In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature.#1 New York Times Instant Bestseller (February 2018)A People “Book of the Week”Buzzfeed’s “Most Anticipated Women’s Fiction Reads of 2018”Seattle Times’s “Books … Women’s Fiction Reads of 2018”
Seattle Times’s “Books to Look Forward to in 2018”
Alaska, 1974. Ernt Allbright came home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter north where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
Cora will do anything for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. Thirteen-year-old Leni, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, has little choice but to go along, daring to hope this new land promises her family a better future.
In a wild, remote corner of Alaska, the Allbrights find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the newcomers’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.
But as winter approaches and darkness descends, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own.
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It was the best book I have read in a long time! Couldn’t put it down!
I could not put this book down. Every page had an unexpected new turn of events. Such a great read.
Excellent
not what i expected at all. Could NOT put it down.
Couldn’t put it down!
This story kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn’t put it down!
Hard to get into, but then couldn’t put it down. Good book, just not my favorite of Kristen Hannah!
Everything about this book is beautiful. The setting, the characters, and the words. I sobbed through the last 25% because I felt so much for these characters. It was possibly the most perfect ending for any book I’ve read. Don’t miss this one!
“Such a thin veil separated the past from the present; they existed simultaneously in the human heart.”
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Oh my goodness!!!! I have not been affected like this by a book in so long! I absolutely devoured this completely compelling story from start to finish and I am so, so very sad that it had to end! This read took me on the most amazing emotional rollercoaster…love, anger, frustration, tears, fear…you name it, I felt it while reading this. I knew @kristinhannahauthor was an amazing author, but this, for me, is her best yet! Living this family’s journey as they try to start a new life in Alaska in 1974 when it was still wild and untamed was something that will stay with me, as will the wonderful characters of Leni, Large Marge, Cora, Matthew, Tom… I can’t rave enough about this book and I will be recommending it to anyone who is slow to picking it up as I was, and thank goodness I did! This is the perfect Book Club read with so much to discuss and “feel”. This has been added to my list of all-time favorites (alongside One Thousand White Women)!
Amazing book, will recommend – then again all Kristen Hannah’s books are excellent. Firefly the best
Kristin Hannah hooked me at the get-go and held me by the throat until the last page. The Great Alone was haunting, sad at times, chilling at others. There were moments I wanted to close the book and shut out the people who had wormed their way into my heart, especially the young teen protagonist. But, of course, I HAD to keep reading!
I’m always excited to read a book that pulls me totally into the story. Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone did exactly that!
One of the best books I’ve ever read.
A book that stays in your thoughts long after ending.
It gives a good representation of PTSD right after Vietnam. It also shows the effect of it on family members.
Great book with Alaska setting but serious & emotional storyline! This Author is a great writer.Also recommend The Nightingale by Kristin H. Both these books are going to become movies but read them first.
The Great Alone is a beautifully written novel. This book is not all sunshine and roses, but I was entranced by Leni and Cora’s story.
I loved how Kristin Hannah handles Leni’s father’s PTSD. The man was a POW and it changed him to something wild and beastly. He was not a good man. He was consumed by paranoia, beat his wife, and made his families lives miserable. Ernt’s behavior and personality deteriorates at a level that had me so scared for Leni and Cora. The way he acted and how he treated people was despicable. The crazy lunacy that came out of his mouth left me flabbergasted. I think the author does a great job highlighting how men came home after the way and how their trauma affected them and their family. It was something we didn’t understand, but that does not excuse the things he did to his family.
Leni was a wonderful character. I just wanted to take her away from everything her parents exposed her to. I felt bad that her every action was decided by the fact that if she made a wrong step it would directly affect on her mom. She spent so much of her life worrying about everyone else and not enough on just being a kid and dealing normal teenage worries. Despite the fact that her mother was blind in love, she still had a good relationship with her mother and did everything in her power to protect her when she could.
The other thing I loved about Leni was her relationship with Matthew. I loved them. They were the shining light of this story. They gave me hope. Matthew was such a sweet boy and the things he did for and with Leni really hit my heart. All the things they went through nearly killed me. I could scream at Kristin Hannah what she did to me as a reader, but at the same time it was incredibly beautiful.
The Great Alone is such an amazing book. I can’t even hit on all the things I loved about this book. It is really emotional and will definitely strike a nerve with anyone with a heart. I nearly cried multiple times. It was so hard to put this book down. Even through the hard and sad parts of this book, there was always something to look forward to. The strong community of the people in Alaska was tremendous. This is hands down my top five favorite book of the year.
Loved it, I love all her books.
True to life story about domestic violence, overcoming it and moving beyond the reaches of those who abuse.
Fabulous read. I couldn’t wait to get to the next page.
Loved this book. Highly recommend this one