Almost Home: A Novel

By Valerie Fraser Luesse

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781493416608

Valerie Fraser Luesse

Valerie Fraser Luesse is the bestselling author of Missing Isaac, Almost Home, The Key to Everything, and Under the Bayou Moon. She is an award-winning magazine writer best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she recently retired as senior travel editor. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, Luesse received the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society for her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana. A graduate of Auburn University and Baylor University, she lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Dave.

Book preview

"This is the kind of book you can’t wait to get home and read every night—to meet up with characters you genuinely like in a feels-so-real place you want to be. Almost Home is wholeheartedly engaging and uplifting, sweet and sentimental, but also smart, witty, and brilliantly down-to-earth. Finishing this book is like hugging a good friend goodbye—you don’t want to let her go."

Sara Peterson, editor in chief, HGTV Magazine

"A story of kindness, friendship, and healing, Almost Home shines. At an Alabama boardinghouse in the 1940s, characters going through troubled times find hope and help through each other."

Nancy Dorman-Hickson, coauthor of the award-winning Diplomacy and Diamonds and a former editor for Progressive Farmer and Southern Living magazines

"Valerie Fraser Luesse’s Almost Home beautifully depicts that uncertain time in post–World War II America when people from all walks of life were trying to find their way in a world where nothing was the same. Each character contends with their own struggle but learns that when love, compassion, and support are offered, even strangers can turn into family."

Stephanie Patton, publisher/editor, The Leland Progress

"A ragtag group of strangers finds commonality and strength under one roof (literally) in Valerie Fraser Luesse’s witty, wise, and moving second novel. Almost Home abundantly reveals how friendship and faith endure in spite of—and sometimes because of—trying times, and how the things that tear us apart can also bring us together."

Jim Baker, journalist and author of The Empty Glass

Books by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Missing Isaac

Almost Home

© 2019 by Valerie F. Luesse

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4934-1660-8

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

For Missey

Contents

Cover

Endorsements

Books by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Part 1: The Arrival

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Part 2: The Return

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

Part 3: The Goodbyes

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

Epilogue

A Look at another Valerie Fraser Luesse Story

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Back Ads

Back Cover

April 3, 1944

Dear Violet,

How’s everything over in Georgia? I bet you thought you’d never hear from your big sister again! What with getting the lake ready to open and looking after all my boarders, I’m about half crazy. I told Si that if I don’t soon get a minute to prop my feet up and catch my breath, he might as well run on down to Trimble’s and pick me out a casket.

Did I tell you they’ve gone to selling caskets upstairs at the mercantile? They’ve got big yellow name tags you can tie on the handle once you make your selection. Then you just pay at the register, and that sweet little Gilbert boy that stocks the shelves will haul your purchase to the funeral parlor on a flatbed truck. It’s so much more convenient than driving all the way to Childersburg when a loved one passes, but it’s a little spooky to shop for your dry goods, knowing what’s overhead. And anytime you cross the river bridge, you’re likely to meet a casket bound for the funeral home. How about that? Before we can cross Jordan, we’ve got to cross the Coosa.

I have to tell you, sister, I’ve been sorely missing somebody to talk to since you and Wiley moved away to Georgia. I’ve got people all around me from morning till night, but now and again you just want to have a conversation with somebody that doesn’t need you to fry something, iron something, or mop something up. You got anybody to talk to over in Georgia?

Back to my boarders. Granddaddy Talmadge must be rolling over in his grave. I can hear him now: Yankee carpetbaggers! I’m a little ashamed of myself for renting to them, what with his Confederate uniform still hanging in the attic, but we sorely need the money. They say this Depression’s near about over, but I reckon somebody forgot to tell Alabama.

My boarders seem to come and go in cycles. The ones that rented from me at the beginning of the war have all left, and I just filled up with new people. We rented the last of the upstairs rooms a couple of weeks ago, one to a perfectly horrible couple—the Clanahans from Reno, Nevada—and one to a young husband and wife from Illinois, name of Williams. I did NOT show those Reno people our old room—just put them in that drafty back bedroom and saved ours for Mr. and Mrs. Williams when they get here, which ought to be any day now. Something tells me they need it. (Little Mama’s house is talking to me again!)

I’m babbling on and on about nothing, but I sat down here with a purpose, Violet. What with all the comings and goings at home, I’ve decided a thing or two. I think God gives us soul mates—not many but enough to get us through. And I’m not just talking about husbands and wives. I’m talking about those one or two people we meet on life’s journey who see straight through all our nonsense and love us one hundred percent, no matter what. You’re my soul mate, sweet sister. And I never fully appreciated that till now.

