Peyton Cabot’s fifteenth year will be a painful and transformative one. His father, the heroic but reluctant head of a moneyed Savannah family, has come home from WWII a troubled vet, drowning his demons in bourbon and distancing himself from his son. A tragic accident shows Peyton the depths of his parents’ devotion to each other but interrupts his own budding romance with the girl of his … dreams, Lisa Wallace.Struggling to cope with a young life upended, Peyton makes a daring decision: He will retrace a journey his father took at fifteen, riding his bicycle all the way to Key West, Florida. Part declaration of independence, part search for self, Peyton’s journey will bring him more than he ever could have imagined–namely, the key to his unknowable father, a reunion with Lisa, and a calling that will shape the rest of his life.Through poignant prose and characters so real you’ll be sure you know them, Valerie Fraser Luesse transports you to the storied Atlantic coast for a unique coming-of-age story you won’t soon forget.
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This beautiful coming-of-age novel takes place in the years after WWII in the South. The book begins in Georgia at a family reunion of a rich, old family that is definitely dysfunctional. The brothers and sisters don’t get along with each other and the mother/grandmother doesn’t get along with anyone. When something tragic happens at the reunion picnic, it sends Peyton, the main character, off on a quest.
Peyton’s father has returned from the war totally depressed from his experiences. His only way to alleviate the pain, is to turn to the bottle. While drunk he had a terrible accident at the family reunion and ended up in a coma in the hospital. Peyton and his mom, Katie, spend as much time with him as possible, while Uncle Julian, who always wanted to take control of the family money, works very hard to have his brother declared incompetent so that he can take control of the family. When his dad dies, Peyton decides to take a trip to Key West on a bicycle just like his father did at the same age of 15. He takes the trip in honor of his father but the people he meets on the road and the situations that he gets into, make him grow up fast. During his long trip to Key West, he meets many interesting people, all of who show him a different facet to life as an adult. The other reason for his bike ride is to find Lisa, the love of his life who has been sent to her aunt’s home for the summer. Will the lessons that he learns make him a stronger and wiser man? Will he find Lisa? I loved that the author added an Epilogue that is 20 years in the future so that we can how Peyton grew up and how the lessons that he learned on his bike ride affected his life.
This is a beautifully written heart-warming story full of situations and characters that you won’t soon forget. It’s a story of family – the one you were born into and the one that you create with the people you love throughout your life.
I’m beginning to realize that a Valerie Fraser Luesse novel is a whole experience. You cannot just speed read through this book. It deserves better. It’s rich and deep and moving in a simple, sneaky way. These characters and their stories quickly become this beautifully interwoven tapestry of connection.
The lessons Peyton learns about himself and about his father while on his journey are incredibly touching. Readers get to experience as he grows up right on the page, in front of our eyes. And in the moments when he makes good decisions or he’s helpful to strangers, we can’t help but feel proud because we’ve biked every mile of his journey with him. We’ve met every new person, encountered every strange and heartwarming event, so his crazy plan suddenly becomes as important to us as if we were strapped to his handle bars.
We are along for the ride and what a beautiful ride it is. Do not miss this one, friends.
I received a complimentary copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All expressed opinions belong to me.
Beautiful, heartwarming, hopeful. This is the kind of book that helps the reader, not to escape, but to remember to see the good in the world. Luesse is a very good writer and has captured some lovable, true to life characters.
Keeping an upbeat outlook during 2020 has been challenging. Fires raging through California. A pair of hurricanes simultaneously hitting the Gulf Coast. Rampant unemployment and slow-to-arrive financial relief. Politics bitterly dividing people into “us” versus “them.” And a ruthless pandemic forcing quarantine and causing sickness and death.
The Key to Everything moves you away from all of that darkness and sadness. More than mere escapism, this heart-felt story may even reset your own attitude about the times in which we live.
Set in 1947, the tale revolves around Savannah native Peyton Cabot, age 15. Like the country reeling from war, Peyton has endured more than his fair share of hardships and tragedy. The boy embarks on a journey to retrace the legendary bicycle ride his father commenced as a young man, a ride that stretches all the way from St. Augustine, Florida, to Key West. Along this pivotal path, Peyton encounters people who help him learn about life and who elicit responses from him that form the man that he is becoming. Quarantined readers will revel in lush setting descriptions as they vicariously experience the joy of being free and on the road.
