Almost Home

My introduction to Valerie Luesse was a surprising delight.  Almost Home gave such a breath-taking view of life at home during World War II.  The United States is just coming out of a decade long depression and people are looking for jobs wherever they can find them. 

Dolly and Si have a boarding house in Blackberry Springs, Alabama.  They are trying to save money to pay the taxes on the house so that they won't lose it.  Si has lots of schemes to come up with the money.  His latest being building a lake and a skating rink in an old barn.  Some of the residents help Si out during their free times.

Dolly uses her home as a place of healing for those who need it.  Anna and Jesse are a young couple who have moved from Illinois to Alabama so that Jesse can work and save money to go back to their farm.  Reed is a wounded soldier who needs to heal from his mental and physical wounds.  Although Daisy doesn't live in Dolly's boarding house, she needs Dolly's healing touch too.  She is a widow of the war, and needs to give herself permission to start over.

Underneath the over-arcing story is the story of Andre and Catherine--a pirate and a preacher's daughter.  All kinds of legends and myths revolve around Andre, including a buried treasure.

This is definitely a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a diary/map to the treasure.

My thanks to Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read.