Well, I’d best go before I have to reach for that pretty handkerchief you embroidered for me. Some days I hold to it like a lifeline. Hope y’all are still coming for the Fourth. It wouldn’t be a fish fry without my Violet.

Kiss the young’uns for me and give Wiley a hug.

Your loving sister,

Dolly

CHAPTER

one

Anna Williams leaned out the truck window and let the wind blow her damp auburn hair away from her face. She remembered her grandmother’s parting words: I fear Alabama will suffocate you. With each warm gust of wind, Anna felt a fresh wave of loneliness. The family she had left behind in Illinois seemed a million miles away right now. She had yet to see her new home but already missed the old one so much she could hardly bear it.

Need to stop? her husband asked without taking his eyes off the road.

I’m alright. She took a sip of the soda he had bought her at a Texaco station just outside of Birmingham. It wasn’t ice-cold anymore, but it was better than nothing. A quick glance in Jesse’s direction told her nothing had changed—not yet, anyway—but she was hoping and praying.

Jesse had what radio newsmen at the front called the thirty-yard stare—a vacant, somber gaze. It had settled onto his face like a heavy fog and hovered there for the past year. Even though her husband wasn’t a soldier—flatfeet and hardship had kept him out of the service—he was fighting a battle just the same.

Some men collapse under the weight of a failing farm, but Jesse had stood firm—sadly, for both of them, by turning to stone. Now he had decided that the only way to revive their farm was to leave it behind, at least for a while. He was driving them away from everything and everybody they loved, but Anna was determined not to cry in front of her husband. She had to believe that somewhere deep down, he still had a heart, and she didn’t want to break it by letting him know just how desolate she felt.

She looked out her window and took in the countryside. Alabama was so green—a thousand shades of it. Everywhere you looked were towering pines, their branches thick with needles that faded from deep olive to sage to pale chartreuse at the very tips. With the truck windows down, Anna could occasionally catch the heady fragrance of honeysuckle, which draped the fence lines and mounded so heavily in spots that it threatened to take down the barbed wire and liberate the cows. The lush pastures made a thick carpet of grass that looked like emerald velvet. You couldn’t look at grass like that and smell its perfume without wondering what it would be like to stop the truck, strip off your sweaty clothes, and lie down in a bed of cool, green sweetness. That had to be a sin. And it would likely stampede the livestock.

Anna thought to herself that this Southern landscape didn’t so much roll as billow, like a bedsheet fluttering on a clothesline, as the mountains and foothills of Tennessee sank into flatlands around Huntsville, only to soar up again just above Birmingham. The pickup was headed down a two-lane highway that had carried the couple straight through the Magic City—that’s what the radio announcers called Birmingham, though Anna had no idea why—and now she and Jesse were getting their first glimpse of rural Shelby County, where they would be living for the next couple of years.

Help me watch for a dirt road off to the right. Jesse was turning off the Birmingham highway and onto a county blacktop. It’s supposed to have a sign by it that says ‘Talmadge Loop’ or something like that.

They drove past several white clapboard churches and what Anna guessed were cotton fields. She spotted a soybean field or two—at least that much was familiar.

There it is, she said, pointing to a crooked wooden sign nailed to a fence post.

Jesse followed what did indeed appear to be a big loop—more a half-moon of a road, really, connected to the county highway at each end. It was sprinkled with houses, some noticeably nicer than others. Anna saw a yard full of children—colored and white—playing around a tire swing in front of a rickety little house. The walls looked as if they would collapse like a line of dominoes if you so much as leaned against them.

I thought they didn’t believe in mixing down here, she said absently, though she knew Jesse wouldn’t answer. Sometimes she felt as if her husband had an overwhelming need to pretend she wasn’t there.

Jesse pulled into a narrow driveway that led to a stately white two-story house surrounded by oaks and pecan trees so imposing that they had to be a hundred years old. As she stepped out of the truck and felt a breeze, Anna did her best to fluff out her skirt and loosen her sweaty blouse, which was sticking to her like wet tissue paper.

She took in her surroundings. Weathered and in need of fresh paint, the old house still had an air of grandeur about it. Both stories had deep, L-shaped porches with scrolled bannisters wrapping around the front and southern side of the house. The windows were at least six feet tall and flanked by dark green shutters.

Across the road was a long, narrow building that looked a lot like a barn, except for a gigantic side porch big enough to hold a row of Adirondack chairs. Steps led from the porch into a hole almost as big as a football field. Nailed to one of the few pines left standing was a plywood sign that read, Future Home, Lake Chandler.

What do you make of that? Anna asked, pointing to the sign. How do you build a lake?

Jesse just shrugged and motioned for her to follow him to the house. He pulled the cord on a small iron bell mounted beside the front door and waited.