As she has in her previous novels, author Valerie Fraser Luesse creates an authentic world, filled with flesh-and-blood folks who readers will feel as if they know—or, at least, wish they did. Kind and compassionate, genuine and wise, Peyton and the other characters teach us, entertain us, and gently guide us into considerations of how to live life. This beautiful tale just may help weary readers restore optimism and belief in humanity—even in the year 2020.
Despite whatever I subconsciously expected to find in The Key to Everything by Valerie Fraser Luesse, I was not prepared for the way this story would WRECK me with its BEAUTIFULNESS!
You can’t prepare for it, dear readers. But you can read it and experience it for yourself. Because it’s a journey that should not be missed!
The author has a real talent for immersing readers in the era and the setting! In the span of a few words, I was transported into Peyton’s world. I was surrounded by the stuffy, backstabbing Cabot family. I was biking down the A1A to the island world of Key West in 1947. I was transformed by the new experiences, people who loved their neighbor, and hardships that only offer two options: grow stronger or remain stuck.
Peyton’s coming-of-age story truly moved me! The “keys” to where Peyton came from, the man he was growing into, and the opportunities to love had me crying every few pages! However, the aspect that undid me the most was the way Peyton’s story intersected with Kate’s (Peyton’s mother) unconditional love and journey through grief. Marshall’s (Peyton’s father) heart-twisting story lays out the story of a man with more good in him than not, a man who made mistakes, a man Peyton could learn from even in the end. The truth that your bad choices — even choices with devastating consequences — don’t have to define your life for eternity is a narrative that is so very needed in this world! The Key to Everything challenges her readers to learn and grow with a beauty that will wreck you!
Five Stars ~ I can’t recommend The Key to Everything by Valerie Fraser Luesse enough! The Key to Everything is a standalone, but the author has other titles in her backlist for readers to enjoy!
Possible Triggers ~ Grief, death of a loved one.
Disclaimer ~ In accordance with FTC regulations, I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not compensated, nor was a positive review required. All opinions expressed are my own.
I have read Valerie Fraser Luesse’s previous books and The Key to Everything is by far my favorite to date. I loved reading Peyton’s story. It was great watching him grow as a person throughout his journey and adventure. It was learning some valuable lessons within its pages. It is all around a beautiful and heartwarming tale.
I am giving The Key to Everything four and a half stars. I would love to read more like this one by Valerie Fraser Luesse in the future.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
What do you do if your father has suffered a tragic accident and the girl of your dreams has gone to spend the summer in Miami? If you’re fifteen, you find a way to honor your father and somehow get to your dream girl by taking a bike ride! All of his life, Peyton Cabot has heard the story of his father’s bike ride from Savannah, Georgia, to Key West, Florida when he was just fifteen years old. Peyton decides that this will now become his own story and what follows is a remarkable tale of the places he sees and the people he meets as he uses his father’s old map to travel the very same route. His thoughts and reactions, along with the lessons he learns, are all vividly described and I felt like I was right there with him!
The Key to Everything is a beautifully written story about grief, young love, and the love that comes once in a lifetime. Author Valerie Fraser Luesse has written a stunning story that chronicles a son’s loss of his father, a wife’s heartbreaking grief for her husband, and a teenager’s certainty that he has already found the love of his life. Most of all, this is a story of hope and Leusse absolutely captures Peyton’s hope and determination as he makes this journey to Florida and travels the road to manhood!
“You can’t follow anybody else’s path, like I tried to do with Daddy—like Daddy thought he had to do with Granddaddy. Somewhere along the way, you gotta draw your own map.” (p. 282)
I recommend this book to all who enjoy inspirational novels filled with love, hope, and family. The Key to Everything is one that I won’t soon forget.
This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group/Revell, through Interviews & Reviews. There was no obligation to write a favorable review. These are my own thoughts.
The Key to Everything
By Valerie Fraser Luesse
Peyton Cabot’s father came home a changed man – the war and its horrors were too much – they broke him. Seeking to numb his pain he has sought refuge in bourbon, but it just may be his downfall.
There was nothing Peyton could do to stop the accident from happening and now his father’s body was as broken as his spirit. With another family tragedy on top of his father’s injury, Uncle Julian seeks to seize control of the Cabot family fortune and further destroy Peyton’s father. Peyton’s willing to do all he can to help his mother and protect his father, even if it means the summer he planned to spend with Lisa is only a lost dream.
