The Last Train to Key West
Book Review - The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton
The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton is the third in this series. Click here to read my reviews of Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba, the first and second book in the series, respectively. And if you want to learn more about the author, click here for my author interview with Chanel Cleeton. At this point I think the review is spoiled, I’m obviously a fan since I chose to keep reading Chanel’s novels. But until you’ve read one of her books, it is hard to understand just how beautiful her writing is.
The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton is about three women: Helen Berner, Mirta Perez, and Elizabeth Preston. Helen is a Key West-native, pregnant, and trapped in an abusive marriage. Mirta agrees to an arranged marriage with an American engaged in illegal business in order to help her family. Elizabeth is running from her past in New York City in search of her long-lost brother.
The way Chanel Cleeton weaves the stories together is exquisite. The end of each chapter made me eager to start a new one, causing me to finish this book in just a few days. If I’d had the time, I would have finished it in one sitting. I often wonder if that is a compliment to writers, finishing their book in a day. I mean, they spend a year (on average) researching and writing and publishing this book only for readers to devour it in a single sitting. We can’t help it, we just have to know what happens!