The Carousel

Love, Loss, and the Turning Wheels of Family Life

The Carousel by Belva Plain is a beautifully wrought family saga that captures the rhythms of love, heartbreak, and hope as life spins inexorably forward. At the center of this moving novel is Cassie, a sensitive young woman whose dreams and desires often clash with the expectations of her close-knit family. When Cassie falls in love with the charismatic and enigmatic Noah, she believes she has finally found her happiness. But life, like the carousel of the title, is full of unexpected turns—and the choices Cassie makes will send ripples through generations.

The Ties That Bind and the Trials That Test

Set against the backdrop of a changing America, the story follows Cassie’s journey as she navigates the joys and pains of marriage, motherhood, and the ever-shifting bonds of family. Belva Plain explores the complexities of relationships: the enduring love between parents and children, the fragile trust between spouses, and the unspoken tensions that can both divide and unite. As secrets are revealed and old wounds resurface, Cassie is forced to confront not only the truth about those she loves but also the depths of her own resilience.

A Richly Emotional Portrait of Life’s Cycles

With warmth, insight, and keen emotional intelligence, Belva Plain crafts a novel that resonates with anyone who has ever faced the unpredictability of life and the courage required to keep moving forward. The Carousel is a celebration of hope, forgiveness, and the quiet triumphs that define our days. Readers will be swept along by Cassie’s story, moved by its honesty, and left pondering the ways in which family shapes our destinies.

Belva Plain was a bestselling American author, renowned for her sweeping family dramas and her compassionate explorations of love, loyalty, and the human heart.