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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I put a reserve on this book at my local library three months before it was published. It was my favorite book this year. I intend to recommend it for my
book club.
Learn about life in rural Alaska. Follow a wonderful character. VERY GOOD book.
I’m certain The Great Alone will be the most emotionally devastating book I read this year. It is exceptional in every way.
One of my favorites!
OMG…such a great, well-written book; even better than her 1st, The Nightingale!
Okay some of this is right but only 3 stars because the author didn’t do proper research. As an Alaskan I know whereof I speak. Furthermore, I made it up here in that time frame. And I can tell those who are interested that coming to Alaska in those days did indeed change you for better or worse. A lot of hard things took place then and some still do. Alaska makes or breaks you. And in the rural areas kids do grow up hard, tough and fast. But it didn’t hurt mine. Please, authors do your research. Simply looking at a map would have helped in this case. That lack of detail ruins what could have been great. You see this is my home that I love. I’m never leaving.
A wonderful read that is both endearing and gut wrenching
Ernt and Cora are a couple who started out in love. Their daughter Leni is a product of that love. But when Ernt is taken as a POW in the Vietnam war he returns a changed man with anger issues, nightmares, and cannot hold down a job. The unstable family moves from place to place trying to find peace. When Ernt takes his family to Alaska he thinks that he has found his peace but after a while the old Ernt returns. Leni is now a teenager and learning about life and love and starts to realize that this family isn’t what she wants and learns what love is on her own in the wilds of Alaska. This book is a wonderful read that I couldn’t put down!!
One of her best.
This book is one of my favorites that I’ll read again and again.
Kristen Hannah is a gifted writer.
This is one of the best books I have ever read by this author. In fact, it’s one of the best books I’ve read in quite a while. I did not want to put it down. The characters were well developed and the story was very interesting. I had to keep reminding myself the book is not a true story.
Kristin Hannah hit it out of the park again. I previously read her book The Nightingale – a story of World War 2 + the French Resistance and it was so good that I jumped at the opportunity to review her latest novel The Great Alone.
The novel begins in the mid-1970s with a family – father Ernt, mother Cora, and their young teenaged daughter Leni. After coming home from the Vietnam War, Ernt is a very different man; a drinker, moody, sometimes scary. Today we call what he has PTSD. He’s a man who’s suspicious of the government and other people and can no longer hold a job. The thought of getting away from civilization appeals to him.
When an opportunity to move to a little village in the wilds of Alaska pops up, Ernt jumps on it with little consideration of Cora and Leni. They move into a small cabin without much preparation for the coming winter – one with 18 hours of darkness, weeks without being able to travel, and no fresh food. Thankfully, for them, some of the residents come and help them prepare.
The cast of characters living in and around Kaneq, located off of Homer in Kachemak Bay, is fascinating and as varied as the day is long. There are those who long to improve Kaneq and make it place others would want to visit and those who want the outsiders to stay away. Ernt is eager to join those who enjoy keeping others away.
The main character, though, is Leni. A 13-year-old young lady who has moved multiple times, attended multiple schools, and who doesn’t understand how her mother can continue to stay with a man who drinks too much.
But Leni is coming of age in a small village, learning how to defend herself against wild animals, hunting for food, and experiencing friendship. At the same time, the hours of darkness and cold of the winter changes her father. Makes his dark moods return.
Soon Leni and Cora are defending themselves from Ernt.
I loved this book and had a very hard time putting it down.
I always enjoy her books. Can’t wait for the next book!
A great read! This book had a lot of twists and turns and you were rooting for the main characters the whole time. It was a great view into life after the Vietnam war and how families adjusted.
Kristin Hannah did it again! Fabulous story by a writer that knows the culture.
I’ve had my copy of The Great Alone since the end of January. It sat on my shelf and I let the anticipation build. I knew once I started reading, I wouldn’t want to stop. Oh my! I devoured this book! The Great Alone is a beautifully written story about a tough subject. Domestic abuse. “Yelling was like a bomb in the corner; you saw it, watched the fuse burn, and you knew when it would explode and you needed to run for cover. Not speaking was a killer somewhere in your house with a gun when you were sleeping.”
Kristin Hannah brings to life all the danger and stark beauty of Alaska as a backdrop to the story of the Allbright family. I always considered The Nightingale my favorite Kristin Hannah book and I wondered if she could possibly top it. She did! The Great Alone left me with a serious book hangover!
This book has everything! It pulls you in and you dont realize how long you have been reading. This is a must read.
I LOVED this book! Kristin Hannah did a phenomenal job in her descriptions of both the primary setting of the book (the wilderness of Alaska) and the characters in what they were thinking and feeling. The Great Alone focuses on the Allbright family – parents Ernt and Cora and daughter, Leni – as Ernt struggles with PTSD after a traumatic capture in the Vietnam war. My heart broke for Leni and Cora as they struggled to live with a man that they both loved and feared. I had mixed feelings about Ernt – I was sad for what he went through, but at the same time I hated him for how he treated Cora, isolated his family, and made them terrified in their own home. I was grateful for the neighbors (especially the amazing and fearless “Large Marge”) that offered as much support as Cora would allow. There were so many important topics in this book that I think it would make an amazing book club pick – domestic violence, PTSD, forgiveness and survival are just a few of those topics. I have read and enjoyed several of Kristin Hannah’s books and this was definitely one of my favorites.
Kristin Hannah hit it out the park with this book. I really enjoyed the challenges facing a family from California going to a remote area of Alaska. Kristen touches on many current socio-economic issues that tie in with her story. If you enjoyed past Kristen Hannah books, you won’t be disappointed.