From the first moment I saw the title of this novel, I wanted to read it. I received an advanced reader’s copy via Netgallery.com, but since I don’t have an eReader, the folks at Berkley Publishing were kind enough to send me a print copy.

When I read the back copy, the deal was sealed. What reader could resist “An artist lost to history, a family abandoned to its secrets, and the woman who discovers it all?” I was hooked, and the story did not disappoint. This is the book I’ll be talking about probably for the rest of the year.

The story goes like this: Cady Drake is alone in the world. A victim of California’s foster care system, she has a tough time getting close to people. There are only two people whom she trusts, her benefactor, Maxine, and a friend, Olive. Cady barely scrapes by as a local photographer, shooting school pictures, weddings, etc. She is thrust into a spiral when Maxine suddenly dies. Cady owns an antiques carousel figure, Gus the Rabbit, whom she believes is the work of 20th century master carver Gutave Bayol. If it is, it would be worth quite a sum. But antiques dealers assure her it is not. One night Cady accidentally breaks Gus. Inside she finds a wooden box. That box changes Cady’s life forever.

Told in dueling timelines, author Blackwell weaves a tale that had me ignoring my family, sending them out for fast food, as I read. The story bounces around from Oakland, California to Paris and other areas of France. It’s a story that transports readers from present day to 1900 to the early 2000s, and other years as they fit the story. It’s a tale of crumbling chateaus, undiscovered treasures, a mysterious photograph, and a surprising twist.

“The Lost Carousel of Provence” received 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I am drawn to stories that take place in France so when I saw The Lost Carousel of Provence I knew I needed to read it (plus the cover is beautiful). I am a fan of one of Juliet Blackwell’s earlier books, The Paris Key, and this book is just as good. I was also intrigued by the subject matter – the carousels of France and the focus on a particular historic, master carver named Gustave Bayol. The mystery is entertaining and intriguing; I knew very little about carousel making, and Blackwell provides just enough detail to educate the reader without going overboard with details that one might not need or want to learn.

Dual timeline stories usually result in one story line that is more appealing than the other. While both times and stories were interesting, I definitely liked the present-day tale about Cady Drake and her pursuit of the origins of her wooden rabbit carousel piece allegedly carved by Bayol the best. Her search for community and an understanding of her past was endearing and at times my heart broke for her.

I really enjoyed The Lost Carousel of Provence and wish I was headed to Paris soon to tour the city and see and ride the many beautiful, historic carousels that still exist there today. I received this book to read and review; all opinions are my own.

Another five star read from Blackwell, this story alternates between current day with Cady, an orphan who becomes a photographer finding her way after losing Maxine; Fabrice in the 1940’s, a member of the French Resistance, experiencing betrayal; and Maelle, in the 1900’s, a carver working on the famous Bayol carousels. Cady is the glue between the stories, gaining strength and the acceptance she has longed for. This is a galley from Netgalley, and I highly recommend upon its release.

A interesting and well written novel. I picked it up because of the cover and really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to other readers..

As a fan of Blackwell’s Lily Ivory series, I was excited to try out something different from her. I enjoy Blackwell’s breezy writing style and quirky characters, and was not disappointed in this sweet, captivating story. At first, I found Cady a little jarring, but she grew on me as the story progressed. I love stories featuring strong women who have overcome difficult circumstances, and Blackwell certainly delivered on that account. Blend that with a truly interesting story of carousel carving and you have a winner.

A perfect escape novel - atmospheric and lovely, you'll feel instantly transported to the magical world of Southern France. I found the family mystery to be easy enough to solve early on - but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. A lovely summer read, vacation read, or escape to another lovely world from the comfort of your favourite reading chair. Also love the cover!

Beautifully written, wonderfully realistic characters. It was the perfect escape, really. This was my first book by Juliet Blackwell, but I really enjoyed the writing so much that it certainly won't be my last.

I loved this story with a story in a story! The author did an amazing job of bringing all the characters to life; creating a very interesting tale of history and family connections. It is a mystery with romance, historical events, and social attitudes that impacted people over 1000 years.

This is a lovely book filled with wonderful flawed characters and an interesting story about antique carousels, especially those sculpted by Gustave Bayol. The settings are beautifully described and the characters endearing.

The story line and theme is much like her other books, with the reader easily figuring out the family mystery. The setting is wonderful as are the flawed characters. i did not like the ending as well as other books, this one did not give a strong "this is what happened with Cady" ending. We assume the romance continued along with the restoration. Well written and would recommend.

Growing up in foster care, Cady Drake drew solace from a carved rabbit that she later learned had come from a carousel. As an adult, she travels around the area taking photos of merry go rounds. Now, she has the chance to go to Paris to write about antique carousels and she also wants to track down any works by carousel maker Gustave Bayol, the man she believed carved her rabbit. In Provence she finds a carousel in ruins in a dilapidated mansions belonging to the Clement family. The carousel was commissioned from Bayol by the Clement family to keep in their home. They have hung on to the home, but just barely and now it’s up to Cady to convince a proud old man to let her restore the once magical merry-go-round. A beautiful, lyrical story I didn’t want to end