Instant New York Times bestsellerOne of Bustle’s Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020 “The perfect riveting summer read!”—BookBub In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic … 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.
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This latest release leaves the focus of Cuban American history for the most part and settles on a slice of Floridan history of the 1930’s. Three separate women’s lives intertwine over one fateful holiday weekend in the Florida Keys. It was an emotional and engaging story that I easily settled into and read swiftly.
The Last Train to Key West is a standalone. I think one of the heroines, Mirta Perez might be aunt to the Perez women of the previous books, but I’m not sure. Either way, it was a great story- or should I say stories since there are three women with their own individual stories that cross paths during the Labor Day weekend.
The first woman introduced is Helen a native of Key West and stuck in a dreary abusive marriage to a local fisherman. She is very pregnant, but works long days at a local diner. A mysterious man from one of the camps comes to her rescue and shows her kindness. He is the spark that she needs to make her bid for freedom during the building storm.
Next, we meet Mirta who agrees to an arranged marriage to help her family back in Cuba. Her husband is a rich, powerful man who has lived a shady past. She is young and wonders how it will be with her husband with only her mother’s advice about duty, pleasing her husband so he will take care of her and remain faithful. Is that how she wants her own marriage to be?
Finally, there is feisty Elizabeth who hides her fears behind a mask. She was once a society girl whose family lost it all in the Crash and then the family crumbled. She is escaping a great deal and hopes to find the one man who might be able to save her. His last postmarked letter was from Key West and she knows he’s in one of the camps. A stranger who doesn’t let her get away with erh flirting games to toy with him ends up offering her help in the search even as a hurricane barrels down on them.
All three were so very different and I found myself cheering for all of them especially when the secrets started coming out. This isn’t a mystery, but there are some great twists all the same. And, between the storm and a few suspense moments, it gets intense.
As to the historical background, it was fascinating. I had no idea about the plight of the soldiers who returned from WWI, about their march on Washington to get their promised bonus money or that they were shipped to camps that seemed an awful lot like labor camps down in the Keys. The hurricane was another part of the history that brought the past to life as did the pre-commercial Key West and the Keys.
There is romance though it looks different for each woman. They were strong in their own ways and discovered men who would treat them well after pasts that were full of pain.
So, another stellar book balancing emotion, suspense, history, complex characters, and a riveting plot from an author that is already hit the autobuy mark with me. Those who love colorful historical fiction with a romantic flavor and an authentic backdrop should give this a try.
What a great book! I am so glad that I finally got around to tackling this book. I had a feeling that I would like this book and boy was I right! It was easy to lose myself in the story and I felt myself caught up in the characters’ lives more and more as I worked my way through the book. I am so glad that I decided to grab the audiobook since the narrators really took this book to the next level.
This book is told from three points of view. All three of the women at the heart of the story were strong women facing a pivotal moment in their lives. Throw in a natural disaster and you have the makings of a fantastic story. I really liked all three of the women in this book but I have to admit that Helen held a special place in my heart in this story. The paths of these women cross at a small diner in Key West and I couldn’t wait to see how they would meet again.
I loved the characters in this book. Helen is a waitress at the restaurant where she meets the other women. She is heavily pregnant and married to an abusive husband. Mirta stops in the restaurant fresh from Cuba with her new husband and is just trying to make sense of her new life. Elizabeth makes her way to Key West to find a man only to learn that he is most likely to be found at one of the veteran’s camps. These three women are all facing major challenges and I really enjoyed seeing them find their own inner strength.
The story was really exciting. There were some pretty scary moments for these women and there were times that I wasn’t sure how things would work out. I loved that there was a bit of romance worked in because I think it added a lot to the story. There was a bit of a puzzle as to how these three lives would come together and as the pieces snapped into place, I was sometimes quite surprised.
Kyla Garcia, Rachel L. Jacobs, and Karissa Vacker did a wonderful job with the narration of this book. I liked the fact that their voices were all very different because that made it very easy to tell whose point of view the story had moved to. I think that they all were able to voice multiple characters quite well and I loved how much emotion and excitement they were able to add to their reading. I believe that their narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.
I would recommend this book to others. This was a very well-told story that featured some remarkable characters. I love that some events from the past that I had never heard of were woven into the story. I will definitely be looking out for futures books by Chanel Cleeton.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via Edelweiss and purchased a copy of the audiobook.
This was a great story with wonderful characters. Very interesting time in history. i couldn’t put this book down.
Interesting characters and historical facts
I found it to be unique.
Written largely in dialog, characters walk right off the page & into your heart. Have been to Florida many, many times & traced the paths taken from memory. It is truly amazing what the love of a good man or woman can do!
6 strangers, & you will never guess how all their lives will intertwine.You cry with them & their troubles, struggle with them as they strive to survive a cat 5 hurricane. The hurricane is a historical fact & hundreds didn’t survive. Tragedy is overcome with humor & joy.
Great book!!
I loved this book. I cared about the 3 women whose lives we see and was interested in their story. The story lined moved along nicely and the author wove their stories perfectly. Highly recommend.
The 1935 hurricane is one of Florida’s most famous events. This novel told the story through different eyes than the residents. The 3 main characters were not from Islamorada, and how they got there and their lives were intertwined was an excellent read
I love how the characters lives intertwined. Great story about a tragic event.
What a great book with wonderful characters along with some Florida history thrown in ! Couldn’t put it down, would live a sequel.
The book taught the reader some new things about the Florida Keys. How the book unfolded was interesting to see how the characters’ lives were interwoven. It was a love story, mystery, and adventure story turned into historical fiction.
Loved it! I thought about it for days!
Probably great for junior high or high school beach read. Poorly written and very little about the hurricane or the people of Key West and poor Vets. Would NOT recommend to anyone.
Good read… didn’t know previously about devastating hurricane that hit the Keys in the 30’s.
I love this authors Cuban series. Great characters and story lines
I truly enjoyed this book. The characters were very real and it was well researched historically. I highly recommend it for an enjoyable read.
Enjoyed it, liked that it included some of the historical information relating to the Keys. A light read for between the more serious reads.
There was so much twisting and turning in The Last Train. Kept my interest the entire time.