~ REVELL READS BLOG TOUR ~
-- 'THE KEY TO EVERYTHING' --
AUTHOR VALERIE FRASER LUESSE
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight, Author
Bio, Links to Book Trailer & Excerpt,
and Review~
ABOUT THE BOOK:
"Promise me you'll never
come back here, Peyton. It's too much--it's just way too much."
Peyton Cabot's fifteenth year will be a painful and transformative one. His father, the heroic but reluctant head of a moneyed Savannah family, has come home from World War II a troubled vet, drowning his demons in bourbon and distancing himself from his son. A tragic accident shows Peyton the depths of his parents' devotion to each other but interrupts his own budding romance with the girl of his dreams.
Struggling to cope with a young life upended, Peyton makes a daring decision: He will retrace a journey his father took at fifteen, riding his bicycle from St. Augustine, Florida, all the way to Key West. Part declaration of independence, part search for self, Peyton's journey will bring him more than he ever could have imagined--namely, the key to his unknowable father, a longed-for reunion, and a calling that will shape the rest of his life.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:
Peyton Cabot's fifteenth year will be a painful and transformative one. His father, the heroic but reluctant head of a moneyed Savannah family, has come home from World War II a troubled vet, drowning his demons in bourbon and distancing himself from his son. A tragic accident shows Peyton the depths of his parents' devotion to each other but interrupts his own budding romance with the girl of his dreams.
Struggling to cope with a young life upended, Peyton makes a daring decision: He will retrace a journey his father took at fifteen, riding his bicycle from St. Augustine, Florida, all the way to Key West. Part declaration of independence, part search for self, Peyton's journey will bring him more than he ever could have imagined--namely, the key to his unknowable father, a longed-for reunion, and a calling that will shape the rest of his life.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:
"This is the kind of book you can't wait to get home and read every night."--Sara Peterson, editor in chief of HGTV Magazine, on Almost Home
"Valerie Fraser Luesse once again directs a symphony of characters, charming readers with her storytelling expertise and captivating dialogue."--BookPage on Almost Home
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Valerie Fraser Luesse is the bestselling author of the Christy Award-winning Missing
Isaac and Almost Home, as well as an award-winning magazine writer best known
for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she is currently
senior travel editor. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern
culture, Luesse received the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast
Tourism Society for her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in
Mississippi and Louisiana. A graduate of Auburn University and Baylor
University, she lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Dave.
LINK TO EXCERPT, COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHERLINK TO BOOK TRAILER, COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHER
REVIEW:
In 2019, I read and reviewed another historical novel written by this exceptional author. Almost Home was one of my favorite novels of 2019. When The Key to Everything came up for review through the Revell Reads Blogger Program, I did not hesitate to submit my request to participate in this tour.
The Key to Everything is set in Georgia and Florida beginning in April, 1947. Fifteen-year-old Peyton Cabot is the only child of Marshall and Katie Cabot.
I do not wish to give away too much about the plot or the characters because one must read this book for oneself. Tragedy strikes at the beginning of the story, and Peyton and Katie spend the remainder of the tale unraveling their thoughts and feelings about Marshall's life and how it affected their lives.
As the characters peeled away layer after layer of their perceptions of life in the Cabot family, the broader themes of seeking truth no matter how painful, the reality of cruelty and unkindness in familial relationships, jealousy, greed, and deep grief emerged. I felt these difficult topics were handled in a realistic and sensitive manner.
I especially enjoyed the descriptions the author wrote about Peyton's bicycle journey in Florida. There is a lot of depth to the characters and the setting as he meets and becomes friends with diverse individuals and various types of people he has never met in his sheltered existence back home. I felt Peyton's story was one of adventure, yearning, deep love, loyalty, wonder, and the quest to find a life of happiness and joy in small things.
This is another beautifully-written story by this author . . .
The author graciously wrote an Epilogue set in 1967 which gives readers a glimpse into the lives of the characters twenty years out. I always consider an Epilogue to be a bonus gift from the author of a standalone novel.
Highly-recommended for fans of Christian historical fiction/romance, WWII fiction, Southern fiction, and historical family sagas.
The Key to Everything is set in Georgia and Florida beginning in April, 1947. Fifteen-year-old Peyton Cabot is the only child of Marshall and Katie Cabot.
I do not wish to give away too much about the plot or the characters because one must read this book for oneself. Tragedy strikes at the beginning of the story, and Peyton and Katie spend the remainder of the tale unraveling their thoughts and feelings about Marshall's life and how it affected their lives.
As the characters peeled away layer after layer of their perceptions of life in the Cabot family, the broader themes of seeking truth no matter how painful, the reality of cruelty and unkindness in familial relationships, jealousy, greed, and deep grief emerged. I felt these difficult topics were handled in a realistic and sensitive manner.
I especially enjoyed the descriptions the author wrote about Peyton's bicycle journey in Florida. There is a lot of depth to the characters and the setting as he meets and becomes friends with diverse individuals and various types of people he has never met in his sheltered existence back home. I felt Peyton's story was one of adventure, yearning, deep love, loyalty, wonder, and the quest to find a life of happiness and joy in small things.
This is another beautifully-written story by this author . . .
The author graciously wrote an Epilogue set in 1967 which gives readers a glimpse into the lives of the characters twenty years out. I always consider an Epilogue to be a bonus gift from the author of a standalone novel.
Highly-recommended for fans of Christian historical fiction/romance, WWII fiction, Southern fiction, and historical family sagas.
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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