibited) do things that I would never let him do, so now that oat is sowed (sown?) and he can come back? Does he love me? I love him. I don't know if he loves me. But he came back. But he left. He loves me though... he came back. But he doesn't.

(At this point, I was like "DID YOU TRY FUCKING ASKING HIM WHY HE LEFT?! *slap slap*)

Charlotte, cont'd: He loves/doesn't love me. Everything is falling apart. If I don't have him I don't exist... but he doesn't want me... or maybe he just doesn't want to be alone. Or maybe blah blah blah blah [edited for brevity]... *Complete breakdown/bathroom scene*

And that is how, after being unable to cope with her husband deciding to leave OR stay, SHE decides to leave HIM... apparently in order to save her marriage. Or... something.

'Or something' because she somehow thinks that makes sense... She makes absolutely ZERO effort to discuss anything with him, aside from inviting him to her family functions, because she insists on pretending as though there's nothing wrong at all to her family, while at the same time acting as though the sun just fell out of the sky to her friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and casual passersby, whom she expects to behave the same way.

She could make a silent indy film called THE PERPETUAL DARKNESS OF A MATTHEWLESS WORLD. In miniature. Cannes would love it. (Remember the miniature part. This will be important later.)

Seriously, her behavior at this point in the story (pre-incredulosity, remember) is so out of proportion to the situation that I was hoping something really awful would happen to her just for some perspective. (It didn't.)

So anyway, then she makes a new friend, who introduces her to roller derby, which performs the oh-so-painful-but-necessary role of distracting her from her miserable, fucked up life, while at the same time teaching her confidence, and, umm confidence, and... conf-Zzzzzzzz...



But not really. Because she's still clinically UN-FUCKING-ABLE to make a goddamn decision about what she wants to do with her life. Or even cope with being a human. There was the part where a male friend is going through a mini-crisis of his own, and she hugs him, during which he kisses her on the cheek/corner of her mouth, and she freaks the hell out. Going into a panic attack/crying fit because a "man has touched her" and she can't cope with that. As if she'd been raped or assaulted or something, rather than just having her husband leave her and then come back. How traumatizing!!

Have I mentioned she's 30? She's MY AGE. And I am a Libra, and as such, I am technically allowed to be indecisive. But for shit's sake, I don't think that a break up with a boy EVER incapacitated me to this level of stagnation... not even when I was in full on BOYS ARE THE UNIVERSE mode at 15. I don't even think that I'd get that way now if The Boy and I were to split, and we've been together 24 times the length of Charlotte's pathetic ass Kardashian marriage.

But I digress.

Friend > roller derby > other shit which is too pointless to mention > leads to a Much Needed Girls' Getaway Vacation. (Brace yourself, the incredularity is coming soon.)

During the MNGGV, Friend asks Charlotte, "What did he do to you?" And this is where Charlotte breaks her long silence and tells Friend what led to Mattypoo leaving in the first place. (Ready?)

She is a miniature artist. By which I mean to say that she makes small things and displays them as art. Shortly after the wedding, she did a show, wherein a gallery owner got all flirty with Charlotte and Mattypoo got jealous. Mattypoo's not real good with his words (despite being a LAWYER!!) and so he tells her to keep him out of that aspect of her life... Until one day he gets drunk, comes home, they argue... and he breaks her miniatures.
And I quote:

"He opened the door and threw the scraps of my work out onto the porch.
I fell to the ground, empty, like I'd been tossed out, too.
Right there.
Right there was where my life stopped.
Where my marriage broke."

And then this...

"'He left two weeks later. I think he couldn't handle what he'd done.'
'Or what he was told he did. If he really doesn't remember, that has to be a little scary, huh?'
[...]'I know. And maybe now he thinks I'm a reminder of the worst that he's capable of.'
[...]'But what if you haven't seen the worst he's capable of?'
The question causes me to rub my chest, trying to get through to the ache inside. 'Frannie,' I say, my voice breaking. 'Why do you think I moved out?'"

I just... I can't.