Standing on the porch, Anna realized that the only thing separating inside from outside was screen wire. The front door and all the windows of the house were wide open, but there were screens nailed over all the windows and a screen door at the main entrance. Anna had heard horror stories about the mosquitoes down South and prayed she could get back home without catching yellow fever.

She could hear a distant female voice singing Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition. Jesse looked agitated, shifting his weight and running his fingers through his hair again and again. He gave the cord another yank. The singing abruptly stopped, and a woman who looked to be about fifty came hurrying through the house in a fusillade of footsteps.

Can I help you? she said with a smile as she reached the screen door.

Name’s Williams, Jesse said. Here for our room.

Anna knew he had never rented a room from anybody in his whole life. When they married, they were so excited about the farmhouse he had inherited from his grandparents that they spent their honeymoon there. Last night she had slept in the cab while he slept on a quilt in the truck bed. They just pulled off the road and parked till they were rested enough to keep moving.

My land! the woman exclaimed, opening the door and ushering them inside. I bet y’all are burnin’ up. Come on in here and cool off. She led them to a worn but elegant Victorian settee in front of tall windows in an octagonal parlor, where two rotary fans aimed manufactured breezes all over the room. Now you two just sit there and collect yourself while I go get you some tea.

There’s no need— Jesse tried to stop her, but she was long gone.

Soon their host returned, carrying a tarnished silver tray with two goblets made of fine etched glass. They were filled with iced tea, each with a big wedge of lemon on top. Here you go, she said. Are y’all hungry? Supper’s not till six, but I can get you a slice o’ pound cake or make you some sandwiches with the roast beef I had left over from supper last night. Would you like just a little bite o’ somethin’ to tide you over?

No, Jesse said.

Are you sure? Because it wouldn’t be a bit of trouble. I could just—

Ma’am, we really just want—

We appreciate it, we really do. Anna interrupted her husband for fear he might be outright rude. But we had lunch on the way down.

Well, alright then. You just let me know if you change your mind.

We will—and thank you, really. I’m Anna. This is my husband, Jesse. Could you tell us how we might meet the owner of the house and get settled? Anna thought it best to relieve Jesse of any need for conversation. He sat slumped on the settee, cupping the tea goblet as if he needed an anchor to cling to.

The woman, who had taken a seat opposite the two of them, looked startled. You want to meet the—oh, honey, you just did! I mean, I’m her. You’ll have to forgive my bad manners. I’ve been runnin’ around here like a chicken with its head cut off, tryin’ to get my latest boarders situated, and when y’all went to ringin’ that bell, I got so flustered I plain forgot myself. I’m Mrs. Josiah Chandler, but you can call me Dolly, and you can call my husband Si—if you ever see him, that is. He’s so busy workin’ on the lake, I’ve about forgot what he looks like.

It’s nice to meet you, Anna said. She smiled at her host and took a sip of tea.

Dolly was petite, with what Anna’s grandmother would call a feminine frame. Her chestnut bob was slightly curly, with just a few streaks of gray, and that dark hair made her periwinkle eyes look all the bluer. She wore a cotton shirtwaist dress in a yellow floral print.

I like your tea, Anna said. I’ve never had any quite this sweet.

All my boarders comment on my tea, Dolly said with a smile. The secret is lettin’ the sugar melt while it’s hot and then quick-chillin’ it with ice. I just hope we can keep it sweet with all this rationin’. Oh, well, that’s why Si keeps bees. If we run outta sugar, we’ll just switch to honey. How long have y’all been on the road?

Two days, Anna said.

Mercy! Dolly shook her head. My back hurts just thinkin’ about it.

Is it always this hot in April?

Oh, no, Dolly said. "In fact, it can get downright chilly. I thought we were just havin’ a little heat wave, but Farmer’s Almanac is predictin’ an early summer—it mighta done started. Believe you me, it’s gonna get a lot worse before it gets any better. July and August are always scorchers. That’s how come we’re hurryin’ to get the lake done. Si didn’t come up with the idea till February, so that put us in a bind to get it done by summer. We always have a big fish fry on the Fourth o’ July, and since ever’body on the loop and quite a few folks from church will come, Si figured that was as good a time as any to promote our new business. He says we’re entrepreneurs. I say we’re poor as Job’s turkey and sellin’ everything but the family silver to stay afloat!"

Anna and Dolly laughed together while Jesse stared into his tea.

What will you charge to swim? Anna asked.

Fifty cents, but you only have to pay once a day, and we’re plannin’ to stay open till five o’clock in the evenin’, so you can swim till you prune up if you want to. We’ll be closed on Sunday, o’ course. As long as I’ve got my right mind, there will be no money changin’ on the Sabbath Day.

What’s that building next to the hole—next to the lake, I mean?