When Peyton’s parents send him to spend time with Aunt Gert in Saint Augustine his summer is about to become one he never imagined. Hoping to get a chance to better know the man his father used to be Peyton sets out to follow the journey his father made when he too was just fifteen years of age. Can he learn what his father discovered all those years ago? Or have too many changes come?
As Peyton pursues his journey he grows into a person he hopes his father would be proud to call son. But, as his mother tells, this journey is more than pedaling a bike. Peyton has choices to make – choices that will stay with him long after he puts his bike away and returns to his life. He makes discoveries about his family that will forever alter how he sees them.
This is an excellent read and one I would have no hesitation recommending to most readers. It is set in the post-WWII South but it has a timeless message that is for any era. There’s right and there’s wrong and those who pick the right with no thought of gain are few and far between.
The Key to Everything is well-paced with an emotional tug throughout most of the book. It is a celebration of family and of life. Sometimes we have to risk everything to obtain that which is most important and the journey from here to there often helps us to see more clearly just what is truly important. Valerie Fraser Luesse brings her characters to life so that reader has no choice but to be drawn into their lives and care about what matters to them. In my opinion, this book is worthy of more than one read and I applaud the author’s work.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.
“Somewhere along the way, you have to draw your own map.”
Struggling over what life had just handed him, Peyton Cabot decided to put tragedy behind and move forward in the footsteps of a man that he loved as much as life itself; his father. The journey would take him all the way from Savannah, Georgia to beautiful Key West, Florida . . . . mostly from the seat of a bike; following a crude time-worn map that Marshall Cabot had drawn so many years prior, when he made the same trip, at the same age of fifteen.
This book is about what Peyton learned along the way; about life, about love, about grief, about hope, about deciding who he wanted to be . . . who he needed to be . . .. about who he already was. The author’s melodic word flow and natural ability to paint her story in every color imaginable will leave readers loving these characters through the best and the worst of what life has to offer.
“Hey, Lisa . . . . what do you think we look like from the sky?”
I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishing through Interviews and Reviews. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
This is the first book by Valerie Fraser Luesse that I’ve read but hopefully it won’t be the last one. I really enjoyed this book.
The characters were quite well developed, they seemed like real people from the time and area of the book. The setting is in the south in post WWII. The main character is a 15 year old boy trying to figure out life.
The story was based on a true event and was very interesting. The story flowed well and kept my interest throughout. The descriptions were very well done, not too flowery or wordy, but enough to see what she wanted you to see.
The book is from Revell and it is a clean story. It is not what I would call a true Christian book as very little of faith is revealed. You get the impression the mother is a Christian but it is in no way a preachy book.
I was given an ARC version and the editing was very well done. This is important to me as it can make an otherwise good book unreadable if not edited well. I am not required to write a positive review, this is my own, unbiased opinion.
I would recommend this book to my friends and give it a 4 out of 5 star rating.
Peyton Cabot has grown up listening to stories about how his father, Marshall, rode over six hundred miles from Okefenokee to Key West (and back) in 1921, the summer he was fifteen. When Peyton’s father is hospitalised and loses his memory after a riding accident, Peyton decides to replicate his father’s journey.
As such, this is a definite coming-of-age story, which is common in Young Adult fiction. But I don’t know how many modern teens would want to read a novel set in The Olden Days (i.e. any time before the invention of the iPhone) and a plot that meanders at the speed of a bicycle rather than a Tesla.
Because it is set in The Olden Days (1947), The Key to Everything brings us back to a forgotten time … or perhaps a time that never really existed. In Peyton’s world, the police are the good guys, people are kind to strangers, and it’s perfectly safe for a teenager to ride unaccompanied for hundreds of miles with only a weekly collect call home to assure his mother he’s okay.
As such, it is an odd novel. The writing is excellent, with a strong voice that fits both the time and the place. Peyton is a young man of character and compassion, despite a privileged upbringing that could have taught him to overlook people less fortunate. He also has a refreshing lack of racism—although I have no idea how accurate that is for post-war (and pre-Civil Rights) Georgia and Florida.
No matter. We’re living in strange times right now, and The Key to Everything was a fresh distraction with excellent characters, and some serious life lessons sprinkled along the journey.
Recommended. Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
A powerful novel of a boy becoming a man in the midst of grief.