He didn't hit her. He didn't call her a whore for allowing Gallery Guy to flirt with her. He didn't threaten her. They argued, and he broke the miniature art piece that she had been working on. Which ruined their marriage and sent Charlotte into an 18 month long depression.

Oh yes, you heard right. 18 months. The depression was longer than their marriage, and possibly longer than their entire relationship. Over a broken miniature art piece that they couldn't find it within themselves to work past.



Aside from the utter fucking ridiculous catalyst for the entire story, I didn't find anything particularly funny, though it was definitely trying, and I didn't like the writing all that much either. Things just randomly happen, huge time jumps occur and suddenly it's 1, or 5, or 18 months later, with no feeling of change or progress at all. Charlotte's nicknames are both "clever" references to her emotional state: Char (as in burned) and Hard Broken/Broke-Broke/Broken. And of course by the end, after all her Roller Derby Confidence Fixes Everything, she dumps the jerkbag and scores a date with the hottie from roller derby with the crush on her that she never gave two seconds thought to previously.

I'm trying to think, and I can't come up with a single redeeming thing about this book at all. Overall, I'd describe the entire book as TSTL. It felt like it was trying too hard to be unique or quirky or something, but just felt cliched. Add in completely unlikable characters I couldn't identify with in any way, and a catalyst that's TSTFB (too stupid to fucking believe), and I want my wasted time back.

[Pamela Ribon · Rating 5 out of 5]

(You guys, I had to.)

[Cid Tyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really going to attempt to rein in my enthusiasm. Really! This is me attempting to sound like I’m not pushing a book at you.

Why?

Because it’s been just over a year since I retired from derby, that’s why.

The Setting — current day LA. For the most part the story centers around three locations; Charlotte’s apartment, work, and The Warehouse. The apartment and work are all commonplace locations and I really get a feel for where Charlotte lives with all of her F/U items. The Warehouse though, where the derby track is I really get. I felt as if I could hear the squeal of wheels on track and smell the pungent aroma of derby gear. Okay, it could also be my memories, but it took me back to those moments, standing on weird 80’s carpet and watching the pack fly by me as I decided I wanted to be there.

The Characters — felt like real people. The main character, Charlotte, is a very flawed person going through very real things and you get that. She’s not just in a horrible separation headed towards divorce, she’s a person with other issues. Her divorce isn’t the only thing wrong with her; sometimes she’s self-centered, sometimes she this or that, but she’s real. I know that I read that the book was based in some aspects off of real events, but I get what’s on paper. Matthew, Charlotte’s husband was a little less tangible but I think that was because he switched between being the man she married and this person he was becoming. However, I got his ticks, the things that Charlotte would see and work with – through Matthew you could see the depths of how much she cared and wanted to belong. Personally, that was what drew me to derby; you just belong there, and to some degree you really do marry it. I adore Paster, not only because I share part of my derby name with her, but also because I identified with being that person. I’m not a Charlotte. That’s just the truth. I’m a Francesca/Paster. Francesca is that person who hauls you out of the water and smacks life back into you. I sort of spent part of the book wishing that Andy would become something other than a friend, and part of it not wanting him too.

The Plot — is fairly straight forward, but real. Girl and boy get married, things go terribly wrong and they separate and try to figure out what to do. It picks up with Charlotte narrating her own life in 3rd person via the voice of John Goodman; I’ll admit, that was fun to imagine in my head. Along the path to discovering what she’s going to do with her life, Charlotte befriends Francesca and begins the real road to recovery. I don’t want to say too much, but I was laughing and feeling the heart-wrenching moments as I read. Heck, I scared my friend when I started laughing out loud in the middle of a chapter. You really are taken through the full gauntlet of what happens in a serious break-up. It’s not just a story about self discovery, it’s about healing, and you see the good moments and the bad. Tucked around it is the experience and support that roller derby has given Charlotte. It’s a really good view of what derby can be like. I played flat track, not banked so while some of the terminology was different – and we had no rails just crash zones – it is explained in such a way someone who knows nothing about derby can understand.

