66. Last Light Over Galveston. Jennifer L. Wright. 2025. 356 pages. [Source: Library] [christian fiction, historical fiction, survival story, 4 stars]
First sentence: I walked until I could go no farther, until open water was all I could see. It was the end of the road, for sure. Possibly the end of the world. For me, they were one and the same.
Premise/plot: Kathleen McDaniel (aka "Annie") is running away from her past. She's found refuge in an orphanage in Galveston, Texas, though she is not young enough to technically be in an orphanage. She doesn't want to be a nun herself, but, she's happy to help out in exchange for a safe place to stay. But her welcome is wearing out, perhaps, on the 'fateful' day the hurricane hits the island. She's only lived on Galveston a few months--May through September--yet everyone she has come to love is in great, great danger. No where on the island is safe, no person is safe.
My thoughts: This one is definitely not my first book on the 1900 Galveston Hurricane; I've read fiction and nonfiction. This may be my first CHRISTIAN fiction novel with that setting. The survival aspect of this one is definitely a strength.
Last Light Over Galveston may try to tell too many stories. Reading is subjective. I would have preferred NOT to have the 'current' storyline interrupted for many, many, many flashbacks to her past--how she came to run away from her old life. I thought the 'added' drama of having her past 'catch up with her' by someone discovering her new location, new life, was a little unnecessary considering THE HURRICANE. Like, she's already in great danger from the winds, the floods, the collapse of buildings, etc, let's have someone from her past there trying to pursue her. I think if her past story was simplified or revealed through conversation, it would have fit better.
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