Why, that’s the skatin’ rink, Dolly said. It’s been open for a whole year now. Got a dance floor in there too, and Ping-Pong tables down on the far end o’ the porch. The concession stand’s right by the front door. It costs a quarter to skate if you bring your own, fifty cents if you need to rent a pair o’ ours. Ping-Pong’s a dime a game, but we don’t charge folks anything to dance or sit on the front porch and visit. We figure they’ll end up feedin’ nickels into the jukebox or buyin’ a Co-Cola if they stay long enough, and we can’t see any point in bein’ greedy. Ever’body needs a little enjoyment right now, don’t you think?

Yes, Anna said. I think you’re absolutely right.

Now listen, Dolly went on, I know you’re a long way from home and prob’ly missin’ your mama already. But don’t you worry. You’ll make it back to Illinois. Alabama’s just a little stop on your journey. And there’s nice people here and good churches to go to. And if you need anybody to talk to, why, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener, so you just feel free.

Thank you, Dolly. Anna was trying hard not to blink as her eyes began to sting. It’s strange, she thought. Sometimes, when you’re so sad that you’re barely holding yourself together, it’s the kindness of another person—a simple gesture from someone trying to bring comfort—that unleashes the tears. And she knew that Jesse, as usual, was far too preoccupied with his own frustration to notice that she too had reached a breaking point.

If we could—if we could just get our room, he said, standing up and holding out the tea goblet.

Why, of course, Dolly said politely as she took it from him. I’ll do whatever I can to make you comfortable. You’re a guest in my home.

About time, Jesse mumbled as she left the room. Can’t she see that we just want to get this over with?

Anna knew he was prepared to go on and on about Dolly wasting their time and meddling in their business—and she knew she couldn’t stand to listen to another word of it. But just then he turned to look at her, perched on that elegant settee, wearing the clothes she had slept in, and for once he was struck silent.

She could guess why. All these months, all this time, she had worked hard to make sure she never showed any sign of disappointment in him—not a hint of frustration, let alone anger. But what she felt now—and what she was sure he could see on her face—was an unsettling mix of fury and disgust.

For the first time since their downward spiral began, Jesse actually tried to explain himself. Anna, all I meant was—

I don’t care what you meant, she said without raising her voice. "What she meant, in case you missed it, is that she doesn’t have to put up with any nonsense. You saw all those caravans coming down here. Dolly’s probably got a waiting list a mile long. My father said all I have to do is make one collect phone call and he’ll send me a bus ticket home."

Dolly came back into the parlor and could no doubt see that she had interrupted something. Well then, let’s get y’all settled, she said. Come on upstairs, and I’ll show you where everything is.

She led them up a sweeping staircase that opened into a spacious sitting area on the second floor. Bookcases big enough for a library lined the walls. The floors were covered with tapestry rugs that looked a little threadbare. There was a settee like the one in the parlor, along with a couple of armchairs and a rocker. Between two tall windows overlooking the lake-to-be was a door that opened onto the upstairs porch. Unlike the one below, it was screened. Anna thought how lovely it would be to sit here and read a good book or embroider on a rainy afternoon. Narrow hallways led from the sitting area to what she imagined were bedrooms.

The porch there is a nice place to pull up a rockin’ chair and have your mornin’ coffee or a glass o’ tea on a hot summer day, Dolly said. And it’s here for ever’body, so just make yourself at home.

As Dolly walked them through the upstairs, Anna watched her straighten lampshades and make quick swipes with her hand to clear any dust that she spotted. Now, the two bedrooms on the opposite side there—one belongs to a Mr. and Mrs. Hastings. Actually, Dr. and Dr. Hastings. They were both college professors up in Chicago, but I guess times are hard there too. Both of ’em lost their jobs, which is a cryin’ shame, if you ask me. They’re the nicest people—and all that knowledge just goin’ to waste. He works at the plant, and she substitute teaches over at the high school from time to time. ’Course, it won’t be long till school lets out for the summer, so I imagine we’ll be seein’ a lot more o’ her.

Dolly let out a tired sigh as she pointed to the room in the back corner of the house. That room there belongs to the Clanahans from Reno, Nevada. They’re out for the afternoon. Both of ’em work the early shift at the plant, so you’ll only see ’em at suppertime, and that’ll be plenty. I’ll confess it right now—those two try my patience and test my religion.

Why? Anna asked.

"They’re rude in that kinda way that makes you feel like the one who made the misstep—like you’re the one with no raisin’. They’re gone before Si gets up, and I’ve been carryin’ his supper to him over at the lake so he can work late. The Clanahans have been livin’ in this house for two weeks, and Si’s never laid eyes on ’em. He will tonight, though. We’ll see what he has to say then. In the meantime, just try not to get your feelin’s hurt by whatever meanness they might decide to spew."

