An emotional journey of four women connected by blood, love, loss and time.Pruett Fontaine is at a crossroads. Divorced, she’s lost herself and is struggling to find her place. When her estranged mother dies unexpectedly she’s drawn back to Louisiana, to a family and town she left behind twenty years ago.With no choice but to deal with her mother’s estate, a father she doesn’t know anymore, and … know anymore, and the woman her mother left them for, she brings her teenage daughter to Sweetwater and collides with a past she’s been running from since she was eighteen.
Her mother’s journals open her eyes to a woman she never knew, and she can’t outrun the sins of the past. Secrets are exposed, tragedies are revealed, and temptation rears its head over the course of one long, hot Louisiana summer.
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J.A Stone has really outshone here with The Carousel. This is one Women’s Fiction novel that has a nice touch of mystery combined. The writing is so engaging, as well as the setting. Prue is a character you can get behind as we follow her back home as she tries to figure out why her recently deceased mother, who she was estranged from, never showed much emotion and left her father for another woman, and opened a bed and breakfast. The mystery plot involved three people- Prue’s father and mother, and her mother’s girlfriend, who has her own secrets. The setting is very rich here, and the abundance of characters round out the tale.
You will be hooked until the very last page, and when everything comes together and you have that aha moment, you will was to applaud because J.A. has excelled in writing a truly engaging novel. The last chapter will make you cheer, as well as give you some chills all do to the last line, which is near perfection.
A fabulous read that makes me want more of the same from J.A. in her future releases. The Carousel is a must read
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The highs, lows, tears and laughter. It’s amazing how the past can draw us back together. Amazing what it can reveal too.
Definitely recommend.
This book has everything, it drew me in from the beginning and still hasn’t let me go. The writing is beautiful and evocative, and the plot is haunting, totally gripping, and very emotional. The depiction of the diverse and complex relationships set in a backdrop of a Southern small town is very well portrayed.
ARC for honest review with no compensation received from BookSprout
The Carousel by J. A. Stone is a standalone about 4 women and how they intersect in an emotional journey spanning 20 years. There are secrets, journals, tragedies, twists, turns and some heart pounding moments. This book will keep you enthralled and reading to find out where the story goes…
I have to admit that this is not my normal type of book. I couldn’t stop reading this one though … I became so involved in these characters lives that I didn’t want the book to end. I want to know what happens to everyone. It was so well written, that I felt like I was in the book with them during the happy times and the sad times. I felt for all of these people. I LOVED Beverly! I wanted to hug him … many times. Definitely give this one a whirl ….
When the divorced and lonely Prue’s Aunt Charlotte calls to tell her her estranged mother has died and left the B&B to her, she takes her nearly sixteen-year-old daughter, Daisy, and returns to her hot, humid small hometown in Louisiana. She returns without notice to the home she grew up in, to the father she has not spoken to for 20 years and Daisy never heard of, to begin to find herself through making contact with old friends and enemies. She begins to unravel why her mother left her and her father for a lesbian relationship and he didn’t fight it. A great read full of mystery, decisions and their effects, and well-drawn characters all of whom are better off by far when Prue’s mother’s secrets are finally revealed and explained over the course of the summer giving Prue understanding she could have never guessed. As the fortuneteller in the bayou told her when she was in high school, she was able to glue together the two parts of her heart she was born with. This integrity gives her forgiveness, thankfulness, and understanding to decide to move back permanently with her daughter to her fun, loving hometown. Lots of tears equal lots of stars!
4.5 stars– THE CAROUSEL by J. A. Stone (Juliana Stone) is a contemporary, adult, stand alone story of women’s fiction focusing on four women (Pruett, Daisy, Carol and Lila) from Sweetwater, Louisiana.
Told from several first person perspectives (Pruett Fontaine, Daisy, Charlotte), third person (Carol Seaton) and journal entries (Lila) THE CAROUSEL follows four women connected by blood and love. Divorced mother Pruett Fontaine is called home to Sweetwater, Louisiana after the death of her mother Lila, a woman she hasn’t seen or to whom she has spoken in close to twenty years. With her fifteen- year old daughter Daisy, in tow, Pruett returns to a place that holds too many memories of a time long ago-of a lost love, a dysfunctional family, and a mother who was emotionally absent all of her life. As Pruett attempts to move on from the past, the past isn’t willing to let go, especially when secrets are about to be revealed.
Pruett Fontaine left Sweetwater twenty years earlier, the night her life imploded when a face to face with her mother ended their relationship. Things said in anger pushed Pruett out of town, and away from the boy she would always love. Marriage, family and eventually divorce would force Pruett to analyse her life but more so her return to Sweetwater where the sins of the past come looking for a second chance. But not all is well in Sweetwater, Louisiana as long buried secrets are about to resurface forcing the small town to revisit a dark and dangerous past.
We are introduced to Lila’s best friend and partner Carol, who worked and operated the local B&B: Aunt Charlotte, Lila’s sister; Pruett’s daughter Daisy; and an assortment of Sweetwater lifers, who never expected Pruett’s return. A best friend from childhood, along with Pruett’s first love are never far from Pruett’s mind but a series of journals left to her by her mother Lila, will pull Pruett into the past, a past that will begin to reveal the truth about what happened and why.
THE CAROUSEL is a story about a dysfunctional family where the truth will reveal a past mired in betrayal and heart break; an emotional journey for one woman as she comes to terms with the woman she once called mother, and the family owned secrets that destroyed too many lives. From her heart-broken father (Beverly) who lost the love of his life the same night twenty years earlier, to a woman who struggles to move forward without her friend by her side, THE CAROUSEL spans but a few weeks, yet close to forty years as we are witness to the events leading up to Pruett’s acceptance of a past that controlled her entire life. The premise is captivating and intriguing; the characters are colorful, broken, struggling and strong; the world building is detailed and introspective.