The Key to Everything isn’t your usual coming of age story. It spans two childhoods, a son searching for answers in his father’s life after a tragedy.
I don’t know that I have read any coming of age story from a boy’s and mother’s point of view, and I find that I liked it. And I loved the way that The Key to Everything ended, really, this novel has to be read to feel the emotion that it has in every word.
While I enjoyed the book, I did not like how there was not any spiritual content, though there are mentions of being protected by a saint.
This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing (Revell), through Interviews & Reviews.
REVIEW: This was a slow going book. Took a long time to get through the first portion. This has to do with 15-year-old Peyton Cabot and is set right after WWII. His father comes home messed up after the war and turns to bourbon, which in turn leads to a bad accident on a horse. Peyton gives up his summer to support his mother during this time, but after his father regains consciousness in the hospital, his parents send him down to “Aunt Gert’s” in St. Augustine, FL. From here in St. Augustine, FL, Peyton decides to make they same bike trip to Key West, FL as his father had done at the same age. This is a coming of age story, which at this point becomes interesting. You will need to read the book to find out all that he went through – and all the life lessons he learned along the way.
The Key to Everything became available for sale June 2, 2020.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.
If you like bittersweet yet heartwarming tales, then The Key to Everything, by Valerie Fraser Luesse, belongs on your shelf.
Peyton Cabot is the most kind-hearted, serving, and pleasant teen around. The people he meets can’t help but love and trust him.
And though he sets off on an emotional journey, it is lyrically and smoothly told. He quickly learns the skills he needs for his bike journey and sets off to follow the path his father had traveled over a decade earlier.
A long, slow glimpse of life in 1947 is captured in these pages, giving a romanticized view of the era. The story meanders at a steady pace, giving readers an escape from today’s busy living.
The story ties a satisfactory bow from circumstances in the beginning to end.
As for being a Christian book, I was a little disappointed. A solid Biblical message could have been tied into Peyton’s quest to find himself, but it wasn’t in there.
It was a clean and moral story, just not Christian. A Catholic mass and St. Christopher’s protection were mentioned as well as the impact of St. Joseph’s cathedral, but these were not in detail.
There were a few instances where “doing the right thing” seemed a little slanted (like freeing another man’s alligators, taking kids away from their boss, and a wife divorcing her husband and being praised for it). I don’t agree with abuse in any form and think that steps should be taken to relieve those in that situation, but it was confusing that these actions were the right thing to do because apparently the good outweighed the bad. And then Peyton was never caught doing these actions…
The romance was threaded through the story as Peyton and Lisa were separated in the beginning, yet Peyton never stopped thinking of her. There were a few kisses mentioned and a few very vague comments about people assuming they were going to “do something” and making judgments. Though Peyton and Lis were fifteen, it did seem to be a calmer love story between them.
The writing style is quaint and endearing—perfect for the era of this story. While I personally feel it lacked tension and character depth, this could very easily be the perfect fit for another reader.
*I received this book from the publisher and happily provided my honest review*
We sure don’t get to choose our families and when they come dysfunctional there is so much we can do.
Peyton had one but his father was different and Peyton followed in his footsteps. I loved the way this book drew me in. I felt every emotion as I was journeying with Peyton. I admired the actions and decisions he made despite his young age. He had a good head on his shoulders. Despite his loss, he didn’t drown under it but sort answers just like his father before him. And he wasn’t disappointed.
There are all kinds of family, some you are born with and some you are lucky to meet along the way. What Peyton lacked in blood relatives he gained in beautiful people God planted across his path.
I really loved this book.
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
My favorite genre’ is Christian suspense, so I don’t always gravitate towards this kind of book…especially by an author I have never read. The description intrigued me enough to request it to review, and I am glad I did. I’ll admit after I got it, I wondered if I’d be able to get into it. No worries there.
I loved the author’s style of writing. She put so much emotion and description into the story, I felt myself pulled into the story and didn’t want to put it down. The main character is 15 year old Peyton, who is an awesome and very likable character. The author did a tremendous job of describing his long bicycle ride, and brought into the story the emotions he experienced as he made the same journey his dad had made when he was the same age. I loved the characters he met on his journey and the colorful descriptions of them. The scene with the dollar bill about did me in, I’ll admit.
Though this is not a suspense novel, it was a book that was extremely difficult to put down. And when I picked it up the second time, I was determined to read it til the end, which I did.