Dolly led Anna and Jesse to two rooms at the front of the house. "Mr. Joe Dolphus has that small room

Reviews for Almost Home

[grrllovesbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Characters and story intertwine in this lovely novel set in the South during WWII. Told with a delicate touch, this story is one you will remember for some time.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse has Dolly and Si Chandler opening their home to boarders during World War II. In April of 1944 Anna and Jesse Williams arrive in Blackberry Springs, Alabama and get the last bedroom available at the Chandler home. Jesse begins work at the local munitions factory which leaves Anna at loose ends and feeling homesick. Dolly takes Anna under her wing and introduces her to the other ladies in the house as well as the neighborhood women. Dolly and Si can see that the young couple need a help with their marriage and give them subtle nudges in the right direction. One day Dolly tells Anna the story behind the original owner of her home. Anna is intrigued when she learns that no one knows what happened to Catherine and Andrew Sinclair. She decides to look for the answers and maybe find the missing treasure along the way. Almost Home is a satisfying Southern novel. It is well-written with developed characters set in a charming small Southern town. Dolly Chandler has a gregarious personality. She is friendly and nurturing. Dolly and her husband, Si opened their home to help pay the property taxes. They also have a roller rink across the street with dancing and refreshments and Si is building a pond for people to swim in (for money, of course). Dolly has a way of making her boarders feel welcome. There was just one couple who did not fit in and Si soon took care of them (it was a hilarious scene). I liked the variety of residents in the home. There are two college professors, a veteran with PTSD, and a widower as well as Anna and Jesse Williams. There is also Daisy Dupree who becomes close friends with Anna and Lillian the blind woman who lives on the same street. I enjoyed the mystery of Catherine and Andrew. We learn what happened to the couple through diary entries. The search for the so-called missing treasure was great. I love how Almost Home ended. All the storylines in Almost Home blended together into one lovely, heartwarming story.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel begins during World War II in April, 1944 in Blackberry Springs, Alabama. Blackberry Springs was close to Childersburg, which in real life was the site of the Alabama Army Ammunition Plant, operated by DuPont. The plant produced nearly 40 million pounds of munitions a month as well as heavy water for the development of the atomic bomb, and people came from around the country to work there. When Dolly and Si Chandler found they needed extra income, they began to operate their large home - inherited from Dolly’s grandmother - as a boarding house. Two new boarders, Anna and Jesse Williams, had just come to Blackberry Springs from Illinois, so Jesse could work at the plant. Jesse was taciturn and withdrawn, even from Anna, because he hadn't been able to make their farm succeed back home; he hoped to save enough in Alabama to try again. He thought Anna couldn’t possibly want a “failure” like him. She didn't feel that way at all, of course. The Chandlers and the other boarders immediately sensed the problem and set out in subtle ways to help them find their way back to each other.Anna began to bond with the women in the house as well as with Daisy Dupree, a young widow who lived nearby. Daisy mourned the loss of her husband, and felt guilty that she didn’t insist he not go off to war (not that they had a choice, in any event). Another young boarder, Reed Ingram, was a war veteran with a bad leg injury and PTSD, who carried his own guilt over the fact that he - a medic - couldn’t save his best friend.All of these people were holding on to their pain, and needed to learn how to move past it. As one character finally realized:“No matter what troubles you and me have got, we’re alive. We’re here on this earth, an we’re meant to make the most of it. . . . We’ve been throwin’ time away . . . .. And time’s a gift. We oughta be usin’ every minute we’ve got.”The plot turns not only on adaptation to loss and the evolution of the relationships among the characters, but on health issues for some of the characters, and tension over some former criminal boarders. Nevertheless, this is, after all, a romance, and the ending will satisfy readers.Evaluation: Although this is “Christian fiction,” the references to belief and spirituality do not overwhelm the story. I would say the “women’s fiction” aspects predominated, and it is a good representation of that genre. The side plot about the original owners of Dolly’s house was quite captivating.

[hes7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh, how lovely! Valerie Fraser Luesse’s Almost Home captures life in the South in the midst of World War II, and it is a lovely story.In Blackberry Springs, Alabama, Dolly Chandler turns her family home into a boarding house. Thanks to the war, people now flock to the town, and under Dolly’s roof gathers an unlikely group of strangers. But of course, they do not stay strangers for long.Almost Home shares the story of these characters, marred by scars of the past, as they embrace friendship, healing, and new beginnings. Luesse adds a touch of mystery to their story, too, with a century-old disappearance to resolve and makes it a well-rounded, beautiful, sweet read. I recommend Almost Home.I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

[kstadt929 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I don’t often bail on a book (I almost always make myself push through!), but I just couldn’t get into this book. I received it as an ARC so was looking forward to reading it. I made it about half way through and just wasn’t invested in any of the characters, I didn’t enjoy the Christian aspects thrown in, didn’t like how slow it seemed or appreciate the way the dialogue was written. I don’t have much time to read with 2 pups at home so had to bail!

