I was excited to read this book as I am a big fan of The Nightingale. Unfortunately, I was ultimately disappointed. I didn't thing the story was as compelling -- a former Vietnam POW had trouble adjusting when he returns home. He takes his family to Alaska for a fresh start. The harsh conditions and climate only compound the problems for the vet, his wife and daughter.

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

As a reader, I’ve seen Kristin Hannah books everywhere. I’ve never bought one. Perhaps this was a mistake.
Perhaps it was fate, because I was meant to read this Kristin Hannah book.

Either way, requesting an ARC, being ever so kindly granted an ARC, and reading THE GREAT ALONE over the holidays was the perfect way to end a year and start a new one.

This book is long, 450 pages, but I could not put it down and I read it in five days between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s one of those books you rush through because you can’t stop and then it’s over and you’re sad… until you realize you can read it again, almost like new because you read it so fast, and all is well again.
I’m not the only one who feels that way about books, am I?

Anyway, I started reading this tale of wild, untamed Alaska at what might seem like an inopportune moment because I live in Erie and for Christmas Erie got… sixty-some inches of snow in the two days before I started this book. I mean, who wants to read about Arctic weather while you are living it?

Me. Apparently.

I knew this for a fact when I started the book and got to 12% without looking up long enough to realize it had snowed another two inches. This after days of being a little weather-obsessed.

Hannah has created a masterpiece for me with this story. The backdrop of remote, unpredictable Alaska being combined with the struggles of a Vietnam POW and a coming of age story for a teenage girl is immediately haunting and magical.

Ernt Allbright is listless and tormented in regular life after surviving years as a POW during the Vietnam War. He loves his wife, Cora, and his thirteen year old daughter, Leni, but he doesn’t know how to… he doesn’t know how to be. So when a man named Earl Harlan writes to tell him that his son Bo, who died in Vietnam, would want Ernt to have his land in Alaska, the Allbrights leave Seattle for Alaska.

Earl, as it turns out, is more commonly known as Mad Earl and spends his days with his family in a compound that’s part survivalist, part doomsday prepper, and part anarchist. Mad Earl brings Ernt into the fold and they feed off each other, creating a powder keg that’s always ready to spark. More so for Ernt and the demons he battles from the war.

Leni makes friends in Alaska, despite it all, even developing a crush on a boy. The boy is the son of the man Ernt thinks has eyes for Cora, which doesn’t help anything. The tiny town rallies around Cora and Leni as Ernt begins to beat his wife. The tragedy is that Cora doesn’t think there’s any way out, that as long as Ernt doesn’t hit Leni, that he still loves her…

Her constant refrain to her daughter is that “I wish you remembered him before…” and that becomes a sort of theme for the novel. Everyone has a Before and sometimes it’s all you can do to hold tight and fast to that fleeting memory.

As I said, rural Alaska provides a deadly backdrop for the topics and threads that Hannah weaves seamlessly together. Domestic abuse, coming of age, race relations in the 1970s, mental health care for veterans, political beliefs, the wealthy versus the poor, how the law treats women and how it treats men…

There are parts of THE GREAT ALONE that could seem a little forced, a little too perfect. I think they work. They’re forgivable because of everything else that this book is. I can’t go into too much detail because they’re spoilers and I very much need for you to read this book asap.

Seriously. I know this makes for a terrible review but, let’s face it, if you’re following me, reading my reviews… we have similar tastes in books so there’s a strong you’ll love this book as much as I did. Do. Definitely still love this book.

The rest of the books I’m going to read in 2018, be warned. The bar has been set HIGH.

(Also, if you’re seeing this on the book page on Goodreads or something… just get it. You already want to. You won’t regret it.)

(I received a copy of THE GREAT ALONE from NetGalley & the publisher in exchange for an honest & original review. All thoughts are my own.)

