The Great Alone Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on February 6, 2018 Genres: Fiction / Coming of Age, Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Women
Pages: 440
Find the Author: Website, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram
Goodreads
#1 New York Times Instant Bestseller
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.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.
Review:
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a raw, emotional tale of love, heartbreak, new adventures, and the extremes of love. The thread of abuse in this book is complex to read, set in the backdrop of the harsh wilderness of Alaska from 1971 to 1986. It was a time when women had a tiny choice when they stayed with an abusive person. I think the main reason the mom could not leave a man who was so abusive was she knew who he was before he went off to war and became a pow. She believed an excellent person was buried underneath the hate, damage, and extreme jealousy. The daughter suffered as a result, but she also became one of the strongest people I have ever read about. To have your lover be destroyed trying to save you and then having to make the impossible choice to leave your love knowing you carry something important but knowing you have to live is the definition of an impossible choice. One of my favorite reads I picked up this year, Kristin Hannah, knows how to write a story that pulls you in, makes you think, makes you dream, and leaves you still thinking long after you finish the story.
About Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her newest novel, The Women, about the nurses who served in the Vietnam war, will be released on February 6, 2024.
The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore’s bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.
In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.
In 2015, The Nightingale became an international blockbuster and was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.
The Nightingale is currently in pre-production at Tri Star. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.
A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.