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I usually stick to Mystery & Suspense novels but something about this one drew me to take it home from the library. From the very first page I found the story captivating and the authors writing style so very easy to read. She told Anna and Jesse story in such a way that you immediately loved them and hoped that their lives were going to have a change for the better. I will admit that I never expected the type of change that their lives took or that of any of the other characters...but it was a relaxing and enjoyable read. If you want a change of pace or if you are already a fan of this type of novel...give this one a chance. I'm going to look for Valerie Luesse's other books.

[wearylibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the characters. I felt like I was once again a child visiting my grandparents in the mountains of Tennessee and Georgia. Beverly well written.

[smits_52 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed for "Library Things Early reviewers".This is a novel filled with southern charm and hospitality. It reads like a slow southern drawl even to the language used. However, I did get pretty tired of the word "dang"!! It is a sweet story filled with sweet characters. It does tend to be shy on action and is a far fetched story. However it was a pleasure to read.

[sherripo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was the first book I had read by this author and I enjoyed it. It was a nice story that didn't have excessive violence, sex, etc. It was a feel-good story and I would recommend it. Though it wasn't the most exciting book I have ever read, it really did keep my attention and I wanted to see what would happen next.

[huberk-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

ALMOST HOME, by Valerie Fraser LuesseThe setting: 1944You are welcomed into the family (a paying guest) of Si & Dolly. They live in a beautiful house on Talamge Loop. They are close to the highway-but have their own private sanctuary.There are of course, Si and Dolly-in her grandmother's house; a single older gent who is a recent widower; and three other couples staying there for the summer.Dolly has grand ideas to make the money for their county tax bill. Si built a roller skating rink, for people to pay a nominal fee to skate. At the moment,, Si is digging out a lake, for which the public will also pay a fee to use.Dolly and Si are enjoying their renters, except for one couple they are quickly losing their patience with.One couple is there to regroup, after losing their farm-the worry has made it seem like they are two strangers living there.This is a very nice book, where as a new-comer, you are made to feel like YOU are ALMOST HOME.I received a complimentary copy of this book from LibraryThing and Baker-Revell Publishing and was under no obligation to post a reviewALMOST HOME2019

[lamb521 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Title: Almost HomeAuthor: Valerie Fraser LuessePages: 336Year: 2019Publisher: RevellMy rating: 5 out of 5 stars.It’s late at night and I just finished this heart-captivating story set during WWII. It is not focused on action overseas but in Alabama. There is mystery in the telling of the story where a young woman who lived 100 years before the time of WWII has her story too though the awe-inspiring tale ties the characters of the past to those living 100 years later via journals. The current of faith runs throughout the book, both the seen and the unseen actions of God.Various people come to live in a house that is now a home where renters have rooms yet can interact with each other, especially over a meal. The woman who runs the home is Dolly and she, along with her husband, is trying to make ends meet when rationing was in effect and just trying to pay the property taxes of their home seemed like a dream. Now, if I were to reveal the tale to you, I fear that would ruin your own enjoyment and excitement as various pages are turned and secrets revealed.The book has a tale that draws readers in and keeps them coming back because I believe what it shares many can relate to. What does it share? A tale filled with hope, community, family, dreams of the future, confronting one’s own nightmare and so much more. Dolly is one awesome caring woman whose eyes could easily be on her own troubles but are on caring for others in any way she can.Dolly’s faith, hope and love touch people who live under her roof, though not all as readers will find out. When danger is present and threatens her and her husband’s lives, who will come to their aid as they have been there for others? By the end of the book, I secretly wished there would be a sequel because it is such a story that touches the soul. Here is definitely one of the best books of this genre, and I look forward to reading more from the author should she continue to pen such moving novels. For now, sit back with the book and immerse yourself in Almost Home; it’s a book you’ll long remember. Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.

[phdinhorribleness · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! I found myself really invested in the lives of the characters and wanting to know what would happen to them next. I was really didn't want the story to end and was actually a bit sad when it did. I would love to read more about the lives of these characters.

