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 was one of the best books I ever read. I thought he main character’s father was as tragic as many VietNam war vets that I knew and knew about. The solitude, squalor. and splendor of Alaska was so vivid. The personalities of Alaskan settlers were so developed
This is absolutely the best book I have read all year, hands down. Kristin Hannah writes so poetically and the characters are so real in this book. There is sorrow, adventure, action, romance and adventure all wrapped up into 438 pages which I read in two days. I am choosing this book for my book club to read next year.
I love Kristin Hannah’s writing. So many twists in the plot. Deals with real problems in society. Her writing just captures you. Sometimes you just have to put the book down and walk away. So glad I discovered her books.
I really enjoyed this book. Very descriptive narrative about Alaska. Great story that keeps changing. Wonderful characters. Great read!!!
This is a great book that takes place in Alaska. It touches on lives during the hippie years, repercussions of the Vietnam war on families, and living in the great frontier of Alaska.
I am still trying to gather myself after reading this powerful novel. Ms. Hannah took me on a journey to Alaska, a place I had visited with my family when I was a kid. I was taken back to the wilderness and the remoteness of the beautiful state. This book was about survival in so many ways. Survival comes in different ways for different reasons. Not just survival in a remote and wild country but also emotional and mental survival that might even be harder to endure and overcome.
I was living in the world of Leni and her life with a father who felt he needed to protect his family by isolating them from the world and its dangers he imagined. Her loyalty to her mother and the abuse they endured were heart wrenching. Ms. Hannah told a hard story to tell and did it in a “Robert Service” kind of way. It’s not always easy to tell about truths and situations. I was pulling for Leni the entire book. I had a hard time putting it down.
I am so glad I read this book. The writing of Ms. Hannah really pulled me in and took me on a trip to Alaska and The Great Alone I will never forget. I could see the beauty of the state and smell the surrounding wilderness. It was like being there.
This passage is one that touched me about life:
“Once, a lifetime ago, she had worried about girls, only a few years older than her, who had gone missing. The stories had given her nightmares at thirteen. Now she knew there were a hundred ways to be lost and even more ways to be found. Such a thin veil separated the past from the present; they existed simultaneously in the human heart. Anything could transport you-the smell of the sea at low tide, the screech of a gull, the turquoise of a glacier-fed river. A voice in the wind could be both true and imagined. Especially here.”
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this GREAT novel and to Ms. Hannah for writing it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to take an adventure into The Great Alone.
Another great read from Kristin Hannah! An adventure and way of life in the wilds of Alaska. Scary at times, emotional, tragic, but ultimately an ending I could live with. Thanks!
Another Kristen Hannah page turner. A story that could be true. The characters personalities. The setting and history.
Great read!
I just finished this book and enjoyed it very much. It’s about a family of three that’s never been able to put down roots, that moves to a remote area of Alaska to homestead. No heat, no electricity, no indoor plumbing. It brings home how difficult life there can be, as well as how dangerous it can be. On top of that, the father, a Vietnam vet who’s been mentally damaged by his experience there, has terrible anger issues which cause his wife and daughter to constantly be on edge, waiting for his next violent explosion. The books sees the daughter grow up and fall in love, but that only brings more trouble. Definitely a good page-turner.
What an incredible book! Such a powerful story of family, tragedy, and the difficulty of love. All wrapped around the beauty of wild, untamed Alaska!
Great story, white dark, was a page turner.
I loved this book Great look into life in the Artic and why women shouldn’t stay with abusivemen
Informative on how hard it is to live in Alaska. Stress on families. True friendships formed.
This book , much like ‘The Nightingale ‘ ,was very heavy at times but extremely well written!
Couldn’t put it down! Excellent book.
Very well written which is usual for Kristin Hannah and a good look at life in Alaska well as spousal abuse.
The Great Alone is on my “best books ever” list. The characters Lenny and Cora are tough, genuine, and of course survivors. Under the stress of Alaska’s icy chill and the unpredictable emotions of Ernst, Lenny’s father, the story grabs hold of one’s sense of hope. Thank you, Kristin Hannah, for reminding me of the unrelenting power of love and how relationships are often bound by a single thread.
Exciting story of a totally unprepared family that moved to Alaska to “get away from it all”. Composed of an unstable , former Viet Nam father, an enabling mother, and a lonely teen aged daughter, these people learn to live in the harshness of Alaska. As the father becomes more unstabke, the daughter finds a love interest and soon disaster strikes. Read the book to find out what happened! It’s a wonderful story!
One of the best books I have read in a long time. I learned a lot about Alaska! A tear-jerker at the end, also thought- provoking! Excellent author to read!