This novel is set in 1947, when things were different. It wouldn’t be safe for a 15 year old boy to bicycle what I figured out must be close to 500 miles. Plus, this is fiction.
There is not a lot of Christian content in the book – not a criticism, just an observation. However, it is a clean book that was an absolute delight to read. After I finished it, I went on Amazon and ordered another book by the author. This one was that good. It is the best non-suspense novel I have read in quite a while. I definitely recommend it.
I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.
All his life Peyton Cabot has heard about the journey his father took on bike from a boys’ camp in Okefenokee to Key West. When tragedy strikes the family, Peyton decides to bike from St. Augustine to Key West honoring his father’s memory and hoping to find what his father might’ve found on that trek across miles.
This was a touching story of young love, loss, southern charm and coming of age that swept me up. The people Peyton meet, the family history that unravels and the unique situations he finds himself in kept me entertained as he embarked on his journey of self-discovery. There’s a lot that can be said for a novel that eloquently shows the difference between the family you’re born into and the one you create along the way.
I enjoyed the writing style and the quickness of the read. The characters are easy to connect to and I loved the backdrop being set in Florida where the State bird is basically the mosquito. This was a fun and lighthearted read that I would recommend to others who enjoy coming of age fiction reads.
Thank you to Revell Baker Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful story. True rating 3.5/5.
In this book, that is part epic tale and part a story of self-discovery, I enjoyed taking a journey from St. Augustine to Key West with Peyton, the 15-year-old protagonist in the story. Forces that he doesn’t even quite understand at first, prod him to set out to retrace the route that his father had taken long before Peyton was born. But the reason becomes clear in the end.
This type of story – coming of age – appeals to me, so that’s the first reason I was eager to read the book. The second reason was because many moons ago, my brother and I had talked about taking a long bicycle ride. Not as long as Peyton’s, but long enough that it was going to be a challenge. My brother and I chickened out on our venture, but Peyton did not.
I’m so glad he didn’t.
Now we can all enjoy this wonderful recounting of his adventure, complete with mishaps, joyous moments, and wonderful characters who help him along the way.
Of the supporting cast, I liked Aunt Gert the best. She’s such a delightful character, and it was fun to see her often irreverent interactions with Peyton, as well as her friend, Finn. She has grace and humor and wisdom, and I couldn’t control my laughter when she told Peyton, “Oh, don’t kill yourself, honey. You’ll miss the sunset.”
She tossed that quip out after she’d been sharing some details of his parent’s relationship that Peyton found incredibly embarrassing to hear. That led him to say that if she didn’t stop, he’d throw himself off the pier.
At another point, she counsels him, “Everything worth knowing has to be learned by doin’.”
Please, can I have my very own Aunt Gert?
This is definitely a sweet romance story, with the relationship of Peyton’s parents mirroring his relationship with Lisa, the girl he loves. And the girl he sets out to find in Key West, just like his father made the trip to find his true love.
Sometimes the book reads like a travelogue or a series of journal entries. But for me, that didn’t take away my enjoyment. Right from the beginning, I was truly invested in Peyton, and the people in his life, and I was happy to go along for his ride.
The Key to Everything, a novel by Valerie Fraser Luesse, tells the tale of 15-year-old Peyton Cabot. The only child of well-to-do parents, Peyton must watch his tender-hearted father, broken by the battlefield, as he tries to drown his demons in a bottle of bourbon. For the complete review, please go to https://kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2020/06/18/the-key-to-everything/.
“Somewhere along the way, you have to draw your own map.”
The Key to Everything by Valerie Fraser Luesse is a beautifully written, coming of age, road trip adventure with fun characters that is a perfect way to start your summer.
Peyton Cabot is not sure what to make of his family, where he does not feel like he belongs and is in love with a red headed girl. He loses his dad in a tragic accident and decides to follow in his footsteps. Peyton takes a life changing bike trip down the coast of Florida to Key West using his dads map. Along the way he meets interesting people, people that knew his dad, people who invest in Peyton. Once he arrives in Key West, Peyton finds his love.
I loved all the character’s including the children that Peyton rescued and felt like I was riding right along-side him. An uplifting, emotional story that gives us all hope that yes, there are plenty of good human beings in this world. We all must all have hope and love in our hearts.
This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group/Revell through Interviews & Reviews.