Carnival at Bray, the

by Jessie Ann Foley

[Sam@WLABB]

For as many years as she could remember, Maggie's life was constantly being disrupted so her mother could follow her latest love interest. It was an endless cycle of watching her mother fall in and out of love, and Maggie, inevitably, was left picking up the pieces. This time, Maggie was forced to relocate across the Atlantic, to the small Irish town of Bray. It was in these new surroundings that Maggie experienced some wonderful and devastating firsts, while also finding herself.

Another emotional read courtesy of Jessie Ann Foley. From the onset of this novel, I felt nothing by empathy for Maggie. My heart broke for her, when she was forced to leave her Nanny Ei, the most stable person in her life, and her Uncle Kevin, who she adored, to start anew in Bray. It's hard enough moving to a new place, but then she had the additional challenge of learning the cultural norms of her new home. The loneliness and isolation she felt was remarkable.

But she did find a friend in Dan Sean, the almost centenarian of Bray. It was lovely seeing her appreciation for all the years he had spent on the earth and the wisdom he had gathered during that time. They sat, and passed time together, but she sometimes sought his assistance in matters of the heart, which I found terribly sweet.

I also adored, Eoin. Eoin was a little bit broken due to his past with his mother, but he had the most tender heart. His love and loyalty to Maggie was a thing of beauty. He was key for Maggie. Knowing him, and being known by him, helped Maggie unlock a lot of things about herself.

I know from reading an interview, that Foley had not selected this time period in order to exploit the grunge scene, but I loved the way she wove the music and events of the era into the story. For Maggie, her love of music was knitted with her love for her Uncle Kevin. It was him, who brought her to her first club show, sent her care packages of Spin magazine, and tasked her with seeing Nirvana live in Rome.

This book was equal parts family drama and teen drama, which was heartfelt, emotional, messy, and realistic.

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