I would say that this book isn’t for the weak of heart. If you don’t like books that evoke emotions, some of which can remind you of ugly moments you don’t want to confront, those skeletons in the closet, this book might not be for you. But if you aren’t afraid to pick your own scabs or feel some empathy for the highs and lows – this is a fantastic book. Not just because there’s roller derby involved – yes, derby makes things ten billion times cooler – but because of the roller coaster ride it takes you on. There’s no fairy tale ending. But you know how it feels when a scab falls off and there’s new skin there? Sort of pink and tender – but it’s no longer bleeding – that’s sort of what this book feels like.

Now I think I need to check when the next bout is – because in flat track you call games bouts.

[tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I needed a quick, entertaining read because trying to read Virginia WOolf wtih two small children is an absolute nightmate. And by the time I get to bed and read - I simply can't focus on Woolf at all.

This proved to be a great choice. For the first half, I just wasn't sure. I groaned a bit and could probably easily do my usual pull-it-to-pieces and be a miserable bastard schtick, but fuck it, it was a really easy, enjoyable read. 2.5 stars, but I'll err on the side of 3, rather than 2. Thoguh it's not even comparable to some of the 3 stars I've rated, it's a tricy thing this rating business. Let's just say it was a 2.5 in it's category; easy-readin'/ chick-lit. Fuck off if I'm not making any sense, I'm tired and my brain is broken.

Charlotte, the protagonist is going through a marriage break-up and after a "goth" girl (whose "bangs" were mentioned tirelessly in the first few chapters) befriends her, she ends up taking up roller derby. I'm a sucker for roller derby and initially ordered this book because I was hoping that it would encourage me to snap out of this bullshit quarter life crisis I've got happening, and get my arse skating. Well, it didn't quite manage to do that, though I've gotten my derby skates out and have stroked them longingly. Unlike Charlotte, I'm going to be relying heavily on my therapist to help me sort my shit out, because I'm incapable of doing it myself.

So, the book. I identified with a lot of it, Charlotte is a believably real character. Likeable because she's flawed and human. The book was totally chick-lit light-reading but it had a strong rah-rah believe-in-yourself, women-kick-arse theme, rather than having tangled love stories and muscled chests that I usually associate with chick lit. Uhm, what else. Fuck, it's almost midnight and I've spent the better part of today reading the entire thing so forgive me for the shitty review.

A few irritating things - the "John Goodman" third person p.o.v suckkked and was totally unnecessary. The breakdown-crisis was rather insipid and not as fleshed out as I would have liked (I love me a good nervous breakdown). There was a really loose, unnecessary page or two where she wigged out on Lexapro, some unnecessary trips to a psychiatrist. Charlotte's penchant for making miniature dioramas threw me a little, it didn't really seem to fit quite right somehow. There were just tiny things that really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things - I didn't put the book down the entire day and I never once felt like throwing it at the wall, which is a good test to pass with me.

But gah, for an entertaining quick read, I shouldn't be expecting it to be a masterpiece anyway. It's certainly an odd one to read whilst in the middle of "To The Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf. I'd definitely recommend this book though for a beach read, or a lazy Sunday read - it has roller derby (which were my favourite parts), the story moves along nicely, the characters are interesting and the writing is good, and quite funny at times. I'll leave you with my favourite quote where Charlotte's derby wife Francesca is insisting that Charlotte shouldn't hesitate about knocking one of the derby girls onto her arse, even though she's a mother of four.

"Her baby=popping vagina's not the only thing that's mighty. That girl can hip-check you right onto your face."

Vaginas rock. Women rock. Roller derby rocks. Someone be my Francesca and force me to strap my skates on and kick some arse.

[Jennifer Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's the thing: I have a secret fascination with Roller Derby. I am the whitest/most girly girl ever, but I harbour a desire to strap on Roller skates and "hit a bitch". (Bitch meant in the most endearing way possible.)

