No Name Key

by Jessica Argyle

All Elle wants is a little land to call her own. And she has earned it, finding a measure of peace on a lonely isle near the bottom of the Florida Keys. But others have their own designs, especially Billy, her deadbeat, absent husband who could show up any time to claim her or maliciously destroy what he cannot have. In 1935, as Labor Day approaches, a storm is brewing that will alter Elle’s life and the landscape of the Florida Keys forever. How far will Elle go to protect the little that she has? And if she does the unimaginable, can she keep her freedom? In the great depression of the 1930’s, No Name Key is still unconnected to the mainland; wild weather, desperate characters and treacherous swamp, a woman has got to use all her strength just to survive.

290 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2014

Reviews

[Mike Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absorbing tale of young woman from peasant stock rising to meet life-and-death challenges in the Florida Keys. Set in the 1930s at a remote fishing lodge during the period surrounding the worst hurricane ever to make US landfall. Odd collection of characters somehow fits together. Elle, the protagonist, makes a lasting impression. Stage is clearly set for a series.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book....started it Sunday afternoon and hardly put it down until I finished it on Monday evening. Some very different twists and turns.... Sure hope the author further explores adventures with the main character, Elle.

[Cindy Arrighi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even tell you how much I loved this book! El needs a sequel for sure. I'm not an avid reader by any means. I would rather pick up a magazine, but this book captivated my attention. I couldn't wait to sit and read it each day. I felt like I was living it. I was there! Thank you jessica for putting out a book this ADHD mind could enjoy so much!

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good writing and an interesting story. Very happy to know there is another installment on the way!

[Harriet Garfinkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to be instantly transported another time and place, romantic and storm swept and gritty and off the grid? To the Florida Keys in the early part of the last century, in the eye of the hurricane between wars? Then No Name Key is for you. Witten in lush, poetic language and graphic detail, author Jessica Argyle leaves no stone unturned.

Her main character, Elle, is a woman of her time and out of time: strong, independent, iron-willed. You are drawn into Elle’s No Name Key, a small rocky islet, beautiful, but harsh landscapes, isolated from the mainland, where strange exotic fruits grow, and even stranger eccentric characters.

I can’t wait to read the sequel!

[Peggy Pleasant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book that takes place in the Florida Keys during one of the worst hurricanes to hit that area. A collection of oddball characters who make the story.

[Marjoladue · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldnt finish this one. Terrible writing and disjointed story line.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was the first I read when I moved to Key West right after Hurricane Irma. I fell in love with the island's energy the moment I stepped off the plane. That very same gripping, confronting and even "haunting" energy is felt throughout each and every page of Jessica Argyle's No Name Key. This type of reading experience can only be created through controlled and precise writing that lands with each and every word. And land they do! I was drawn immediately to her form and technique. Protagonist Elle is as compelling and relentless as the Key West sun; her journey from victim to survivor, alone and haunted no more, reads as immensely satisfying, absorbing and most importantly, CONVINCING. Argyle's novel serves as reminder of the multiplicity of battles it takes for a woman to find, actualise and safeguard her freedom, all amidst the backdrop of a harsh and hidden gem--the Florida Keys. I look forward to more Argyle gems. Highly recommend.

[Rosalind Brackenbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gripping read of a novel as well as a beautifully written account of what life was like in 1935 on this obscure island in the lower Florida Keys. No Name Key is a character in the book - soggy, insect-ridden, inhospitable, remote - as much as Elle, the inventive and resourceful heroine, who carries her own wildness like a weapon, and her bitter, angry but also put-upon husband, Billy.
Jessica Argyle has imaginatively inhabited this place and these people and placed them firmly on the American literary map.

[Louise Nyeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a pleasant surprise. Ms Argyle transports you back in time. She has painstakingly researched the 1935 labour day hurricane in the keys and depicts it accurately in the book. She has created compelling memorable characters especially Elle whom you can’t help identifying with. Ms Argyle has a unique style which makes this absorbing story a pleasure to read. I can’t wait for the sequel.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and definitely a page turner!
Get ready to meet some shady characters that will take you on a questionable journey in the Florida Keys. Argyle does a wonderful job captivating lots of interest in the characters, location and time period. I can't wait for the sequel!

[c. siemers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I read a lot on my kindle. Sometimes 2 books in a week. This really kept my interest to the very end. Was hoping there was more.I have been to no name and p ine keys. Had friends with homes there.

[Kimothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good. The ending was lame. Lots of loose endings. The end was a let down.

[Catherine Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an awesome read and I couldn’t put it down! The characters seemed so real and with the vivid descriptions, I was there. Great read!

[Judi Winters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A noir thriller, drawing upon a little known period of Florida and American history. Jessica Argyle opened the archival files of Islamorada to expose a treasure trove of artifacts exposing the seedier side of the construction of the Overseas Highway. Post the 1929 Great Depression, World War I veterans flocked to the Florida Keys to work on one of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal projects: the road that would become known as US 1- Ending and Beginning in Key West.

Seventy years after the American Civil War the Florida Keys retained their allure as a frontier fishing outpost for the well-heeled upper crust who looked down on the men and women who became the coral backbone of this archipelago. And that is where Argyle’s story of living on and coming from the wrong side of the tracks, endurance, singular bravery, and love takes the reader. The story of the manchineel tree was so intriguing I kayaked across the Gulf of Mexico from Big Pine Key to No Name Key (which really exists) through the entanglements of the mangrove trees, representative of the entanglements and of the main characters. No spoiler alert but the manchineel is a main character.

Argyle weaves the history of America into the tapestry of the Keys. The richness of the story lies not only within the confrontations between the characters but also the naked reality of the harsh environment. Compressing the hard life women lead during the depression era, Argyle has developed a deeply complicated character in Elle, the protagonist. The descriptive pages are not for the faint of heart, but the thread of Elle’s self-realization is a heartfelt restorative.

The tale could be a standalone movie, but Argyle leaves us up in the air as to the future of the antiheroic Elle. Dangling participles, so to speak, beg answers. This tale has easily flowed into the sequel—Sidetrack Key (no such place), and hopefully headed for the storyboards for a two-part mini-series. Kudos to Ms. Argyle for allowing the reader a nuanced insight into Florida Keys life during its days of infancy and infamy.

[Margo Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elle rises again! A trip back in time to the old keys after the Labor Day hurricane. A great keys read as always

[Mary Schildman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unusual

Not my kind of book. Thought it a bit scary. After reading about the sword fish I knew what was going to happen. I was well written

[Catalano DBA · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a fun read. Jessica interlaces historic keys with an intriguing tale of the struggles of the time. Could barely put the book down. Can't wait for the next!