The Last Train to Key West Published by Berkley by Chanel Cleeton
on June 16, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Historical, Romance
Pages: 320
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: Our Last Days in Barcelona
Find the Book: Amazon | Goodreads
ISBN: 0451490886
Rating:
In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton's captivating new novel.
Everyone journeys to Key West searching for something. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape.
The Cuban Revolution of 1933 left Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position. After an arranged wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to the stranger she’s married, her new husband’s illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life.
Elizabeth Preston's trip from New York to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles as a result of the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own.
Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.
I’ve been reading tons of historical fiction lately and wondering why I hadn’t read this genre sooner.
And Chanel Cleeton is going to be an author that I come back to, possibly for even more that her historical fiction.
Before reading The Last Train to Key West, I can honestly say I’d never heard anything about Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad or the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.
This story takes place on Key West with three different perspectives. Each woman has their own struggles and their own distinct story to tell. However, part of the fun for the reader, is seeing all the stories intersect so uniquely.
This tale deals with themes from abusive husbands, to newlyweds who don’t know each other very well, to one woman’s journey to looking for her brother in one of the many veteran camps for WWI vets who are there to help work on the railroad.
There are so many elements to this story and I don’t want to ruin any of it for you.
Cleeton knows her way around a story and has such a way of bringing about vivid images in the mind and making the story come to life.
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About Chanel Cleeton
I love the cover of this book. I’ve been to Key West a couple of times and it is so incredible to see the structure that still remains of the train tracks that once connected the two countries. After reading your review I added it to my TBR.
Lu recently posted…Blog Tour | Review | New Rules by Lily Hayden
Oh, I hope you like it, Lu! I’m envious–I’ve never been to the Keys!
One of the things I love about this series is the interesting events Cleeton has chosen as part of her story. I lived in Jacksonville for 6 years, and had done a tour of St. A, where Flagler had a big presence, so I knew some things about him. Still loved learning more.
Sam@wlabb recently posted…Mid-Year Book Freak Out!
Wow!!! That sounds like something I need to add to my bucket list! I love reading about these things, and then discovering things about history that I had no idea about!