[susan0316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's the 1940 and the war is going on in Europe. Most of the young men are fighting in the Army but not all men were qualified to serve. For them, along with a lot of women, there is war work in factories to make the airplanes and the fulfill the needs of the Army. Dolly Chandler is running a boardinghouse in her family home in Blackberry Springs, Alabama. All of her boarders are far from home and they have a lot of personal baggage - Daisy's husband was killed in the war, Reed was wounded, Jesse and Anna are in the process of losing the only home they've ever known. Will coming to Dolly's boarding house and getting to know Dolly and Si help them all to become whole again?This is a book about friendships with a southern setting and lots of sweet tea. The characters were all interesting and even though they had very different backgrounds, they all became friends. Add in a secret hidden diary from 100 years earlier and the quest to learn more about the diary and you have a sweet, simple book that you will be happy you read.Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

[milibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is really two stories in one, but involving the same characters. Dolly and Si are having problems meeting their property tax bill in 1944 so they rent out rooms in their home. The first story revolves around Jesse and Anna who have moved to Alabama so that Jesse can work in a factory, since they could not make ends meet on their Illinois farm. As the problems have escalated, Jesse has shut out Anna and must learn to love her again.The second story involves a WWII veteran, Reed, who has returned with a wounded leg. As he recovers at Dolly's he is nursed by Anna's friend Daisy who is a widow. They must learn to accept the changes in their lives before they find love.Scattered throughout the entire book are selections from a diary kept 100 years earlier by the first woman to live in the house. This is probably the most interesting part as the mystery of pirated gold plays out. Unfortunately, change seems to come the characters without cause. An enjoyable, but not quite satisfying read.

[cyncie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse was a lovely surprise, for more than one reason. It took three months for the publisher to send it to me, after I was awarded a copy through the Early Reviewers club. Once I received it, I read it right away and was so impressed by the sweet story, and the depth of the characters. The setting is a Southern boardinghouse in World War II, near a munitions plant. It's owners, Si and Dotty, become substitute parents for their boarders as they struggle to overcome separation, loss, and disappointment. There is drama, humor, romance, and a parallel mystery from decades before, that becomes a super-bonus. The book ends in a perfect way, and makes you wish you could stay with these characters for another read.

[written-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from Early Reviewers December batch but didn't actually receive the book until March 23. The book came out in early March. The print in the copy I received was so small I really couldn't read the book without eye strain. So I bought the Kindle version in order to read and review said book.The story takes place in the 1940's in a small town in Alabama. Dolly and Si have opened their home (Dolly's childhood home) to boarders in order to help pay their yearly taxes. Anne and her husband Jesse have left their struggling farm in order for Jesse to work in the munitions factory. Jesse and Anne are having problems in their marriage as Jesse feels like a failure.Daisy has recently moved to the same small town in hopes it will help her to get over her grief of losing her husband in the war and selling their family farm. Daisy and Anne become good friends. Then we have Reed a war veteran suffering from PTSD as well as physical injuries. There are other boarders but they don't have as much "story" time. We also have the old history or handed down tale of a pirate and his bride. Their strange disappearance right after their marriage and a tale of missing treasure. Old diaries are found opening up the chance that maybe those old stories are true. We have a lot going on here but for some reason I liked the book but I didn't love the book. It's a nice easy read with some mystery and relationship problems that all get sorted out.

[jillrey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I REALLY wanted to love this book. After reading Missing Issac by the same author and LOVING that book I was hoping to be similarly ensnared in author, Valerie Fraser Luesse's story telling. But, Almost Home just seemed to fall short in the character department and took me far too long to get into. Set in the 1940's as America has entered WWII and families are still getting back on their feet after the Great Depression, Luesse opens the book with the arrival of Anna and Jesse, a young couple seeking work in Alabama's factories and holding on to their marriage by a thread. Anna and Jesse choose to stay at Dolly's beautiful home, turned bed and breakfast as Dolly prays to make ends meet. Friendships form and happy times do ensue, but I couldn't help but get a sour taste in my mouth from page one of Anna's character entrance, from complaining about her husband to not letting go of the Illinois farm and family I didn't think she would ever STOP complaining. Likely, this is the feeling Luesse is going for as Anna grows and matures in her place in Alabama, but I nearly put the book down waiting for the story to start and characters to come along that I actually enjoyed. Thankfully Dolly and Daisy made up for any animosity I felt toward Anna and while the book took awhile for the "good stuff" to start it was eventually heartwarming and sweet.*Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