When Leni's parents decide to move to a remote Alaskan cabin, sight unseen, in 1974, the young teenager wants to believe it will be a successful new beginning  for her father, a Vietnam vet haunted by flashbacks and nightmares.  But then there have been so many other attempted beginnings, always leaving Leni as the new girl in school, the stranger without any friends. Books and her polaroid camera have been her solace, companions, when there are no others.  Despite the hard work necessary to prepare for winter once they arrive at the ramshackle cabin, it appears that this strange new land may heal the family.  Leni makes friends with Matt, the son of a major land owner in Kaneq, and the sparsely populated community welcomes them with open arms.  Then as the sun retreats and endless hours of darkness steal over the landscape, her father Ernt's mood slips into its own unreachable darkness and both Leni and her mother fear the abuse that could follow any misstep or misspoken word.  Paranoia, resulting in middle of the night "warfare" drills, becomes the family's norm.  As Leni matures, she understands more and more than her father is much like dynamite, ready to explode and destroy all around it. It will only take a bit of "kindling." But it is hard to align that with the man who, on good days, calls her "Red" and takes her salmon fishing.  While she longs for a normal, safe life, she cannot leave her mother, who will never leave her father, and even Leni, herself, cannot imagine life without Alaska.  Despite the summer's bright sky, the Northern Lights, and Alaska's beauty, it seems that prison doors have closed upon mother and daughter.
As a reader, I was ready to embrace Alaska's wildness with the Allbright family, sure that the dangers of the wild itself would cement them into a whole.  But the dark shadows of that first winter bring a foreboding that this story would not end well.  At times I feared reading on because I did not want any of the characters to suffer.  I did not want Ernt, who served our country with valor, to be broken beyond repair.  I did not want to think about love that is so tangled that it will not separate itself from abuse.  And I feared for the people of the village who were willing to help Leni and her mother Cora.  But like all Kristin Hannah's books, you can't choose not to finish once you start.  The pages flew by, the tension increased, and still I read.  I read late into the night, I read the next morning as my husband drove us to a movie/shopping trip an hour away, I read on the way home as the daylight ebbed away.  Finally I reached the ending, forgetting supper, for the story was so much more important.  A day later, the story of Leni, her mother and the choices they made still fill my mind.  THE GREAT ALONE publishes in a few weeks; you will want to read it. I received an e-copy of THE GREAT ALONE from NETGALLEY for review purposes.    All opinions are mine

Surprisingly, this is only the second Kristin Hannah I’ve read. While I enjoyed this it just did not live up to The Nightengale. I did love the descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and the dangers it presented, but for some reason the characters just did not adhere themselves to me as they did in The Nightengale. I, also, felt that it was too long... the last 20% I found myself starting to scrim. Still a very solid novel and one that I would recommend. 4 stars.

Fabulous book. Thoroughly loved. Highly recommend!

Leni Allbright is thirteen years old and has moved five times in the last fours years. Her dad, Ernt, is a former Vietnam POW and her mom, Cora, is a waitress. Ernt suffers from nightmares, can be violent, and has trouble keeping a job. They are continuously on the move to escape Ernt’s demons, their creditors, and to find new work. Ernt receives an unexpected letter from Earl Harlan that will change his life forever. Earl’s son Bo was a very good friend of Ernt who passed away in Vietnam. The letter is to inform Ernt that Bo has left him his land in Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula. Cora and Leni are very hesitant to make the move to Alaska, but will do anything if it will help Ernt, and he thinks this is just the fresh start he needs.

The Kenai Peninsula is an extremely isolated area that can only be reached by boat or plane. The Allbright family arrived in May and were immediately warned that they must prepare for winter. The town is small, but everyone is very friendly and willing to show them the Alaskan way. At first Leni and Cora were quite happy with how well Ernt seemed to be doing – he was excited about his new land and worked very hard to fix up the land and the house. However Leni was fearful that once winter was upon them and the days became long and dark, her dad’s temper and nightmares would return.

Kristin Hannah did a fantastic job of transporting me to Alaska! I felt like I was right there with the Allbright family working the land and preparing for the brutal winter months. Her character development is excellent, with many likable characters and a few that are unlikeable. I loved Large Marge! She was not one of the main characters and I wish there was more of her. She is spunky, speaks the truth, and has a big heart.

This is a coming of age story spanning over a decade. It is raw, heartbreaking, and violent at times. It is also a story of love and survival of both the wilderness and by the hands of Leni’s father. I devoured this book and stayed up late one night because I had to know how it would end. Although it was tough to read at times, I could not put it down. It’s been awhile since a story has pulled me in quite like this one.

I highly recommend this book and have no doubt that it will end up on my top ten list for the year!

This book gets all of the stars.

I have read a couple of other books by Kristin Hannah, and I liked them, they definitely pulled at my heartstrings (especially Winter Garden, I actually bawled uncontrollably for about half an hour while reading that one) but none of them have affected me quite as deeply as The Great Alone.

I'm truly at a loss as to how I can review this one. The parents' story hit really close to home for me. There were pieces of dialogue that I swear I have said or have heard someone say to me. It definitely reinforced in my head that my decisions over the past year have been right for me and my children.

This was a really good read. Kristin Hannah can be relied on to tell a great story. I thought the characters were wonderful and I thought she did a good job in particular with the father. I hated and feared him while still maintaining an understanding of him and feeling empathy for him. The descriptions of life in Alaska were beautiful to read. I was compelled to Google images of Alaska several times throughout the book. I also admired the ending. I wondered how the author would wrap it up and I was pleased that it was a happy ending while still being realistic. This will be an easy book to recommend for 2018.

