"THE KEY TO EVERYTHING" BY VALERIE FRASER LUESSE

"The Key to Everything" by by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Synopsis:

"After WWII and a family tragedy, Peyton Cabot seeks connection with his troubled veteran father by retracing the trip he'd taken from Savannah to Key West at the same age. The adventure forces Peyton to come to terms with his identity and decide how much he's willing to risk for the girl he loves."

My Review:

I enjoyed reading this book so much more than I thought I would!

It is set in Georgia and Florida in the 1940s, with some backstories earlier than that. It follows the very wealthy Cabot family--“one of the richest clans in Georgia”-- in which most of its members are greedy, selfish, pretentious, and treat those outside of their family like total dirt.

The main character, a 15-year-old boy named Peyton Cabot, along with his parents and grandfather, are not at all like the rest of the Cabot family--they believe in working hard for an income, not having everything handed to you, and dedicate much of their lives to helping the needy.

These differences in personalities cause conflict in the family. I especially enjoyed the scenes where certain characters are put in their place for their unkind words and actions.

The story mostly follows Peyton. This is a wonderful young boy that I really loved getting to know, seeing how he handles different life situations, and following his adventurous travels from Georgia to the Key West, where he met some really fascinating and lovable characters along the way. Peyton's great Aunt Gert (not a Cabot) turned out to be one of my favorite characters in this book.

Overall, this is a beautiful story that I can see myself revisiting again in the future.

My ⭐ Rating: 4 stars

Note: I received a copy of this book from its publisher in exchange for my honest review, for which I am very grateful!

Credits: The book cover seen in this post is courtesy of Amazon.com, and the synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.com.