
A Circle Outside
a subversive comedy of manners set in a commune of lesbian witches in Eighties California
by Linda Rosewood
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Pub Date Feb 05 2026 | Archive Date Jul 31 2025
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Description
It’s the early 1980s, and a household of lesbian feminists establish a women-only commune in an ancient Californian redwood forest. It seems a perfect place to practice the ritual magic that helps them function harmoniously as a group – even if they aren’t all true believers. By getting back to the land, they can also live more as nature intended and give the finger to the Patriarchy. That doesn’t stop jealousies arising, as Wren, an artist, nurses an unrequited crush on Robin, the land’s extraordinarily generous owner. Further conflict brews as Gloria, the manipulative leader of the group, disagrees with Robin about her own rule: no men on the land.
Warm, funny and harking unashamedly back to a less toxic era, A Circle Outside is a seductive vision of a utopian dream, where the only real magic is self-transformation.
Warm, funny and harking unashamedly back to a less toxic era, A Circle Outside is a seductive vision of a utopian dream, where the only real magic is self-transformation.
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781785634284 |
PRICE | $16.99 (USD) |
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Featured Reviews

A fast and fascinating read. I've recently become interested in the history of separatism and the women's land movement in the US (with its many issues, including transphobia and the predominance of white, middle-class women in these groups), so I was already curious about the world of this story. I feel that the writer draws you in very quickly, establishing and explaining the structure of this alternative community while also engaging you with the characters' personal stories and journeys. I found Wren's relationship with her mother and subsequent romantic connections especially interesting.
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