I had the pleasure of receiving an advanced copy of Kristin Hannah's gripping novel about homesteading in the Alaskan wilderness. I could not put this book down! In this story Hannah paints a vivid setting, keeping the reader on the edge of her toes with a raw look at one family's struggle to survive nature's harshest elements and one another. Told from the point of view of the young daughter, this tale defines the meaning of the term brave. Emotional and suspenseful. I'm a Kristin Hannah fan forever.

The Great Alone
Kristin Hannah


MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
PUBLISHER St Martin’s Press
PUBLISHED February 6, 2018

A spellbinding family drama of survival set on the wild and rugged side of the Kenai peninsula of Alaska.

SUMMARY
It’s 1974, gas prices are up, the country had been divided over the Vietnam war, and women had begun to disappear in Washington State without a trace. Leni Allbright, 13, was the new girl at another new school, with no friends other than her dog eared copy of Watership Down. She was worried about her family. Her parent were always fighting, they never had enough money and they moved all the time to get away from creditors. Her dad, Ernt, had been a Vietnam vet, who had gotten shot down and captured. He’d come home four years ago a changed and volatile man. He hated the government, thought it was being run by lunatics. Now he had another plan to change their lives, he’d had lot of plans in the past. But this plan involved moving to a cabin in Kenaq, Alaska on the Kenai penninsula. This, he said, was a place they could be self-sufficient and live off the land and have a simpler life. It was just the change Ernt thought he needed in order to forget the torture he endured in Vietnam.

But when they got to Alaska, things were no better. The property and cabin were in shambles and the family had arrived ill prepared. The welcoming Kaneq community swept in to help the Allbright’s prepare for the upcoming winter and for being off the grid. The work was hard, the winter was dark, and the drinking was easy. Ernt’s drinking and jealousy got the better of him and he took it out on his wife, Cora, who was always quick to forgive the man she loved. Leni has finally made a friend at school, a boy. Matthew is about the only person in school who is even close to her age. But her dad doesn’t approve. Matthew is the son of Tom Walker, a man of money and influence over the town, a man who Ernt detests.

It’s Leni’s come of age story, as she and her mom face the dark harsh winters and her father’s relentless demons in the small snow covered cabin. It the story of human frailty, strength and survival.

Leni was afraid to stay and afraid to leave. It was strange—stupid, even—but she often felt like the only adult in her family, as if she were the ballast that kept the creaky Allbright boat on an even keel.

REVIEW
THE GREAT ALONE is a stunning family drama! Having made a recent trip to Alaska I was so excited about the setting for this novel. As anyone who has been to Alaska knows, pictures don’t do it justice and its rugged beauty is impossible to describe. But KRISTIN HANNAH did a marvelous job painting the natural backdrop with magnificent and vivid details. Her descriptions were intoxicating.

Hannah expertly delivers a family story, not soon forgotten. She effortlessly blends a father with PTSD, a fragile mother and victim of spousal abuse, and Leni, who just wants to fit in somewhere, but carries the weight of her families secrets in her heart. The mother-daughter bond between Cora and Leni is so strong it’s palpable, making the story all the more poignant. It is together that these two women face the backbreaking work, the dangers from the land, and the havoc at home. It is out of necessity that Leni quickly grows into a strong young woman. The Kaneq community characters are all refreshingly unique, and you can’t help but fall in love with the general store owner, Large Marge, and her larger than life personality.

Hannah’s writing is fast and fluid, and kept me reading long into the night. It is an arresting story of modern day homesteading that would make an excellent movie.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Kristin Hannah for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK! OH MAN! I'm writing this review days after reading this book and this book is still with me. I can't stop thinking about it. It was EPIC! Now, for me, the beginning of this book was a little slow, but it soon picked up the pace and I was lost in Leni's journey. I loved the way Kristin describes Leni's trip from Seattle to Alaska and what she and her family found when they arrived in this new land. I felt like I was there and could picture it so well. I held my breath and watched as Leni grew up in Alaska. Some were great and others had me so mad! Kristin definitely gave me ALL the FEELS in this read and I couldn't pull myself away. This was such a captivating read and left me with my first book hangover of 2018. I can't tell you quickly enough to GO ONE-CLICK THIS BOOK! This is a journey by a young girl, who has to grow up in a unique way, and how her environment makes her into a strong woman. You'll laugh and cry with her and cheer her on. I was totally blown away by this book. Please, do yourself a favor and don't miss this amazing story.

Ernt Allbright returns from Vietnam and a stint as a POW a changed man. When he learns that an army buddy who was killed has given him land and a house in Alaska, he moves his family there. His wife and daughter hope that the move is what will help him get away from the memories that have scarred him and changed him.

