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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like some of her other ones better…but still good.
Since I have recently been to Alaska, I appreciated the descriptions of the place. The characters, while tragic, were believable.
This didn’t start out sounding much like a Kristin Hannah novel but eventually it became familiar. The description of the Alaskan frontier made me feel I was right there with them. An enjoyable story, it seemed to drag on unnecessarily towards the end. I supposed the ending and was correct. Kristin Hannah did not disappoint on the emotional and satisfactory conclusion.
Omg! This book was unputdownable! The Great Alone is a beautiful, breathtaking, powerful, heartbreaking love story. It’s about a place. Alaska. A family. Mother and daughter. Young love. Tragedy. Strength. Survival. Home. I felt like I journeyed there and experienced a different world. I highly recommend this book!!
One of my favorite books!
This is seriously one of the best books I’ve read in years. The setting, off the grid Alaska, is an unusual and interesting background for the book. I learned so much about surviving in the area. There is also a Vietnam war twist that is not a usual component of contemporary novels. You will love and be inspired by the protagonist. A must read!
Very well written book on very difficult subjects. She did her homework!
Oh you guys. This book. This book! I didn’t think that Kristin Hannah could top the success of The Nightingale, so I was a little skeptical when I started reading this. Four pages in and I was hooked. The beauty of Hannah’s writing is her ability to make the reader feel completely immersed in not just the plot itself, but the characters, the setting, the emotions. You can physically feel the tension rising between Cora, Leni and Ernt. As Ernt descended further and further into his own darkness I felt like I was there with Cora and Leni, like I could physically feel their trepidation as their world started to fracture. The other aspect of The Great Alone I found to be a testament to Hannah’s talent was the many different story arcs through the book itself. Often, you find one dramatic arc, with the rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This is not the case with The Great Alone. It felt like there were many smaller issue arcs that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. I felt like I was on a roller-coaster of dramatic storytelling.
More than anything I loved the characters in this story. I loved the growth of not only Leni, but Cora as well. I loved the kindness of Large Marge and Tom Walters. I loved the purity of Matthew’s love for Leni. I even loved the darkness of Ernt. These are some of the most realistic characters I have read this year.
Gorgeous nature descriptions of Alaska and suspenseful.
Great story well told! Kristen Hannah creates such interesting characters and intertwines them beautifully. Her descriptions of the Alaskan setting make me feel like I’ve been there! Her best book yet!
As promised here are my thoughts and my Review for:
THE GREAT ALONE
By Kristin Hannah
This book was one that pulls you in and that you settle yourself someplace for hours of reading because you literally get sucked in. The book covers the journey of a family through the years and how they grow, develop and change. It made me realize that some of us really are victims of our upbringing, surroundings and traumas we experience at points in our lives.
It touched on a man, Ernt Allbright,(father/husband) so completely changed after serving his Country during the Vietnam War. During this time he was caught and held hostage as a POW (prisoner of war) and upon his return to his country, he realized that they all treated him like garbage. He changed and hated his country back and developed some serious mental problems that end up affecting his daughter, Leni and wife, Cora.
He moves his family off the grid to Alaska where there was virtually access to no other people and their way of life was about the same as the pioneering days where they became homesteaders and killed and grew their own food and lived in a tiny shack. The horrors that began in that new life of isolation brought terrors beyond imagination. You feel as if you are living along side them, you feel everything they feel.
They story is powerful and takes on many storylines that keep you so invested, you cannot find a spot to stop reading. So you keep reading and are constantly thrown surprises that keep you thirsting for more.
Loved the setting; homesteading in Alaska in the 1970s. I related to the era and the dropout mentality that occurred then, much like 100+ years ago. The story was so realistic and the characters were so compelling, I could not stop listening. Julia Whelan is an amazing narrator.
Wonderful descriptions of life in Alaska
Keeps ur attention, very interesting read
You’ll feel all the feels when reading this. Every step of the way you fall in love with Alaska and Leni and her journey through this thing we call life.
This book is really interesting. I have never read about people that live in such a cold, snowy environment. I enjoyed learning what they were to do to survive there. If you think living in that atmosphere is going to help your marriage it is not! There is so much stress out there. How does one handle a bear on your property or in your house? If you are short on food, what can you do to survive. Dealing with being inside with the same people day in and day out. That is a big part of this book, Reading this book kept my interest and I learned quite bit. I also love this author. I highly recommend this book. Have it a 4 because there were some scenes I really didn’t care for. A good book!
Wonderful, but not happily ever after!
Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, and in my opinion, this book is the best she’s written. I felt like I was immersed in Alaska as I listened to this story. It was made much more vivid by reading it in the midst of a Michigan winter when the darkness here descends on us – thankfully not quite as much as in Alaska. Loved the ending!
I loved the characters and story. This is one of my all time favorite books!
Engrossing