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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The adventures of wild Alaska is what kept me interested in this book. The characters were good and some were a bit haunting, but I liked the contrast to the main character.
Cut about 100 pages of the never ending, repetitive description of life in Alaska, and you’ve got a good book.
I truly enjoyed this book. I found that it was hard to put this book down. Like life itself this book took you through so many different moments in a person’s life from love, friendship, loneliness, tragedy and many more. I like how the author lets you know what the main characters are feeling by giving the reader access to their inner most thoughts. While most of the characters had experienced tragic events the one that touched me the most was Leni’s father. It brought home so many of our soldiers’ plight from the Vietnam veterans to soldiers today. As a society we are ready to thank them for their service but where are we when their needs are not met and help is not given. We can not even begin to understand what they have sacrificed. I also appreciated her description of life in Alaska and the reality of such a beautiful state. Great book!
I loved this audio book! The narrator did a fantastic job of keeping my interest throughout the entire book.
The characters of this book where done so well that I rooted for the good and likable ones and I really, really didn’t like the main bad character. I went through so many emotions with this book, so many ups and downs, the author really drew me in to the feel-good parts and also to the parts that weren’t so good.
This is one of those that I think you should grab on to right away and get it started!
I’m in the minority but I did not enjoy this book as much as the rest of the readers of the world. It just didn’t speak to me. Sorry.
I read almost half of the book and then stopped. I really didn’t like it enjoy anything about the story and I have read other books by this author and loved them. I was very disappointed in this one
I loved this book. The descriptions were vivid and made Alaska come alive. It was a visit back to the 70’s as well as a poignant take on an abusive husband and what happens when the wife can’t leave.
loved the story
excellent
This is a must-read for fans of girl-in-the-wild, coming-of-age stories. The setting is in remote Alaska, and the story centers around a girl who faces numerous conflicts, one of which is a father with PTSD.
I got a real feel for an undeveloped part of Alaska. The women characters were resourceful, even though it took them a long time to get free of the abusive male.
One of my all time favorites. This book was amazing.
I loved the resilience of the characters in this book who help each other overcome the forces of nature to create the community they crave.
1/4 of the way into this book, I came very close to giving up. KH is one of my favorite authors, so I pressed on.
Boy, I’m glad I did!
The MC is thirteen at the beginning of the book, and the writing reflected it. After all, it’s her POV, and of course she wouldn’t have the insight an adult would. As the MC aged, so did the writing. Ms. Hannah planned it this way, I’m sure, and it’s brilliant! By the time Leni became an adult, she’d witnessed and been the victim of things no one should ever have to endure, so her world view would be much wider, more skeptical, more aware of her surroundings and herself, and how it all fits into her world and how she processes these things and aligns them within.
Ms. Hannah does a spectacular job of using setting as a character, the wilderness of Alaska as harsh as Leni’s life. My brother homesteaded in Canada and Leni’s life in Alaska reflected the same harshness, beauty, camaraderie, and wonder as my brother’s in Canada. I found myself holding my breath in places, and sighing in wonder at others.
I highly recommend this novel, but be prepared to digest the first pages as an adolescent would.
I feel like I’ve been to Alaska. Kristen Hannah did her research and this book is stellar! If I ever live in Alaska I hope Large Marge is there to help me.
Rather predictable. Sad characters. Doesn’t compare to the quality of her writing in The Nightingale.
A few chapters in, I found myself wondering if I was going to like this one. Being an ardent Kristin Hannah fan, how could I possibly not? Still, at first the story seemed a little depressing, and dark. But of course, that is life sometimes, isn’t it? Sometimes we’re thrown into circumstances beyond our control, and there seems no way out. The more I read, the more engrossed I became, and the more invested in the characters. I so wanted things to turn out well for them. But, as in real life again, things don’t always turn out the way we think they will. I was on the edge of my seat for the last half of the book, wondering what was going to happen, and finally I knew, and the wait was worth it. A lovely bittersweet ending that was of course, perfect.
While this book takes a second place to The Nightingale, it was great. I was able to visualize the beauty of Alaska as described by Kristen Hannah. Definitely recommend.
I felt like I was in Alaska while reading,
Easy read and very interesting.