I have long been a fan of Ms. Ribon's website and so of course I anxiously waited for this book to arrive at my door. It didn't disappoint, I quite enjoyed this read. It's light reading for certain- but it's also fun. I actually understand the concept of Roller Derby now and what the purpose is of all that hitting. :-) I felt that the author was "real" in her writing, she's honest about feelings and emotions and it's easy to relate to Charlotte Goodman who is far from perfect. The writer tackles some challenging issues, she's able to both make you feel the hurt of her character but also laugh along with her too.

This is the kind of book you read when you're looking for an escape. I read it in 2 days, to and from Las Vegas- and it managed to entertain me enough to not watch the in-flight entertainment!

[Kim Rader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It made me smile. It made me laugh (out loud). It made me want to get up and kick ass. Yeah, it's chick lit, but don't hold that against me. This is worth reading.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one hand I got what I searched for, a lighter read with some humor in it but in the other I was a bit underwhelmed. Didn't particular like the characters and found the plot to be very over used and it didn't bring anything new to the table. But I might try out other books by this author. I'm not sure yet.

[Kayla Cagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a slow reader, and I read this novel in a week. I like "chick-lit" and I like roller derby, so I was pretty sure this book was going to be a win-win for me. And though I don't love the term "chick-lit", I do accept it as a genre. (I personally prefer to just call it fiction, but whatever.)

My quick reading this week is credited to the insightful and hilarious author, Pamela Ribon. Ribon not only charges her protagonist Charlotte Goodman with an empathetic, heartbreaking struggle but a strong sense of humor to help guide her through it. Charlotte is freshly married, and is surprisingly, about to experience her first separation within the same year. When gothy Francesca, an office acquaintance, not even a friend really, decides to intervene and help Charlotte survive her wounded heart, she opens up a whole new world to her. From there, the readers hang on tight with Charlotte as she navigates the tough worlds of family, friend, and former relationships and...roller derby. I won't tell you more about the derby parts because I want you to be as delighted by them as I was reading them for the first time. Put it this way...the action is really fun!

I really enjoyed this book and felt like I was friends, or wanted to be friends, with Charlotte. I cared about her and I was eager to pick up the book and check up on her. Funny, but true.

There is an honesty to her character that made her different from other heroines - she was built honestly enough to admit that she couldn't survive her sadness alone, and depended deeply on her new and budding friendship with Frankie. The only real issue I had with the book was when a couple of characters turn on Charlotte kind of all at once, saying she has been selfish for dealing with her issues so much. I always felt like Charlotte was there for them, and never really saw her ignoring or neglecting them, even if she was outside of the written chapters, if that makes sense.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a good sense of humor and/or likes "chick-lit" (ahem), roller derby, and/or is getting over a relationship. I couldn't help but thinking of a few close friends as I read this book, and I bet you will, too.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently won a signed copy of Going in Circles. It arrived Monday afternoon, as I lay on the couch in misery, trying desperately to sleep off a migraine. The mailman knocked on my door to indicate that he was leaving a package, and when I picked the plastic bag off the hallway floor (the box had ripped in shipping) my pain was temporarily forgotten in delight. As I regained my position on the couch I fretted to myself: I'm in the middle of a Le Fanu collection, should I really start another book? I'm not good at reading more than one book at a time unless school is involved. After about 5 minutes of agonizing, I picked up Pamie's book, flipped to the title page (inscribed "Yay! Hope you like it! Keep kicking ass!") and settled in to read.

Then all of a sudden it was 8pm, and I had to reluctantly put it down to watch Chuck. (Yes, I have weird priorities.) As soon as I finished my Monday night TV, I climbed into bed, novel in hand. I just wanted to finish the chapter I had been in the middle of when Chuck came on, that's no problem right? Five chapters later, I put the book down and turned off the light, falling asleep with thoughts of relationships and roller derby skating around in my head.

