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Calling The Circle
Calling the Circle, set in 1914, is the prequel to Cobham’s first book , Hungry Mother Creek.
Vivian Gibbs is going through the motions of her life as a teacher, mother to Goldie, and wife to Bubba, who hasn’t been the same since his brother drowned in the 1913 hurricane. Everything changes for Vivi when the James Adams Floating Theater comes to town and Adelaide Thornberry, a singer on the boat, decides to stay in Oriental. She and Vivi become friends, and Adelaide, who’s from Boston, introduces Vivi to women’s suffrage and civil rights, and broadens Vivi’s definition of love.
Shortly after meeting Adelaide, Chapawee, a Native American who lives on Hungry Mother Creek, invites Vivi and her mother to join her women’s circle. Vivi is intrigued by the opportunity to find wisdom by speaking her truth and connecting to other women, and immediately accepts the invitation.
Chapawee is called to teach the tradition of the women’s circle before she dies. She also desires peace and simplicity in her elder years, but this is shattered when an influential townswoman targets her because of the remedy she’s been quietly selling to local women. Suddenly Chapawee’s freedom and home are threatened.
Can Chapawee and her circle survive the unfair treatment and harassment?
How will Vivi balance her marriage and teaching, with suffrage work and her relationship with Adelaide? Her marriage gives her roots. Adelaide gives her wings. Who will she choose?
Vivian Gibbs is going through the motions of her life as a teacher, mother to Goldie, and wife to Bubba, who hasn’t been the same since his brother drowned in the 1913 hurricane. Everything changes for Vivi when the James Adams Floating Theater comes to town and Adelaide Thornberry, a singer on the boat, decides to stay in Oriental. She and Vivi become friends, and Adelaide, who’s from Boston, introduces Vivi to women’s suffrage and civil rights, and broadens Vivi’s definition of love.
Shortly after meeting Adelaide, Chapawee, a Native American who lives on Hungry Mother Creek, invites Vivi and her mother to join her women’s circle. Vivi is intrigued by the opportunity to find wisdom by speaking her truth and connecting to other women, and immediately accepts the invitation.
Chapawee is called to teach the tradition of the women’s circle before she dies. She also desires peace and simplicity in her elder years, but this is shattered when an influential townswoman targets her because of the remedy she’s been quietly selling to local women. Suddenly Chapawee’s freedom and home are threatened.
Can Chapawee and her circle survive the unfair treatment and harassment?
How will Vivi balance her marriage and teaching, with suffrage work and her relationship with Adelaide? Her marriage gives her roots. Adelaide gives her wings. Who will she choose?
308 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2023
About the author
Heather W. Cobham
3 books27 followersI was born on Long Island, New York and moved to Clinton, North Carolina when I was five. I grew up in Clinton and consider myself a Southerner since most of my memories come from south of the Mason Dixon line. I attended Wake Forest University where I majored in health and sports science and then went on to UNC Chapel Hill to receive a Master’s in Exercise Physiology in 1991 and a Master’s in Social Work in 2003.
I’ve loved writing all my life, but until I started Hungry Mother Creek, it was limited to occasional poems, journaling and required writing for my education or job. In May of 2007, while standing by the waters of the Neuse River in Oriental, North Carolina, the inspiration for Hungry Mother Creek struck me with such force that I began jotting down ideas that day. Later that month I signed up for a weeklong writing retreat in the mountains of North Carolina. Since then, writing has been a staple in my life, and something I've created more time for because of the sense of fulfillment it brings me.
In addition to being an author, I'm a licensed clinical social worker and have my own counseling practice in New Bern North Carolina. The strength and resilience of my clients provides inspiration for the protagonists in my books. I live on the Neuse River in Oriental, North Carolina, the setting of my three novels. To keep my creative juices flowing and to maintain my own health and balance, I spend time with my husband, run, paddle board, do yoga and read.
