The Carnival At Bray – Jessie Ann Foley
Anyone who grew-up in the ‘90s and was a fan of, or even aware of, Nirvana would enjoy the music references throughout this realistic fiction novel. Maggie is a sophomore in high school, and she and her sister were recently uprooted from Chicago to Ireland after her mother married an Irishman. This transition has not been so easy for Maggie, and music has been her constant and her connection to her beloved uncle Kevin back home. Despite some family turmoil, Kevin is determined to get Maggie to a Nirvana concert and in Rome, no less. At the last minute, Maggie takes off on her own to experience this momentous occasion. Her “irresponsible” behavior is her promise to her uncle Kevin to simply live, and in the process she doesn’t realize how independent and self-sufficient she has become. Maggie experiences painful loss and exciting possibilities in what is both a physical and emotional journey. This chapter in her life starts and ends at a Ferris wheel – a place where one can look back, yet can also look forward beyond the horizon with a renewed sense of hope.
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