Tuesday I took the book to work with me, and read it on my 15 minute break and during lunch. I had a noble plan for when I got home: do the dishes, make dinner, put away the laundry. Instead I sat on the couch, ignored my friends looking to chat, and read through to the last page. As I've gotten older, I've gotten better about being responsible with my reading time, making sure I dictate when that is rather than letting the book do it, but with Going in Circles I just could not control myself. Its funny and bittersweet and totally kick ass. You should read it.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my Goodreads review: Pamela Ribon has created a perfectly believable character and scenario in Going in Circles. Charlotte is imperfect but admirable and I enjoyed watching her grow and change throught the book, and to see that Charlotte was in control of her destiny, even when it was oblivious to Charlotte herself. It also envoked some symbolism; taking the "round and round" of life and knocking it flat on it's ass when you need to. Going in Circles has all the things I love in a quick read, a little humor, a little self deprecation, funny bit players with dramas of their own...it's just fantastic from beginning to very satisfying end.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would seem that I am the main character in this book. It's about a woman whose husband leaves her, and she heals by joining roller derby. Some of it hit pretty close to home. This book is actually extremely funny, and pretty good for chick lit.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will find other books by this writer bc she has a great sense of humor. She is impressively funny.

[Bookaholics · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going in Circles by Pamela Ribon
Contemporary Romance- April 20, 2010
3 stars

Going in Circles reads like chick lit/woman’s fiction novel.

Charlotte Goodman is at a job she tolerates, has friends hidden in woodwork, and endures an absentee husband named Mathew. It’s no wonder she’s confused and depressed.

Charlotte hoped that by moving into her own apartment, she would finally find a positive perspective in a floundering marriage. But the exact opposite occurs as she finds herself even more confused and apologizing for everything. Without the ambition to even crawl out of bed she decides to see a doctor and is diagnosed with TMJ from all the stress. Nothing she does seem to make a dent in her life. Nor does her husband seem to want to reconcile because he does not respond to her emails or return her messages. At a birthday party for her friend and boss, Charlotte finally escapes to be alone. She is torn about whether she should return to Mathew. But things begin to brighten as Francesca, otherwise known as 'Goth girl' becomes her friend. Francesca decides it is her mission to pull Charlotte from her miserable rut. Together they face hits and misses similar to a roller derby and they come out with bruises and broken bones. (I believe this was the author's metaphor for life.)

Going in Circles was written well. I think magical and powerful exemplify this book. I enjoyed reading Charlotte’s journey from deep depression. However, Charlotte’s constant whining did become taxing. I also found this book somewhat jarring to read. This was because it was written in first person and present tense, but then flips to her character writing about herself in the third person.

This book was very realistic and I found myself become invested in Charlotte’s life. I liked its positive message.

Reviewed by Jackie from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're not reading Pamela Ribon's blog, Pamie.com, go add it to your feed reader right now. I'll wait. Really, it's funny and well worth it, GO!

All set? OK.

Going in Circles is a novel about a woman going through a difficult separation from her new husband. Sounds kind of bleak, right? It is a bit at first, but her coping mechanisms add humor and her sadness appropriately sets the stakes for the story.

Rest assured that the humor increases the further into the book you read and the tone becomes lighter.

Also, there's roller derby! Whip It is a fun movie, but it doesn't give you a real feel for what's it's like to learn and play roller derby. Ribon's book does, as it should since she plays the sport. I was fascinated by all the skills and strategies the rookie skaters, or Fresh Meat in derby parlance, have to learn.

I'm not sure if all editions of the book have it, but the one I read (a "pocket readers guide") has a roller derby glossary in the back as well as an interview with the author, both of which I thought were cool.

If you're reading this, Pamela Ribon, thank you for the acknowledgment! I am one of those good people you mentioned and am pleased to be in such good company.

Everyone else, go read Going in Circles! If you're on the fence, read her blog for a bit to tip the scale.

[Janeene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to read this, as I loved the author's first book Why Girls are Weird and liked her second one Why Mom's are Weird. Both had a humor that I enjoy and were fun, quick reads. I knew from reading about this book that it wouldn't be the same, but knew I wanted to read it. I really liked Going in Circles - much more than I expected. I didn't think I would like the roller derby theme, but it really added to what the main character was going through and how she used it to move on. I thought Ribon did a great job of character development.

Having gone through a divorce a few years ago, I felt that Ribon captured some of the exact feelings I went through - in fact, at times, I felt transported back and felt like I was going through it again with the main character - could feel her confusion, her pain, her reluctance to make a decision.

