Almost Home: A Novel by Valerie Fraser Luesse
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. n nAn 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. n nWhen 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. n nAward-winning and bestselling author Valerie Fraser Luesse breathes life into a cast of unforgettable characters in this complex and compassionate story of hurt and healing. n nEditorial Reviews n n01/28/2019 n nLuesse (Missing Isaac) creates an engrossing ensemble cast in this historical romance about the strength of new friendship during times of war. As WWII rages, a small band of strangers deal with home front hardships in Blackberry Springs, Ala. Dolly Chandler takes in boarders to pay the bills. First come a couple of quiet, unemployed professors from Chicago, then an obnoxious couple from Reno, and soon the house is filled as workers come to work in munitions plants. Arriving from a small farming town in Illinois, Jesse and Anna Williams are having a hard time with their marriage when they move into the house and meet Army medic Reed Ingram, who has just returned from the war. Having grown up nearby, Reed hopes returning to the place of happier memories will heal his emotional and physical scars. Dolly, a deeply faithful woman, offers prayers and her own guidance to help him. Anna also bonds with a young widow from Mississippi and an elderly boarder after they discover old journals left by Charlotte Chauvin, the wife of a local Robin Hood character who built Dolly's house. The mysterious disappearance of the couple decades earlier fostered rumors, including the possibility of undiscovered treasure. Luesse presents a heartwarming story of the power of relationships, and how the most inopportune circumstances can yield unexpectedly rewarding results. (Mar.) n- Publishers Weekly
Publication Details
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Binding: Paperback
Published by: Baker Publishing Group: , 2019
Edition:
ISBN: 9780800729639 | 0800729633
336 pages.
Book Condition: Very Good
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