What an interesting page turning read. I love the way this story unfolded as it was never hurried. The reader got each piece of story just as it was needed. For me the read was like a flower unfolding and I have savored it! I have loved Juliana Stone’s romance books, but her journey into Women’s fiction showed a depth of writing not seen in those books. I cannot even pick out which character I found more interesting as they were all unique. Love this book and will be spreading the word!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I have read stories from this author before and was not expecting this one. The book tells the story of a girls life with flash backs from the past. Riveting story THat keeps you second guessing everything that is happening. Kept me turning the page to see what happens! Would love to see these characters and this town in more stories!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Carousel – This is my first read by this author and I liked and disliked the story. It is well written with multiple storylines, which are so interesting it is difficult to put the book down. The characters run the gamut from generous and loving to hate-filled evil. They are real with realistic dialog and emotions. The emotions run the gamut over the course of the main character’s life. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, this is a finely woven tapestry of Southern living from events that happened in 1970 to the effects still felt in the present.
Horrible things happened to several people as well as wonderful blessings. The secrets kept by all come out for many people but with none of the usual pity party mentality that is favored nowadays. The drama is faced, analyzed and mistakes made, but there are corrections and truths that touch so many. Out of the darkness comes light, but for some it is too late. There is no explicit sex and the vulgar language was kept to infrequent but appropriate usage.
What I disliked is the lack of understanding the difference between south and the South; southern and Southern; possessive vs. plural; and how to apply this knowledge. Where the book should have flowed smoothly at the good pace the author set, my reading was constantly interrupted by the continuous misuse of south and Southern. There were other distractions including: It is Maine coon and bundt; God and Country and the States; Southern pine and the Sunshine State; Mom, Dad and Grandpappy (and great-grandparent); God fearing and the Old South.
For the readers who do not understand my comments, you will find this book a perfect five-star read. For the rest of us, the disappointment of a good heartbreaking story ruined by bad editing/lack of knowledge will be felt on every page. I found this book on Booksprout. 3*
I enjoyed The Carousel’s characters and story. Stone does a really good job with creating multifaceted people. They’re not always likable but all have very endearing qualities when you get to know them. The story unwinds slowly as we get to know everyone and their backstories. It’s wonderful to not only see Pru adapted back to her family, friends and the town she couldn’t wait to leave but I loved seeing her daughter take to small town Southern life (which Stone nails by the way) after having spent her whole life in Boston. Much is not what it seems and the journey to finding out what happened, what was misperceived and who did what makes for a very interesting read.
A second chance at life, history repeating itself, and the sacrifices made for ones you love. Prue goes through a lot, has been through a lot in life. Going home shows her she did once have hope, a plan, and unconditional love. As she discovers herself again, the changes in her life that have shaped her, and the love that has always surrounded her, she is breathtaking in her discoveries. Her daughter Daisy, so much like her in every way. Her father, a steadfast, stalwart, loving presence in her life. Carol, the woman she blamed for ruining her life. Prue discovers all is not as it seemed, and the truth opens old wounds, but heals more than it hurts. Getting to know her mother only confuses her, and opens the doors, lifts the blinds, and makes her see what was always right there.
Punishing yourself for you sins, trying to make up for bad life choices, and showing your love the only way you know how. The adults in Prue’s life loved her more than she ever realized, and when she accepts that love, she sees where she wants and needs her life to go, and sets her chart. The paths that take her there aren’t without pitfalls, and she made a few, but learns to accept that as well. And even when it all seems so settled, that last chapter, oh that last chapter, solidified that Prue was so loved and protected, even those who thought they knew it all, didn’t know
The story telling weighs heavy in the air, like the Louisiana heat it describes. The ominousness is always right there, you know there is something hidden. Bit by bit the fog clears, and the tears I cried while reading it a deluge of rain that cleared it away. It left me broken and whole, overwhelmed by emotions, and it left me with a new best friend, Prue.
The Carousel was one pleasant surprise. I love finding a new-to-me author and J.A. Stone gave me all the feels with this well-written and extremely angsty book. With Pruett Fontaine at the core of this story, all the secrets she has yet to uncover may just be her saving grace. And yet, at the same time, she’s hesitant to discover just who her mother Lila truly was. Her pain bled through each and every page and I held my breath when the old and worn puzzle pieces started to fall back in place.
I love the way the author gives us four different voices, telling tales that although are separated by many years, have that same feeling of indecision and uncertainty no matter the age. Four women who have their own private thoughts and worry. All beautifully interwoven as Prue finally gets to the bottom of why she had an absent mother and finally accepting just who she was and how that has affected her own decisions. Particularly with her own daughter, Daisy and those she left behind all those years ago.
I found myself more and more curious as to the reasons of why Lila couldn’t be what her daughter Prue needed as a recent discovery started the eventual road to a surprising semblance of peace. Not only for Prue but for Bev, Carol and Daisy. And with the damp, humid but very fragrant background of Sweetwater, Louisiana, this story found it’s rhythm and I became one of the cheerleaders.
With a bittersweet nature that is surrounded by the sights and sounds of a small hometown, the newfound lightness that comes with a new start in old surroundings, I was enraptured by all the moving parts that is The Carousel. It is a beautiful story that takes a profound amount of sadness and regret and turns it around into something hopeful and determined. The characters are wonderful and the story is truly engaging in that slow and easy way only the likes of a Louisiana can offer.
5 stars all the way!