[sherylhendrix · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Waited for a long time to receive my early reviewer copy of this tale set in Alabama during World War 2, but the wait was certainly worth it! Between the April 1944 teaser letter than opens the book and the October 1945 epilogue that reveals the last part of the local mystery, this book was a page turner that I could barely put down. The action is slow and leisurely as I would imagine the old south, but the characters are compelling and fully-rounded and you can imagine yourself sitting next to them in the dining room of Dolly and Si's boarding house sharing the table together. Jesse and Anna and Harry and Evelyn, newly moved south from rural and Chicago, Illinois respectively are joined by a slew of endearing southern ladies and gentlemen as well as an obnoxious couple from Las Vegas who are quickly booted from the scene only to reappear much later. Young Reed, recently returning injured from the front, is helped in his recovery by young widow Daisy who struggles with her own personal demons. Miss Lillian, an elderly blind neighbor, brings wonderful stories to her young friends that later turn out to help Dolly and Si through their own hard times. I just loved this story from the beginning to the last page and know it will bring a smile to anyone like me who grew up in the shadow of the last world war wanting to know more about what it was like for our parents and their friends.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story will make you laugh and cry. I did not want to put this book down. This is the type of story that shows how people take care of other people during crises. These were people’s that didn’t know each other but who grew to love one another. They grew to be a family even when they were not related. I loved the characters and how they interacted. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ohh, what a sweet story! The characters in ALMOST HOME are people you would be blessed to call your friends.Set in 1944, Dolly & Si Chandler are struggling to pay the property taxes on their lovely Alabama home. Due to the war, many are without jobs and travel to wherever they can find work. So Dolly and Si take in boarders.The boarders include Anna & Jesse Williams are a young couple whose farm has failed. Since Jesse has flat feet he was not eligible for the draft. Then there’s Harry & Evelyn Hastings, both college professors from Chicago who lost their jobs. Next there’s Joe Dolphus whose wife died a year earlier. Finally there is Reed, a local boy who was a medic in the war. He is dealing with PTSD after losing his closest friend.I loved the elderly, blind lady named Lillian and her quote “Old Southern women don't change much. We just rock slower and slower till we don’t rock anymore.”Daisy Dupree’s husband was killed in the war. Daisy and Anna become close friends. I loved Daisy’s advice to Anna regarding getting her husband’s attention: “Men can’t decipher hints and moods, so you gotta put what you’re feelin’ in a cast-iron skillet and hit ‘em over the head with it.”The house itself is pretty special. Dolly’s grandmother Little Mama always said the house could talk. Dolly says “I believe a little part o’ what we give to a place stays with it forever.” The house was built by Andrew Sinclair who married the preacher’s daughter. There’s a lot of mystery around the story of Andrew and Catherine.This is a wonderful story of friendships and is a true page-turner. I couldn’t wait to know what would happen next. There is mystery and romance in this book. This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

[coverloverbookreview · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Almost Home is a slower-paced book, allowing the reader to savor the scenes. I love southern fiction, and adding a bit of history makes it even better. This character-driven story takes place in Alabama where a boom of hiring at the munitions plant brings a myriad of guests to Dolly’s boardinghouse. Dolly is a wonderful hostess, and I enjoyed being a guest.I like the veteran-returning-home aspect of this story, adding so much depth. This story showcases love and loss, and although the times are tough, there’s a solid thread of hope and encouragement. Almost Home is a redemption group of stories entwined together by a past mystery.#PrettyCoverArt#Almost HomeFirst Line (Chapter One): Anna Williams leaned out the truck window and let the wind blow her damp auburn hair away from her face.I received an advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book I have read from this author. Just like Missing Isaac, author, Valerie Fraser Luesse knows how to develop engaging and endearing characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and everyone I met. This book is broken out into two parts. The first part focusing on young married couple Anna and Jesse. The second part featured veteran Reed. While. I did say I enjoyed everyone in this book; the first part is where I felt the most connected to the story and the characters. It was nice getting to know Josiah aka Si and Dolly as they opened their home to others. Anna and Jesse were so young but the story of how they met was lovely. As the story progressed, so did their love for one another. The second half of the book was fine. Yet, I still read it fairly quickly. Overall, this was a fast read for me. Author, Valerie Fraser Luesse dazzles readers will endearing characters and a lovely story in Almost Home.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this story, one that you try to read slowly so you don’t miss anything, and then one that you have read faster to get the answers. I did figure out the end, or at least part of it, early on, but needed to keep reading to confirm.The story made me want to get a room at Si and Daisy’s, and spend my time with these loveable characters, and their caring for each other.A remnant time after the depression, and we are at War, but these people are survivors, and fate or God puts them together, and we get to be there with them.I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and I was not required to give a positive review.

[2lz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Many thanks to Bookishfirst, Netgalley, and librarything for providing me advance access to Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse in return for my honest review. I enjoyed Almost Home. It is a character-driven story, and the characters are charming and quirky in the very best of ways. They are facing significant struggles, but through friendship they thrive and flourish. This was a quick read for me, one I looked forward to coming back to each day. There were parts, however, that required suspension of reality. Additionally, although it is a story of substance, there were some overly sweet chapters, almost too good to be true. So many books are dark and twisted. It was such a pleasure to read a story about good people, strangers in fact, that become family.