I loved this paragraph from the book and it rings true for me
"I wonder what you'd find if you compiled all the words said between a couple at the beginning of their relationship and compared them to all the words said when they at the end. I'm pretty sure that the harder a relationship gets, the shorter the words become. I don't know if we're too afraid to articulate and become vulnerable, or just too exhausted to do much more than grunt and nod."

[Jennifer Barbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great addition to the roller derby canon. Ribon's book ought to find a lot of sympathetic readers in both women who endeavor to give the sport a try for themselves, and women who just appreciate the therapeutic healing power of a good hobby. Charlotte, the protagonist, is in a rut, and needs something to shake her loose. What better way to do that than to physically jar yourself through the hits and... even harder hits of roller derby? Though the details may differ slightly, I'd say that very scenario describes many of the reasons we real life derby girls put on our first pair of skates and kneepads and hit the track. Definite points for authenticity!

[Teri]

Pamela Ribon was on a 2010 LA Times Festival of Books panel, Fiction Forging Ahead. I find the idea of the book intriguing, although as I flipped through(after I bought it) I was a little skeptical. I hope I get something from it. She got the idea for this story from her own experience. It is about a woman who goes through a break up of a marriage and gets involved in roller derby.

She signed my copy. She also took one look at me and said I looked 13 months pregnant. Good thing I am pregnant:)

[Helen Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was the best of Pamie's three novels. I thought the story of Charlotte's marriage was interesting and found her friendship and newfound love of roller derby really enjoyable. I think part of why I enjoyed it was because I could picture Pamie doing these things because I know the roller derby experiences were probably torn from her real life. I wonder how somebody who wasn't as familiar with her life/work would have appreciated those sections? This was a very quick read, and overall I give it thumbs up.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming, funny, and bittersweet story about readjusting her path after the break-up of a relationship that she thought would define her life forever. A newfound friendship with a female coworker helps bring her back to a place where she can be happy again. I mention that it's a female coworker because this is a novel about happiness and independence and not sexual tension. I really enjoyed it.

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've really liked all of Pam's books, but this was my favorite. Funny, honest, moving. Loved the backdrop of Roller Derby, and felt like I really understood the sport, just from reading the rules (as opposed to Whip It, where I was still confused). And Charlotte's personal story and struggle is moving and heartbreaking.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was probably more 3.5 stars for me. I expected it to be typical my-marriage-broke-apart chick-lit, but I was pleasantly surprised by Going in Circles. Plus, how could you not like a book that teaches you about roller derby? I'll never have the coordination to be able to play, but this book kind of made me want to.

[lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

so many books about friendship issues have fallen into my lap recently. I GET IT, UNIVERSE.

ANYWAY! this book made me so sad for the first half or so. parts of the second half felt a little rushed, but pamie's writing was fun and funny and charming nonetheless, as always.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

www.pamie.com
Her books are always insightful and funny.
This one has a huge focus on roller derby, which is awesome!
read it read it read it.

then read Why Girls Are Weird and Why Moms Are Weird.
because we are, and they are.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by roller derby. If I had an ounce of coordination and was 20 years younger I would be tempted but it was alot easier to live vicariously through Charlotte. Good read with a bit more depth than I originally thought I'd find.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book. I'm very partial to Pamela Ribon, and will read anything she writes, but I truly enjoyed this book. I cared about the characters, and it actually inspired me to learn more about roller derby. Highly recommend!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book just when I needed too. I used to do derby and am separated from my husband right now. As soon as I started reading, I quickly looked around to see if someone was spying on me because I felt like someone was writing my life, my thoughts and my feelings. Loved.

[Marci Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun easy read. Read the whole thing in two days. Several laugh out loud moments. Definitely recommend to the ladies in my life who need a break from books that "mean" too much.

[Lauriej · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Warning this book has some language in it*
I loved it anyway.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and unique novel about friendship, marriage, and roller derby. Quirky and sad and funny.

[Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a perfect picture of the camaraderie and friendship gained through the amazing sport of roller derby!