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There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Last Train to Key West
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Susan M. (Red Wing, MN)
Romance and disaster
A love story, a mystery-suspense, and a (an) historical novel all wrapped around each other. The author intertwines her character's lives among stories of disaster and romance. The characters, vivid and well developed, move forward with their stories amid an underlying tension that is intensified by the impending storm. I first wanted to read this book because of the setting, I wasn't disappointed. The rich backdrop of the Florida Keys adds another interesting layer to this already intriguing novel. Book groups would find lots to talk about.
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RoseMarie G. (Lewes, DE)
Last Train to Key West
I am a big fan of historical fiction novels. And I've been to Key West several times and loved the quirky lifestyle. Best of both worlds!
It is a story of 3 women, from very different backgrounds, whose lives intersect during a very dangerous hurricane over Labor Day weekend in 1935.
Helen, a waitress at a local KW coffee shop, is about to have a baby. Her husband, a fisherman, likes to smack her around.
Mirta, a Cuban from a once very wealthy family, is on her honeymoon with a man she barely knows.
Elizabeth, looking for her brother who never returned after WWI, and running away from her gangster fiance.
The women's paths cross unexpectedly during the worst storm to hit the Keys.
It kept me guessing until the very end. I really enjoyed reading this book.
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Michael G. (Louisville, KY)
The Last Train to Key West
If you want a love story or an adventure story you will get both reading "The Last Train to Key West". Informative and readable narrative is embedded in dialogue which delightfully acquaints the reader with the characters in this historical look at the treatment of post WWI veterans and the horrendous 1935 Labor Day hurricane on the Florida Keys. I enjoyed this book and learned about the work camps that were established on the Florida Keys for WWI veterans, the devastation wrought by the Labor Day hurricane as well as something about the criminal hierarchy in New York City. I would recommend this book to individuals as well as to book discussion groups. Questions for discussion are provided.
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Katherine S. (Gloucester Point, VA)
A Rolling Adventure
This story handles three separate storylines very well... all with the backdrop of a huge hurricane bearing down on the Keys. It has more romance than I expected, but I think it would satisfy most readers. One learns about the different demographics of the Keys in 1935: NYC society gals & locals who are surviving the Depression; Gangsters; an immigrant from Cuba; and the hundreds of WWI veterans who are living in work camps, while working on the Highway. An easy, compelling read with the clock ticking.
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Angela K. (Cleveland, OH)
Brought back memories
Brief Summary: Mirta Perez is a newly-wed on her honeymoon before heading to New York with her husband and his illicit business interests. Elizsabeth Preston heads to Key West on a quest to save her family after the Wall Street crash. Helen Berner is looking to escape her lot as a Key West native. On Labor Day Weekend these women's paths come together as a powerful hurricane hits the Keys altering the lives of all in it's path. This is my third book by Chanel Cleeton who is an author whose work I highly anticipate!
Highlights: I lived in South Florida for four years. I have fond memories of the Florida Keyes. I loved getting a glimpse of the history behind a place so near and dear to my heart. I also survived several hurricanes; including spending a week in a Hurricane shelter. Cleeton gave me flashbacks as she nails the pre-hurricane anxiety and the post-traumatic aftermath. I loved the storylines of all three women and how she brought them all together was brilliant with a small world feel. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and finished this in two days!
Thank you to Book Browse and Berkley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review
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Gayla M. (Frisco, TX)
Swept away
This book is about 3 women whose lives intersect and destiny takes each of them for a ride against the backdrop of a hurricane. I loved the women characters, they were so strong and determined, but each in their own way also a little messed up and needed to learn to grow into beautiful, confident women. I loved the growth of the women, the backdrop of the keys and fast pace of the storyline, it kept me reading until the end. Really good book, now I will go back and read authors previous books.
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Marianne D. (Crofton, MD)
Last Train to Key West
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. The literary style is fairly simplistic, and the conclusion is reached through a series of coincidences. It will appeal to many fans of romantic historical fiction and will be a decent choice for book clubs, It might be interesting, though, for half the participants to read this book while half read the non-fiction account, "Last Train to Paradise," which is about the same historical event. The book piqued my interest in a particular situation that existed in the Keys during the early 1930s. I'll be doing more research into that.
I finished this book during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reading about one natural disaster while experiencing the implications of this novel coronavirus was definitely eerie.
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