Julie's Review: The Last Train to Key West

Author: Chanel Cleeton
Series: None
Publication Date: June 16, 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 320
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Three unique women whose stories converge in a great way
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: 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. After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life. Elizabeth Preston's trip to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles after 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.

Review: I love when novels are told from different points of view and Chanel Cleeton nails that type of narrative in her latest novel. Each of these women: Helen, Elizabeth and Mirta are about to experience the storm of their lives in very different ways but yet their lives are all tied together. How they are all tied together is one of the most wonderfuly woven stories I've read in a long time.  These 3 women are brave, strong and resilient. 

Elizabeth's family has been torn apart and destroyed by the great depression. She's traveled to Key West to find the only member of her family she feels can help her. She has also traveled there to get away from her fiance. She's not sure what she's headed into but she's determined to help her family the only way she knows how. 

Helen married the wrong man and now she's about to give birth to his child. She was young when she married him and life hasn't been easy for them. She dreams of getting out but knows that it's impossible. That is until she meets a friendly stranger who sees her pain and offers to help. 

Mirta is married to a man she barely knows due to her family situation in Cuba. She knows she has a choice in this even if the marriage wasn't her choice. She can chose to get to know her husband and perhaps be happy but the choice really is hers. Plus her husband seems keen on getting to know her as well. 

Their different backgrounds help them to survive and then thrive after their experiences. I can not fathom the fear that would have been at the forefront of their minds during the hurricane.

I definitely recommend this one for a great read.

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