The Last Train to Key West

Another great book by Chanel Cleeton! I love this series that started with Next Year in Havana. In this book in the series, the author takes a bit of a different approach and brings in characters from outside the Perez family. Through the stories of three women from different areas and different backgrounds, Cleeton recounts the events of a devastating hurricane in the Florida Keys in 1935.

The story is told through three perspectives. Helen is a waitress in Key West who knows she must get away from her abusive husband before her baby arrives. Elizabeth is a former debutante who has come to the Keys to find her brother in hopes that he can save her from having to marry a man she does not love. Mirta has left Cuba with her new husband, a man of questionable reputation, and is honeymooning in the Keys. These women's stories intersect as a major hurricane hits.

The female characters in this book are strong women who make the best of their situations. Each of them is vulnerable and at the mercy of men in their lives, but they assert themselves and fight to gain control of their destinies. The men of this story are secondary to the women. They are likable and provide support to the women.

The three story lines come together nicely as the plot moves along. The hurricane is a constant threat throughout the first half of the novel, and then becomes the major plot element in the second half. Interest in the story never wanes. Some subplots feel a little unnecessary, but they do not detract from the main storyline.

Overall, I found this book to be quite good. I did not enjoy it as much as the first two books because it did not focus on Cuba and the Perez family, but I still found it engaging.