~ BLOG TOUR ALMOST HOME ~

~ BLOG TOUR STOP ~

--  'ALMOST HOME'  --

AUTHOR VALERIE FRASER LUESSE

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Author

Bio, Link to Excerpt & Review~

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The things that tear us apart can also bring us together.

With America's entrance into World War II, 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.

A struggling young couple from the Midwest, unemployed professors from Chicago, a widower from Mississippi, and a shattered young veteran struggling to heal from the war are 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.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

"This is the kind of book you can't wait to get home and read every night--to meet up with characters you genuinely like in a feels-so-real place you want to be."--Sara Peterson, editor in chief, HGTV Magazine

"A story of kindness, friendship, and healing, Almost Home shines."--Nancy Dorman-Hickson, coauthor of the award-winning Diplomacy and Diamonds

"Witty, wise, and moving. . . . Almost Home abundantly reveals how friendship and faith endure in spite of--and sometimes because of--trying times."--Jim Baker, journalist and author of The Empty Glass

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Valerie Fraser Luesse is the bestselling author of Missing Isaac and is an award-winning magazine writer best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she is currently a senior travel editor. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, Luesse has published major pieces on the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Delta, Louisiana's Acadian Prairie, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana won the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

EXCERPT:

LINK TO EXCERPT COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHER

MY REVIEW:
I enjoy historical Southern fiction, so when this book came up for review I knew I wanted to read it. I am so glad I did!

This author is simply a master storyteller. The words of her narrative and the characters' dialogue is seamless, realistic, and engaging. 

I spent a many of my childhood summer vacations surrounded by people who were in the various age groups of this ensemble of characters. This story is set in Alabama; my family was raised in Louisiana and Mississippi. Reading the vocabulary and idioms used by the characters in this novel was like attending a family reunion. {A lifetime favorite saying of mine which is included on page 66 of this manuscript is: "It's time to fish or cut bait."}

There are two stories going on simultaneously in this book. The present-time story set in 1944 and the legend of Catherine and Andrew set a century earlier in the 1840s. The women of the present-day ensemble--Dolly, Anna, Daisy, and Evelyn--become entranced by Catherine and Andrew's love story as they read Catherine's journals. 

Another unique and treasured character is an elderly blind woman, Lillian, who is a neighbor on 'the loop' -- the rural neighborhood where the story takes place. Miss Lillian offers her keen insight and advice to the younger characters. She seems to have an intuition about people and love which astonishes those with whom she comes in contact.

I don't want to spoil the story, so I won't give any more details about how the plot progresses or which secrets are revealed as the women delve into the journals and discuss the contents. Suffice to say this is a beautifully-written story whose characters and plot I will be pondering for a long time to come . . . I look forward to reading more work by this author, including her previous award-winning novel entitled, 'Finding Isaac'.

This book is highly-recommended to fans of historical fiction, WWII fiction, Southern fiction, women's fiction, and inspirational romance.

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Disclosure from blogger: I received a paperback copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review to be posted on my blog and on retailer sites and Goodreads. I received no compensation for my review or posts here or on any other site.
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