Last Light over Galveston

De: Jennifer L. Wright

Narrado por: Sarah Zimmerman

Galveston, Texas. September 1900. Only months ago, Kathleen McDaniel returned from finishing school in Switzerland to her family home in New York’s Hudson Valley with a future of promise and privilege set before her. But one horrific event shattered her picturesque life. Now she has fled as far as the train line and a pocketful of money would take her, finding refuge at the St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum on Galveston Island, where she helps the nuns care for their young charges and prays her past will not find her. Despite her tenuous standing at the orphanage―and the grief and betrayal that drove her from home―Kathleen slowly begins to make friends. There is Emily, the novice nun she rooms with; Maggie, the tempestuous young girl who only bonds with Kathleen; and Matthew, a kind, handsome man recently employed by Isaac Cline at Galveston’s office of the US Weather Bureau.

Then in one fateful day, Kathleen’s fragile new life begins to crack as it becomes clear that she can’t run far enough to escape the reach of her former life. Meanwhile, as troubling news about a storm crossing the Gulf from Cuba swirls in the Weather Bureau offices, Matthew holds fast to Cline’s belief that no hurricane can touch Galveston. But as darkness falls on the island, Kathleen must gather her courage and reach for a strength beyond her own if she―and those she loves―are to survive.

• A stand-alone historical novel about the 1900 Galveston hurricane
• A gripping listen inspired by true events
• Features themes of resilience, found family, and redemption
• Includes discussion questions perfect for book clubs

©2025 Jennifer L. Wright (P)2025 Tyndale Fiction

Top rate!

Another top rate story by Jennifer L. Wright and performance by Sarah Zimmerman. What an amazing partnership! I eagerly await her novels based on historical events…most of which are unfamiliar. My only complaint is they just end too soon!

Unputdownable!

This story will draw you in from the very beginning and hold you there. You will not want to stop listening.

A Story of Resilience-

This uniquely told dual-time novel features the same heroine in the year 1900: with different locations and a few months apart. The storyline quickly unfolds with masterful clues and pacing that compel the reader to find out what happened to “Annie” and what caused her to flee New York and travel to the “end of the line” in Galveston, Texas.

This is a story of resilience, highlighting spiritual themes of deciding who you are and whose you are, where worth is found, doing the right thing, and learning to trust after being betrayed by someone you love. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes:

“All my life I’ve been surrounded by people who told me my identity was determined by where I was born, who my parents were, how much money I had in my pockets. But my mam . . . my mam used to tell me that wasn’t true. She said it was God who defined us. God who was at the very foundation of who we were, who gave us worth.”

“When we suffer, it reminds us that this life is short, and this world is not our home. You see, I wanted to live my life in service to Him; He wanted to teach me to live it in Him. I loved God, but I’d been believing so many wrong things. About myself, about others.” She shook her head. “Sometimes God has to tear down all the distractions, all the lies in our lives, in order for us to see the truth. To see that after everything else is gone, He’s still there.”

Wright’s secondary characters are worth mentioning since they are all so endearing-a young but wise roommate dedicated to God and her calling, an immigrant worker wanting to make things right by fighting for a better work environment, wages and shelter, a feisty eight year old orphan and a courageous man of science who sells popcorn for a smile.

This is not my favorite audiobook by Sarah Zimmerman. Although she is consistent in voice, it sounded just a bit mechanical.

This book is suitable for teens and older with no inappropriate intimate scenes and no bad language. I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.

disappointing

The story developed too slowly without depth of the characters or context. what could have been a rich novel with historical references was a silly story about an emotionally immature girl. Reader was breathy. Dont waste $