I very much enjoyed this book. I think it gave a very realistic view of survival in Alaska. It also showed the difficult situation that an abusive relationship is. It is not as black and white as we on the outside think sometimes, especially in the 70's when women did not have as many rights and power. I will highly recommend this to others!

The Great Alone, Hannah captures life in Alaska in the 1970s. The Allbrights, Ernt, Cora and Leni, set out for their new adventure in their VW, with little supplies to make it during the harsh winter. Ernt suffers from PSTD long before it was diagnosed. Cora shield their daughter, Leni from the reality of what is going on but living in close quarters, the truth comes out about her family.

This book really put the reader in the setting of Alaska with all of its beauty and dangers, both physical and psychological. It tells the story of Leni and her codependent parents and their move to Alaska in the 1970's to get away from the crowded lower 48. The long winters exacerbate her father's PTSD and make him more abusive of Leni and her mother. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for his honest review.

Leni’s father has returned from Vietnam and is having trouble adjusting to civilian life after being a POW. They continue to move and try different situations, but nothing seems to work for very long. When Leni is thirteen years old, her father inherits a piece of land in Alaska and he promises this is their last move. He wants to live off the grid and assures Leni and her mother that this is the solution to all of their troubles. But when the first endless night continues, they discover that the nightmares have returned. With the help of the locals, they devise a temporary solution, but are the Allbrights ready to live in the Alaskan wilderness? How will a woman and girl survive with such an unstable man?

The Great Alone is a stand-alone novel that starts out in 1974 and continues for many years. This is an epic story that is not meant to be read quickly or in one sitting. Hannah has created characters that have hidden depth and readers will quickly take the side of these strong and unforgettable women. There are times that the story jumps a large span of months and years, but in the end, this adds to the feeling of being lost in the wilderness. A good read that will be enjoyed by many, but not for readers who want something light and easy.

An interesting look at many issues such as PTSD, chemical dependency, domestic violence, living in the wilderness, Traumatic Brain Injury, and much more. It’s told through the eyes of the daughter as she grows from 13 years old to 25 years old. Many twists and turns towards the end that keep you turning the pages. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the story of a young family, a Vietnam veteran and POW, his dreamer wife, and their practical child Leni. When Leni’s father inherits land up in Alaska, his father views it as a fresh start for the family. Before she knows it, they are on their way to Alaska in their new VW bus.

Leni falls in love with the beauty of their little community and the wonderful people living there, but when the dark winters begin to press in, she sees a change in her father, and not a good one. Was moving here a terrible mistake?

For fans of Kristin Hannah, it’s been a long wait for a new book. After the intense popularity of The Nightingale, the next book was more anticipated. The Great Alone was absolutely worth the wait. Filled with hope, love, pain, and fear, this book grips you from the first page, and doesn’t let go. I couldn’t put this book down and found myself reading way past my bedtime.

This book covers some very important topics: abuse, PTSD, and the way they affect more than just the victim. This story shows exactly how far out the effects reach. Lives are forever changed, and in the 1970’s, the laws and knowledge were definitely not up to where they needed to be. Thankfully, times have changes and I hope a lot of this wouldn’t be able to happen now days.

I found this incredibly well written, as all Kristin Hannah books are. The writing was vivid and well detailed. I could hear the water, see the mountains and lakes, feel the fear and pain, the love and joy. I felt as if I was truly there, fighting the winters and waiting for spring.

I loved these characters. Leni was strong and really smart, Matthew was loyal and caring, Mama was really trying the best she could, and I had love how protective Mr. Walker and Large Marge were. The way everyone came together in this wonderful community was heartwarming and inspiring.

This book was wonderful from the first page to the very last; I loved every second of it. I would recommend this book to anyone.

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.*

The thing I like the most about Kristin Hannah’s book are the deep character dives and how you get so close to the main characters as you explore their world, story and feelings. This book was no exception. I loved the survival aspects. Growing up my sisters and I called that type of book saving up for winter books. I was so delighted by the description of the general store and was like I feel like I am reading a Laura Ingalls book and then Leni thought the same thing. I loved this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2103317946?type=review#rating_147854507

Net Galley ARC. Lots of four- and five-star reviews already up, so it might just be me, but I felt this could have been a great book but wasn't. Three stars. The characters felt pigeonholed to me (Dad, the drifter, the Nam vet, the good guy but hard to live with); Leni, the good girl; Mom, the long-suffering, will-do-anything-for-Dad wife. Even Alaska and its harsh nature became a cliche, especially, I think, for those who've lived there. After plodding through the first half--the book is 450 pages and too long--the pace picks up, and it all felt as though Hannah's editors were telling her, Wrap it up.