Almost Home is a beautiful read with descriptions that bring the South to live. The characters are deep and damaged but opportunity for healing is offered in this lovely home that has become an inn. The parallel story of the 1940 characters as well as the history of the young woman from the past is interesting. I loved the way friendships were formed and people were brought out of their shells through sharing and the need for hope in tough times. Dolly is the perfect "matriarch" character, reaching out and turning what could be a resentful situation (turning their home into a inn for strangers) into a chance to put her own cares on the back burner and minister to others. No one stays in her home and leaves the same.