Oscar Wilde once said “the true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” But what is what you see goes against everything you know to be true, and has you casting doubt on everything you’ve ever known, questioning the culmination of years of experiences that have led you to where you are today.  This notion merely begins to scratch the surface of what faces Sara Rebstock when she sees a man that resembles here missing and declared dead husband. Could it be her imagination? His doppelganger? Or could it really be…

Nancy Gettleman sets the reader out on a mysterious trip back in time with Sara, and she begins to question and re-think everything that has happened in past years leading up to her husband’s disappearance. The book had my attention from beginning to end, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey with Sara to uncover the truth of what happened to her husband. Full Circle is extremely well written and descriptive, and serves to really transport the reader to another place while reading.

I would absolutely recommend Full Circle to anyone looking to get lost in a great book that has it all – mystery, adventure, romance and wit. I will definitely be looking out for Gettleman’s next work!

Reviewed on 06/25/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Adela Ghadimi

Reviewed on 01/26/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Danielle Galvin

Imagine years of thinking your husband missing, declared dead. Until one night, on your way home, you  see a man, a man you would swaer blind is said deceased husband and a conversation with your daughter reveals that she, too, has seen this doppleganger.

Reviewed on 10/23/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Tina Evans

Full Circle by Nancy Gettelman

If I were to consider this book as a person, I would have to say it was warm and comfortable, like enjoying a friend's company.  But first, the reader learns that life for the characters hasn't always been that way.

Sara, the main character, has just caught a glimpse while driving home of someone she thinks could be her long-missing and presumed dead husband.  Her daughter on the same day, coming from grocery shopping is sure she has seen her father. Sara has never gone into details with Emma about what happened before his disappearance. The first few chapters are the memories of Sara as she reminisces about the past. Her life in Milwaukee, her childhood, her part in the family brewery, and her failing marriage.

Fast forward: With a rocky and unhappy background set at the beginning of the book, the story moves on as the reader is taken into the workings of the brewery owned by generations of Sara's family, and her life as a middle-aged businesswoman. Her daughter grown, a lawyer, and married, Sara has settled into the daily life of president of the family business. Although this is a city brewery, the camaraderie throughout of the employees and board is much like a small family-run atmosphere, but as often appears in every group, with the traditional prickly thorn. This particular prickly thorn is a family member, and also on the board.

Nancy Gettelman obviously is very knowledgeable about breweries, the descriptions so vivid I could almost hear the bottles rattling! I love books that are entertaining but where I can also learn something new.

But time works its way into the building and equipment rendering them gradually no longer viable, and after the long haul, Sara and her Uncle Vincent have concluded they must sell the brewery they can no longer afford to maintain.  Into Sara's life comes a reason to be happy again and perhaps find new life along with the changes that are about to happen to the brewery.  Changes that are more than satisfactory to all but the thornydissenter, who opts out by selling his shares and retiring to Northern Wisconsin.

I love the way the reader is privy to the thoughts in Sara's mind, often at odds with what her words are saying. Particularly once she meets Robb Schneider, who has made a very good offer on the brewery, and still wishes to have the family involved. Only now does Sara appear to wake from the nightmare of her unresolved marriage and what has happened to Kyle, her former husband. Like moving into a new dream, she suddenly finds herself lacking confidence in her personal life, shy and afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing or sending the wrong message.

With encouragement from family friends and relatives, including her daughter Emma, she feels a great load has lifted and happiness can be hers. With an unexpected resolution, an announcement from Emma, an answer to the glimpses of Kyle, and new beginnings for Sara, she looks forward to a brighter future as she is finally able to put the past behind her.

The book is well-written with fully-fledged characters, a strong, balanced plot, and a consistent storyline. It flows very well regardless of jumping about 20 years ahead partway through the book; in a way it flows better because of this and the way it was handled. It's so refreshing to read a book of this type with the main character middle-aged, strong yet vulnerable, and with an exciting future ahead of her.  Full Circle gets the story right, well done Nancy Gettelman!

Reviewed on 06/15/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Betty Gelean

Full Circle starts with Sara Rebstock seeing a man who looks a lot like her missing, and declared dead, husband. She later finds out that her daughter also saw the same man on the same day. The question of who this man is stays unanswered while the author, Nancy Gettelman, takes us back to the time before Kyle Rebstock disappeared. We learn that Sara is part owner of a brewery that has been in her family for generations and, in an effort to keep her husband happy, she makes him president. Events continue to unfold and we learn that Kyle has some sort of secret. When Sara discovers this secret and confronts him with it, Kyle runs out of the house and is never seen again. After 7 years he is declared legally dead and Sara tries to move on with her life now that her daughter, Emma, is grown and married. Romance also enters her life in the form of Robb, who is interested in buying the brewery and eventually, as Sara’s life seems to finally be moving forward, the mystery of Kyle’s disappearance and the identity of the man she saw is revealed.

I liked this book but there were a couple of things that kept me from loving it. First, the dialogue was a bit too proper. No one talks like these characters do and it just seemed a bit absurd in some exchanges. There was one instance where Sara was giving boy advice to her teenage daughter that caused me to laugh out loud because the advice seemed so old fashioned, “But you must be sure to look and act your best when you see him next time.  Don’t show your dejection. That way, there’s a better chance of having the comparison in your favor.” Maybe it’s just me but I don’t know anyone who talks that way.

Second, I felt the ending was rushed. The author spends most of the book working up to this big reveal and then it’s over in 2 pages. Not only that but it just ends after the truth is discovered. There are some other loose ends I would have liked to have seen tied up, perhaps in an epilogue. I little peak into the future would have been nice and offered complete closure to the reader.

Despite the drawbacks I still feel the book is a worthy read. It gives an interesting take on the beer brewing business and the author does a fairly good job of fleshing out the characters and the pain they are going through. The chapters are short so the book can be put down easily if you only have a few minutes available to read and the plot never gets so heavy that you feel depressed after reading. And, while I didn’t care for the abrupt ending, it did answer the main questions that came up throughout the book in a way that made sense and fit in with the story. 

Reviewed on 07/18/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member April Hanson