CONTAINS SPOILERS
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
Thrilling. Mysterious. Powerful.
THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST is filled with adventures. When I came across the book, I had a good feeling about this book. On the other hand, I did not have high expectations when I picked up because this author is new to me. I should have. After a few pages into the story, I was hooked. I could not get enough of the story, and only after a few chapters, I felt as if I knew Mirta, Helen, and Elizabeth. I loved reading the story from their point of view, and each of them had their own story to tell, the reason for ending up on Key West. Interestingly, at some point in the book, all the three women ended up meeting one another at some point, connected. As you read the story, you could not help but wonder what to come for the women next, if they were going to survive this hurricane. There were many emotions in the book, yet it was almost impossible to put down. Every page had you craving for more.
I have been to Key West in the past, but that was years ago. Yet as I read THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST , it felt as I was going back there, except at a different time. I have been through a hurricane in the past, but it was not as strong as Key West experienced that Labor Day. I can only imagine how they must be feeling at that time. I could feel their fear. I was hoping that they would make it through it. I loved all of the three women; I don’t think that I would pick a favorite. Helen was the one I was the most one that I was scared for, hoping that she could escape him; I don’t know how she lived in that fear for such a long time. I loved the relationship that Mirta developed with his husband, considering it was an arranged marriage. I was surprised how he cared about her, and it did not take long to see the love he had, how he wanted for the marriage to work. I am curious about what happened to them afterward.
All these women had something in common; they were trying to escape something. Despite what they faced, they were all strong, and all of them had hope for a better life. THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST is unlike any of the other historical fiction books I read this year, and of the reasons that I fell in love with it. This is the story that will stay with you, a story that you will find yourself coming back to. Now that I have read a book by CHANEL CLEETON , I am excited to check her other books out. THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST deserves much more than five stars. It’s real. It’s extraordinary.
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