Almost Home is a tender tale that transports readers to Blackberry Springs, Alabama, amid World War II. The time period and setting are vividly portrayed, as is the community that surrounds Dolly Chandler’s family home. The cast of characters is delightfully engaging, and I was moved by their individual stories and struggles. Their heartache and healing bring emotional depth to this sweet, southern story, and its lyrical writing makes it a pleasure to read. I thoroughly enjoyed Almost Home and look forward to reading more from Valerie Fraser Luesse.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.
About the book:
With America’s entrance into the Second World War, the town of Blackberry Springs, Alabama, has exploded virtually overnight. Workers from all over are coming south for jobs in Uncle Sam’s munitions plants–and they’re bringing their pasts with them, right into Dolly Chandler’s grand but fading family home turned boardinghouse.
An estranged young couple from the Midwest, unemployed professors from Chicago, a widower from Mississippi, a shattered young veteran struggling to heal from the war–they’re all hoping Dolly’s house will help them find their way back to the lives they left behind. But the house has a past of its own.
When tragedy strikes, Dolly’s only hope will be the circle of friends under her roof and their ability to discover the truth about what happened to a young bride who lived there a century before.
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