Almost Home #ourgoodlifebooklist

I am so eager to share with you this book that I read over vacation last week called Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse. I read Missing Isaac last year, so I was excited to see that this author had written a second book. 

Maybe it was the region I was in (Sedona) but this book had a mystical quality I haven't heard any other reviewer comment on.  I think that the second story in the book is what gave me that feeling, a little bit like you feel when you feel another "presence" in the room.

I highly recommend this novel, so if you are the sort of person who thinks all book reviews should be scathing remarks about the author's craft, you might want to move along to the next blog.  This book made me smile from the beginning to the end.  

This adorable story is set in the 1940s, on a loop of road in Alabama. For those of you who know me well, you know that Bob's family lived on a loop in the middle of nowhere, Missouri.  I instantly felt at home and understood the closeness of those who live on the loop.  In the middle of the look is Dolly's 100-year-old home that has been opened to boarders to help pay the taxes on this special home that has been in the family for decades.  We meet each set of characters, learn of their struggles and watch Dolly turn this group of people into a family.  There is a strong faith foundation in this story, but it is not trying to turn you into a Christian, it just shows you how strong their faith is in coping with the trials that come with living.

We meet such a diverse lot of characters, some better developed than others, that become important to you as you read through the book.  First, there is Dolly and Josiah, who owns the home, Harry and Evelyn who are former college professors from Chicago, Joe, a widower trying to come to terms with the loss of his wife, and Anna and Jesse who are working to save their farm. A secondary set of characters are equally as important, Daisy, a war widow, and Reed, who comes home from the war with a serious injury, come into the story late but create a love story that makes your heart swoon.

Intertwined through these stories is a mystery of the house, of a renegade pirate and his wife, who have supposedly buried treasure somewhere on the property.  The women fantasize about finding the treasure and saving Dolly's house.  Will that come to pass?  You are going to have to read to find out!

The themes presented in this book are ones we've encountered before: do we calmly accept what life gives us or do we duke it out to the end, do we succumb to our injuries or persevere through them? Can love heal all wounds?

This is a delightful, heartwarming book.  I would call this a wonderful curl-up-at home book but since the weather is getting warmer, consider this one for your vacation read like I did.  You won't regret it.

As always, if you liked this review, considering purchasing this book from the link below. I will make a small commission and that helps this blog continue to grow!