The Last Train to Key West

by Chanel Cleeton

Instant New York Times bestseller

One 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 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.

• ISBN10: 0451490886
• ISBN13: 9780451490889
• Publish Date: 16 June 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451490889

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Three women from very different backgrounds find themselves all preparing for the same historic storm. They are each running from or running to something, and find the strength and power to do so in the face of a storm of historic proportions.

I started this series, because I was a fan of Cleeton's contemporary romance books. I don't really gravitate towards historical fiction, but I am a fan of the stories Cleenton tells. I wasn't sure how I would feel about this installment as it did not take place in Cuba and the rest of the Perez family was absent. However, I shouldn't have doubted that Cleeton would, once again, win my heart with her captivating storytelling.

This book finds us in the Keys during the depression. Newly married Mirta Perez is on her honeymoon and trying to get to know her new husband, a veritable stranger and well known criminal. While stopping over in Key West, she crosses paths with a pregnant waitress named Helen, who is a victim of domestic abuse, as well as a fallen socialite, Elizabeth, who is searching for her brother while trying to outrun her fiancé.

All three of these women had compelling storylines, which kept me in rapt attention. Their trials were so diverse, but I admired the way each dug deep, and found the will to keep pushing forward. I loved the touch of romance all the plot lines contained, but was especially delighted when I discovered the connection among the three women.

The most interesting thing about all the CUBA books has been the historical events Cleeton highlighted. The "star" of this book would be the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. It was a category 5 storm, when it made landfall between Miami and Key West leaving death and destruction in its path. I must admit, I loved the way the storylines ramped up as the storm grew in power. When the winds accelerated, so did my heart, as the characters found themselves in life or death situations. My adrenaline was pumping as I flipped those pages, and I loved every second of it.

I am known for being fussy about my endings, but I have ZERO complaints here. It was nice and tidy, just the way I like it, and I was happy with the direction each woman's life was taking.

Overall: I was swept away by this story, which showcased interesting historical events as well as three strong and determined women.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[kimbacaffeinate]

The story takes place in Key West, Florida, in 1935. When one of the Key’s worst hurricanes hits the lives of three women will be irrevocably changed.

• Helen Berner is nine months pregnant and a Key West native. Married to an abusive off-shore fisherman, she works long hours at the local diner, and daydreams about her husband’s untimely death.


• Marta Pérez has left her family behind in Cuba following her arranged marriage. Before beginning their life in New York, they are taking a mini honeymoon in Key West to get to know each other. (ties to the previous novels mentioned above)


• Elizabeth Preston arrives from New York hoping to find the only person who can save her from what awaits her in New York.

The Last Train to Key West delivers the perspective of each woman and shares not one but three budding romances. Suspense, danger and intrigue await you along with the terrifying hurricane of 1935.

I loved how easily I slipped into the story. Each woman was fascinating, and their stories pulled me in. The characters were well-developed and Cleeton slowly weaved their storylines together as the storm built off the coast.

A captivating, heartfelt novel rich in historical detail shedding light on not only the brutal effects of the 1935 hurricane but the living conditions of some of our forgotten heroes. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[girlinthepages]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I'm a huge fan of Cleeton's previous Cuban themed historical fiction novels, and The Last Train to Key West is no exception. Cleeton has created a fictional world of strong female protagonists exploring the nuances of Cuban and American politics across her companion novels, and while each story explores a fascinating mix of history, drama, and romance, I found The Last Train to Key West to be my favorite yet!

The Last Train to Key West has subtle nods to Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba, featuring a protagonist who is Beatriz and Elisa's aunt, Mirta, who's just been married off to an American "businessman" and left Cuba for a honeymoon in the Florida Keys. While as an avid fan of Cleeton's first two novels I enjoyed the references to the Perez family, reading her prior books is not necessary to enjoy this story. Cleeton's third novel focuses less on post WWII Cuba and more on Cuban American politics, taking place in the Florida Keys during the great depression and exploring the aftermath of WWI on the country. The story also follows three separate women, all from very different backgrounds and geographic locations: Mirta from Cuba, Elizabeth from New York, and Helen from Key West. While it was my first time reading a Cleeton novel that centered protagonists outside of the Perez family, I found the different POVs to be well written and they all intersected and were woven together perfectly to create a cohesive story.

Helen, a waitress at a local diner, is in a marriage she longs to escape but feels bound by societal pressure and has a baby on the way. Her job sets the scene for many of the pivotal encounters of the story, as key players to the plot pass in and out of the diner and interact with her. She's steady, thoughtful, and resilient. I loved her story of quiet strength and think out of all of the characters she had the greatest character arc, from downtrodden wife to resilient mother in just the space of a few days.

Elizabeth is a former socialite who's family fell into financial ruin due to the Great Depression. She's decided to take fate into her own hands by traveling down to Key West from New York by herself to find a long lost relation who she believes can help save her family. She ends up meeting and teaming up with a federal investigator when she reaches Key West and finds herself involved in an organized crime investigation. Elizabeth's story took quite a few turns and yet paralleled the other two women's in its own way.

Mirta, the Perez family's relative, has just arrived in Key West on her honeymoon with a man she barely knows, a "businessman" from New York with a questionably large sum of money and even more questionable connections. Through Mirta readers gain insight into the unrest that's befalling Cuba, with Machado falling out of favor and Batista taking over (an interesting parallel to Next Year in Havana when Elisa's family is then dealing with the same predicament when Castro comes to power and ousts Batista). Mirta is unsure of her new husband's temperament and motivations and what life away from her beloved Cuba will be like. I found her story to be the most interesting and actually really enjoyed the romance between her and Anthony!

I loved that all three protagonists had different motivations, goals and priorities and though they all went about their journeys in different ways, their paths kept crossing (even if they didn't realize it). There were a few twists and connections I was able to guess early on but others that really took me by surprise but were excellently and sneakily woven in by the author. The fact that the author was able to make me so invested in the characters' lives in a book that essentially takes place over the course of a long weekend was truly impressive, and I would 100% love to see these women pop up in Cleeton's future works, even in just cameo appearances! I would also say that this novel is less political and more character driven than Cleeton's other installments in this series, which makes it a quick, page turner of a read but is still clearly well researched and adds color and life to elements of Depression-era history that many may not be familiar with, including the WWI veterans' camps in the Florida Keys and The Bonus Army.

I can't fail to mention the backdrop and perhaps catalyst for the entire story, the Labor Day hurricane. I did a little internet sleuthing and this hurricane was one of the deadliest to ever make landfall in the United States and pretty much obliterated the Keys- and the author pays homage to the devastating experience in her writing. All three of the women face the hurricane in different dire circumstances, from being trapped in a floating cottage that's been ripped from it's foundation to dealing with desperate looters to being swept away in the storm surge itself; the descriptions of what the characters faced were truly catastrophic and mind-boggling. As someone who lives nowhere near a hurricane zone, it's hard to fathom the magnitude of the damage but Cleeton paints the terror and sensory experience of the storm so vividly, and doesn't hold back in detailing the horrific aftermath.

Overall: The Last Train to Key West is a fabulous, fast paced historical fiction novel that explores the intersection of the lives of three dynamic women and their journeys through finding both independence and romance. The plot was intricately crafted and even the smallest details seamlessly came together by the end of the story. I can't recommend this book enough for even the most casual fans of historical fiction!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley publishing group for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review!

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