I’ve loved writing all my life, but until I started Hungry Mother Creek, it was limited to occasional poems, journaling and required writing for my education or job. In May of 2007, while standing by the waters of the Neuse River in Oriental, North Carolina, the inspiration for Hungry Mother Creek struck me with such force that I began jotting down ideas that day. Later that month I signed up for a weeklong writing retreat in the mountains of North Carolina. Since then, writing has been a staple in my life, and something I've created more time for because of the sense of fulfillment it brings me.
In addition to being an author, I'm a licensed clinical social worker and have my own counseling practice in New Bern North Carolina. The strength and resilience of my clients provides inspiration for the protagonists in my books. I live on the Neuse River in Oriental, North Carolina, the setting of my three novels. To keep my creative juices flowing and to maintain my own health and balance, I spend time with my husband, run, paddle board, do yoga and read.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 11, 2023
This engaging novel couldn’t be more timely. Even though it is historical fiction, set in 1914-15 in eastern North Carolina, it speaks to many of the human/civil rights and inequities still facing our country today, over 100 years later. This is a moving story of awakening, growth and transformation for many of the characters (both women and men) but also the resistance to change by others. This is a prequel to the author's previous two novels, which I also read and thoroughly enjoyed (Hungry Mother Creek and The Mother Tree).
April 27, 2023
This is the third book I've read by Heather Cobham. It's been really wonderful to watch her grow into her own regarding her writing; to see her develop into a lyrical and trustworthy novelist. This book, Calling the Circle, is like her other two in that it deals with the stories of different women and how their lives intersect. But it stands apart because it is historical fiction, a sort of backstory to the first two, like a prequel.
I really loved visualizing the different women of the early 1900's, and especially women from different backgrounds: Indigenous, Black, White. Women who are well-off, poor, hardworking, intelligent, and on the cusp of something much bigger than themselves: the idea that women should be offered the same rights as men. I especially appreciate how these women are not stereotypes of the era. Instead, we get to know them personally. We get to know their fears, their desires, and their beliefs, even if they don't fall in line with the norm. And most of these women definitely do not conform to what society dictates! I had two grandmothers who broke through molds, so reading about other women who did the same is intriguing to me.
Cobham has done her homework here, showing the reader what it was like just prior to the passing of the 19th amendment. The historical details are spot on. But what's additionally interesting is learning about the cultural habits and lives of those who resided in downeast North Carolina. It was a different time, obviously, but it was also a different place than urban settings. Without dripping overzealous "southern charm" like so many other authors, Cobham offers a fictional story that reads like real life, while giving us a taste of what it was really like in the Southeast at the turn of the 20th century.
Hats off to a timeless portrayal of women, and a plot that keeps the reader interested all the way from the beautiful cover to the end of the story. An ending where all things come full circle.
I really loved visualizing the different women of the early 1900's, and especially women from different backgrounds: Indigenous, Black, White. Women who are well-off, poor, hardworking, intelligent, and on the cusp of something much bigger than themselves: the idea that women should be offered the same rights as men. I especially appreciate how these women are not stereotypes of the era. Instead, we get to know them personally. We get to know their fears, their desires, and their beliefs, even if they don't fall in line with the norm. And most of these women definitely do not conform to what society dictates! I had two grandmothers who broke through molds, so reading about other women who did the same is intriguing to me.
Cobham has done her homework here, showing the reader what it was like just prior to the passing of the 19th amendment. The historical details are spot on. But what's additionally interesting is learning about the cultural habits and lives of those who resided in downeast North Carolina. It was a different time, obviously, but it was also a different place than urban settings. Without dripping overzealous "southern charm" like so many other authors, Cobham offers a fictional story that reads like real life, while giving us a taste of what it was really like in the Southeast at the turn of the 20th century.
Hats off to a timeless portrayal of women, and a plot that keeps the reader interested all the way from the beautiful cover to the end of the story. An ending where all things come full circle.
April 13, 2023
Heather W. Cobham's third novel (and prequel to HUNGRY MOTHER CREEK), CALLING THE CIRCLE, could not have come along at a more appropriate time in American history.
