Book Review: The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse


 The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse 

5 Stars!

Reading this book felt like stepping back in time to memories with my grandparents and great grandparents - so many beautiful days gone by. It feels like sweet tea, magnolias, front porch sittin' southern storytelling that will stick with you forever. This was my first book by Valerie, and now I need to read ALL of her other books.

Set in Mississippi, Edie returns home to her beloved grandmother after the loss of her friend in New York. This setting is very warm and familiar as a southern gal in Tennessee myself. The author portrays small town southern life in such rich detail, while also honoring the wisdom of our grandparent's generation. 

We see the heart of this story lie in the relationships of Edie and her grandmother, a tight-knit group of friends and family. Long buried secrets and stories come to light in this book. Her grandmother introduced her to the antique shop and many of her friends there and we see Edie reconnect with someone from her past also. 

ALL of the characters in this were phenomenal. We heard their stories from Hurricane Camille in 1969 as well, which added such a layer of depth to the story and gave me a huge respect for those that have went through these hardships. The Lord was all over this story too, with the added character of Jason. He was very memorable and interesting how Valerie tied that together in the end. Warmed my heart!

One of my friends and I chatted about this story and how it was like puzzles we were trying to figure out along the way - between tracking down survivors from the hurricane and trying to figure out the light on the island - it was just great all around.

Overall, SO glad I read this book. Highly also recommend the audiobook because the narration had great southern accents too. 

Thank you to Revell for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Content: Clean, no language, grief, attempted suicide mentioned, mental health struggles, depression mentioned once, hurricane survival stories and loss of loved ones in that discussion 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7171473788
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3YuWVw2
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/598754

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Comments

  1. Valerie Fraser LuesseJune 9, 2025 at 11:00 AM

    Thank you thank you, Amanda! What a lovely review. I'm thrilled you enjoyed the book.

    ReplyDelete

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