Almost Home

Valerie Fraser Luesse

Mar 2019 · RB Media · Narrated by Kate Forbes

About this audiobook

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. Award-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.

Ratings and reviews

This was a story that kept me guessing until the end. And left me wanting more. What a wonderful description of how a group of strangers became friends and all survived the depression and the second world war. The story takes place in Blackberry Springs, Alabama. You will genuinely care for Ms. Luesse's characters. We have a wonderful mix of people, who have all suffered lose and find themselves at Dolly's boarding house. It would be hard to pick a favorite. We have an unemployed couple of professors from Chicago, an estranged young couple from the Midwest, a widower from Mississippi, and a shattered young veteran struggling to heal from the war. There are a couple of outstanding neighbors as well, a young widow named Daisy and a special older blind neighbor named Lillian. There is so much to this book. You will learn what it means to help your neighbor. How to be a true friend. And how sharing helps the load grow lighter. This could have been a dark and sad novel, but I loved the way this author was able to draw hope out of the darkness. I enjoyed this story so much and I would definitely recommend it. I received a copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.