Teacher Vivi Gibbs is at a crossroads between love for her family and the need to spread her wings and make a difference when performer Adelaide Thornberry comes to town by way of the Adams Floating Theatre and introduces Vivi to a part of herself she had not known existed. At about the same time, Native American Chapawee invites Vivi to join her Circle of women to share their hearts, their wisdom, and their truths.
America is also at a crossroads: It’s 1914, and suffragettes are speaking out, demanding equal rights, some of the rights women continue to demand and expect today.
Ms. Brewer has written a touching, powerful, and historically-important work in CALLING THE CIRCLE. It carries messages of inequity we must remember and simply must not repeat. Full of rich, believable characters who grow with each turn of the page, CALLING THE CIRCLE is a beautifully written gem that needs to be read by everyone who cares—or should care—about human rights, respect, dignity, and equity.
Teacher Vivi Gibbs is at a crossroads between love for her family and the need to spread her wings and make a difference when performer Adelaide Thornberry comes to town by way of the Adams Floating Theatre and introduces Vivi to a part of herself she had not known existed. At about the same time, Native American Chapawee invites Vivi to join her Circle of women to share their hearts, their wisdom, and their truths.
America is also at a crossroads: It’s 1914, and suffragettes are speaking out, demanding equal rights, some of the rights women continue to demand and expect today.
Ms. Brewer has written a touching, powerful, and historically-important work in CALLING THE CIRCLE. It carries messages of inequity we must remember and simply must not repeat. Full of rich, believable characters who grow with each turn of the page, CALLING THE CIRCLE is a beautifully written gem that needs to be read by everyone who cares—or should care—about human rights, respect, dignity, and equity.
October 23, 2023
Maybe 3.5 stars. A lovely new word for me: liminal. I enjoyed learning of its origins and definitions. So many important topics are mentioned in this novel. Suffrage and Queen Anne’s Lace and Native Americans. Many relate to white privilege and being naive about it. For example, the idea that some people are indifferent—not contributing to evil but not fighting it either. But there are more positive themes including appreciation of others choice of lifestyle. Or is a individual reaction when another person speaks a wisdom or truth because they don’t understand. Vivi is pretty clueless but she starts to change and think — Sadie’s frustrations help. And what is the Circle? (in the title). It’s a place to speak truthfully, set intentions, and find solutions.
June 24, 2023
This novel was very moving for me as the struggles of women and poc still continue. We have made steps forward and also backwards in our attempts to be equal in this nation. I loved all the female characters and their bonds with each other. Still I feel sad and empowered by the strength of each woman in the book and by the woman I know now. It was so nice to have it set in our town of Oriental and the familiar places. Thank you Heather for bringing our struggles and victories into this rich novel.
May 29, 2023
Thank you to the author for once again creating characters who are interesting and engaging. I enjoyed my time with all of the women painted in these pages. I wish that the issues raised in the book were more firmly settled than they are. Sad that we can still hear the echoes of the controversial topics of 1914 Oriental in our world today (certainly here in NC). I appreciate that Ms. Cobham took them on.
July 6, 2023
Calling the Circle is a book that touched my heart and engaged my mind. Cobham creates likable characters who draw you into the story. The plot then unfolds with the beauty and drama of a coastal sunrise. The novel addresses poignant issues of the early 1900’s that are still relevant today. It is a joy to witness the magic that can happen as women join together in a circle to speak their truth and find their strength.
February 5, 2024
We are proud to announce that CALLING THE CIRCLE by Heather W. Cobham has been honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
May 31, 2023
Story draws you in to make new friends. I could not put it down and missed the characters after finishing the book.
October 12, 2023
Heather has a way of bringing the reader to the time period of the novel and the town of Oriental. This book did not disappoint and I could not put it down
July 25, 2023
Calling the Circle is a captivating novel featuring well-developed female characters whose diverse stories intertwine to remind readers of the power of relationships between women. As these women reveal their inner truths, they cultivate the power to face the injustices of their time - issues that remain relevant today - and to create positive change in their lives and in their community. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction novels with strong female characters and themes of transformation and social justice.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews