IVALEENA

by Brenda K. Thompson

She wasn’t meant to stay in The Glens.

In the Kentucky Appalachians of the 1940s, eighteen-year-old Ivy Lee has always been the kind of girl people overlook—too quiet, too thoughtful, too different from the women she’s expected to become. In a place where lives follow a narrow path, Ivy can feel something in her pressing outward… even if she doesn’t yet have the words for it.

Then, on a humid summer night, the Great Meridian Show arrives.

Lights bloom across the hills. Music carries through the dark. And tucked between the tents, Ivy finds a crooked sign:

HELP WANTED — GIRL FOR THE SHOW

What happens next will change everything.

Inside the canvas world of the carnival, Ivy is given a new name, a new face, and a future that feels larger than anything she’s ever known. She becomes Ivaleena — The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.

But the carnival runs on illusion.

And the girl they’ve created may not belong to her.

As Ivy is pulled deeper into a world of spectacle, secrets, and carefully constructed truths, she must confront a question far more dangerous than the one that first led her there:

Who is she when no one is telling her who to be?

Ivaleena is a luminous, emotionally rich coming-of-age novel about identity, reinvention, and the quiet, hard-won courage it takes to choose your own life.

Perfect for readers who love immersive settings, complex heroines, and stories that linger long after the final page.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2026

About the author

I’m the Grand Prize-winning author of Alice Anyway, Ivaleena, and A Feedsack Dress for Sadie—emotionally resonant Appalachian novels exploring resilience, self-discovery, and belonging. My stories are written to be lived in, drawing readers into immersive worlds where the pages turn quickly, even as the ending is never quite desired.

My debut novel, Alice Anyway, was named the First Place Grand Prize Winner for Fiction in the 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, where it also won First Novel (70,000–90,000 words) and was named a finalist in Female Empowerment. The novel became a #1 Amazon Bestseller in Women’s Historical Fiction, Historical Literary Fiction, and Women’s Literary Fiction. Readers have called my work “a gifted writer with an insight that is seldom expressed so eloquently,” and have said the writing made them reread whole paragraphs in appreciation.

In Ivaleena, set against the vivid backdrop of a traveling carnival, illusion and identity intertwine as a young woman searches for who she is beneath the performance. In A Feedsack Dress for Sadie, I turn to a more unflinching story of survival, memory, and the quiet strength required to endure what cannot be spoken.

Before writing fiction, I spent years on Wall Street and later founded Special “Finds…” Unique Property Marketing, where I learned how deeply story and place shape the way we see the world.

I now live on the North Carolina coast with my husband, Jim, where I write overlooking a wide river and the quiet persistence of wild things.

I leave my stories in your hands and am grateful for the readers who spend time with them, who carry them forward, and who share their thoughts along the way.

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this, it is a delightful novel about a young woman from Rural Kentucky in the early part of the 20th century, who longs for more than her simple, predictable rural life. When a carnival visits town she lands a job, not really knowing what it will involve, but hoping she can put her drawing and painting talents to good use. However she is recruited as part of the carnival parade, portraying a character called Ivaleena. Her days at the carnival make a fascinating and very enjoyable coming of age story with warmth and heart and no smut or crudeness. I really enjoyed the authors writing, gentle and captivating. Will read more by this author.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relevant Southern Fiction

Mg parents were born and raised in Kentucky. I was born in Ohio, raised in Indiana and moved to Michigan as an adult. My father followed work, opting to not work in a coal mine. I can vouch for the lifestyle discribed in this book. I remember spending summers with my grandparents in Kentucky. I loved reading every detail. At age 67, I remember the stories I heard from my parents about growing up in Kentucky. Thank you, Ms. Thompson, well done

[Linda Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resonated with me. I couldn’t put it down and I didn’t want to. With emotion raw and deeply felt, the story pulls you in completely. Brenda K. Thompson’s writing is beautifully engrossing. Her introduction to the world of a traveling carnival in the 40s and how Ivaleena persevered in it was compelling. I felt like I lived every moment of it.

LP

[JAMES D · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW… an incredibly well-written book. Each paragraph felt like a living, moving picture. I didn’t just read this story, I felt it. I found myself completely drawn in, not wanting to put it down, and not wanting it to end. There’s something so immersive about Ms. Thompson’s writing that you feel like you’re right there, living it alongside the characters. A truly moving read. Bravo, Ms. Thompson.