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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This book is a true original! Always a remarkable read from Kristen Hannah. The story itself tells the story of a young girl coming of age in the Alaskan wilderness and the effect on a family from PTSD and domestic violence. The human condition can do anything when there is love, strength of character and support a people we choose as family.
If it hadn’t been about the physical abuse /domestic abuse I would have liked it more. Well written, didn’t want to put it down. One of my fav authors
Well written. Interesting story about the back woods in Alaska. A bit far fetched but relationships are some times.
Yes, an interesting account of a woman’s camel trek in Australia, but bogs down too often and for too many pages into her introspective musings.
Wonderful. I still feel like I know each character personally, as realistically as if I had shared their experiences myself. Masterful author, indeed.
You fall in love with each character. It reminds you that everyone can adapt to his surrounding …. even in the wilderness.
I loved this book. It was hard to put down.
Story line believable with great character building. Keeps you interested
This is the first time I have read this famous author. The book was well written but a little long. I really cared about the main character. I liked that it did not sugar coat the actions of her parents and that made it feel like it was more like real life.
There is no question that Kristin Hannah is a good contemporary author. And we should never punish an author if his or her work is not always five stars. To reproduce the dramatic impact of The Nightingale would be next to impossible in subsequent novels. But The Great Alone leaves me with too many unanswered questions for me to rate it more highly. No spoilers here but Leni, the teenage protagonist, gets into situations that Hannah provides no plausible way for her to extricate herself.
I get the point of the novel–it’s hard to miss–but I get the feeling the author rushed her manuscript a bit too quickly to her publisher before working on the important details that create the feeling of verisimilitude for readers. That it was a NY Times bestseller is more an indictment on the reading public than an honor for Hannah.
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I really enjoyed the story, the descriptions of Alaska and hearing it all unfold through Elin’s voice. I bought it for my 14 year old granddaughter because I thought Elin was such a great character.
Somehow this book just clicked with me. It was the first book of her’s that I’d read, I recommended it to everyone I knew.
One of my favorite books of the year. Great fiction. Wonderful characters. Highly recommend.
Beautifully written and informative
Wow!
I loved this book! Many books go forgotten, but this one will stand out as one I will always remember.
Great story of strength, vices and fortitude. Highly readable.
great story, wonderful descriptive passages
I seem to love everything she has written!
Fascinating story of one dysfunctional family and how they survived in wild Alaska.