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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Read in 2 days on the holiday weekend. Great read and adventure. I am grateful to learn so many things through historical fiction and this was no exception. I had not knowledge of the Hurricane of 1935 nor how much we let down our WWI Veterans. Also, I'm also a sucker for a happy ending.
It’s April, 1935 in South Florida. The Great Depression is taking it’s toll and there’s a devastating hurricane on the way. It’s an ideal setting for this story of romance, intrigue, and second chances.
Pregnant waitress Helen Berner is the central figure at Ruby’s Restaurant in Key West. Close to the railroad station and the ferry terminal, “most everyone comes through Ruby’s at some point.” Helen is unhappily married to Tom Berner, a drunken and abusive fisherman. One of her regulars, quiet, polite John, takes a liking to her, and comes to her aid when she’s mugged one night on her two-mile walk home. John and Ruby both give Helen the courage to leave Tom. She takes the ferry to reunite with her beloved Aunt Alice in Islamorada. John has business in the area and offers to accompany her.
Mirta Perez Cordero is the skittish, just-married wife of the notorious, gun-toting criminal, Anthony Cordero, who won her hand in marriage from her father in a poker game. They are in Florida from New York on their honeymoon. She and Helen share a moment at the restaurant while Anthony tends to their flat tire.
While Helen and Mirta are unfulfilled in their relationships, Elizabeth Preston is flirty and outwardly carefree. She passes through Ruby‘s restaurant and sits at Helen’s table and shares her story. She is there from New York to search for her long-lost brother in a veterans camp, while simultaneously escaping from her dangerous husband-to-be, Frank Morgan who “started a crime wave” in New York.
Just as Helen is rescued by John, Elizabeth is rescued by Sam Watson who she meets on the train from Miami to Key West. He’s an FBI agent who is not who he appears to be. “People are a mystery, and the second you think you have them figured out, they surprise you.”
The chapters cycle through, telling the stories of each woman in turn. At some point a scorecard might not be a bad idea, because the stories do overlap and there are similarities in the women’s circumstances. When the storm finally hits, the story really picks up, and each of the characters show their true colors. There are plenty of twists and turns to maintain interest, and the almost-always-present sense of danger keeps the pages turning.
Pregnant waitress Helen Berner is the central figure at Ruby’s Restaurant in Key West. Close to the railroad station and the ferry terminal, “most everyone comes through Ruby’s at some point.” Helen is unhappily married to Tom Berner, a drunken and abusive fisherman. One of her regulars, quiet, polite John, takes a liking to her, and comes to her aid when she’s mugged one night on her two-mile walk home. John and Ruby both give Helen the courage to leave Tom. She takes the ferry to reunite with her beloved Aunt Alice in Islamorada. John has business in the area and offers to accompany her.
Mirta Perez Cordero is the skittish, just-married wife of the notorious, gun-toting criminal, Anthony Cordero, who won her hand in marriage from her father in a poker game. They are in Florida from New York on their honeymoon. She and Helen share a moment at the restaurant while Anthony tends to their flat tire.
While Helen and Mirta are unfulfilled in their relationships, Elizabeth Preston is flirty and outwardly carefree. She passes through Ruby‘s restaurant and sits at Helen’s table and shares her story. She is there from New York to search for her long-lost brother in a veterans camp, while simultaneously escaping from her dangerous husband-to-be, Frank Morgan who “started a crime wave” in New York.
Just as Helen is rescued by John, Elizabeth is rescued by Sam Watson who she meets on the train from Miami to Key West. He’s an FBI agent who is not who he appears to be. “People are a mystery, and the second you think you have them figured out, they surprise you.”
The chapters cycle through, telling the stories of each woman in turn. At some point a scorecard might not be a bad idea, because the stories do overlap and there are similarities in the women’s circumstances. When the storm finally hits, the story really picks up, and each of the characters show their true colors. There are plenty of twists and turns to maintain interest, and the almost-always-present sense of danger keeps the pages turning.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Predictable, unrealistic plot with a good historical overview
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars actually. I loved this book. Quick read, which for me means it was REALLY GOOD. I loved the characters and I especially love that the protagonists are female. The 3 in this story were easy to cheer for. This is the 3rd of Cleeton's books I've read and I'll keep going - they do not disappoint!
Yeah, it’s a little sappy and the ending might wrap up a little too tidily, but sometimes you just want a “feel good” read. Perfect beach vacation read. I enjoyed predicting (only somewhat successfully) how the characters lives would be interwoven.
3.5 stars rounded up
Chanel redeemed herself with this book. The premise was still a little far fetched but the connection between the characters was interesting and the tension building for the impending storm kept me hooked. And I felt the ending was really well done.
Chanel redeemed herself with this book. The premise was still a little far fetched but the connection between the characters was interesting and the tension building for the impending storm kept me hooked. And I felt the ending was really well done.
I was completely captured by this book.
I love books with multiple narrators/perspectives and I was invested in each of these women's stories. Each of the women were smart, strong, and capable in their own way. Knowing that the hurricane was on the horizon made the action leading up to it much more thrilling. When I got to the part of the book when the hurricane hit and was reading about the damage it was causing, my heart was racing! One of the reasons that I enjoy historical fiction is because I always learn something new within the book I read. Before reading this book, I never heard about this hurricane, the Overseas Railroad, or the impact it had on US veterans, but I was fascinated by those accurate historical tie-ins.
Helen, Mirta, and Elizabeth were great leading ladies and although they all had very different stories and different lives, they were each trying to prove themselves in some way. The more I read, the quicker I wanted to see how each ones' story ended!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it'd be a quick read for anyone because of how captivating the story is.
I love books with multiple narrators/perspectives and I was invested in each of these women's stories. Each of the women were smart, strong, and capable in their own way. Knowing that the hurricane was on the horizon made the action leading up to it much more thrilling. When I got to the part of the book when the hurricane hit and was reading about the damage it was causing, my heart was racing! One of the reasons that I enjoy historical fiction is because I always learn something new within the book I read. Before reading this book, I never heard about this hurricane, the Overseas Railroad, or the impact it had on US veterans, but I was fascinated by those accurate historical tie-ins.
Helen, Mirta, and Elizabeth were great leading ladies and although they all had very different stories and different lives, they were each trying to prove themselves in some way. The more I read, the quicker I wanted to see how each ones' story ended!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it'd be a quick read for anyone because of how captivating the story is.