The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a very highly recommended coming of age story and portrait of a family and a time in history.

It is 1974 when her father, Ernt Allbright, loses his job yet again, and decides he will move his family, wife, Cora, and daughter, Leni, north to the untamed wilderness of Kaneq, Alaska, where Ernt has inherited his deceased buddy's cabin and land. Thirteen-year-old Leni is used to be uprooted and moved at her parent's whim. Her father Ernt is a former POW and according to her mother, Cora, he came home a changed man, full of anger and nightmares. Even with the violence, Cora will do anything for Ernt. Now Leni has no choice but to head north with her angry father and learn to live off the grid. All she can do is hope she will find a place to fit in and that Alaska will calm her parent's unhealthy, passionate and volatile relationship.

At first Alaska seems to be the answer to her family's dreams. Kaneq is made up of fiercely independent, strong people who all have a before and after story. Alaska changes Leni. She falls in love with the land, the way of life, and Matthew. The community believes in bartering and they pitch in to help the Allbrights prepare during the long summer days for the harsh, unrelenting winter. As Large Marge tells them, "There's a saying: Up here you can make one mistake. The second one will kill you." But that saying is referring to the harsh, unforgiving wild nature of the land. For Cora and Leni the real danger as winter approaches and darkness increases is Ernt. The darkness brings out his nightmares, paranoia and violence, especially toward Cora. Soon locals have to step in and find a way to keep Cora and Leni safe, but it is a tenuous solution at best.

The Great Alone is a wonderfully engaging novel and will hold your rapt attention from beginning to end. The writing is exceptional. Hannah depicts the violent effect of of Ernt's PTSD on the family and his toxic relationship with Cora, while expertly weaving into the story events from the 1970's and the attitudes from the decade. All the characters in this admirable novel, including the state of Alaska, are unique, deftly drawn and expertly developed. Leni is a wonderful character.

This is a perfect stay-up-way-too-late reading book, which makes it a wonderful choice for long winter nights (or overnight at the airport). The plot is complex and layered, like life itself. Hannah perfectly describes the essence of the relationship between mother and child, of love and loss, of sacrifice and regret. It is also an emotional novel. There was a point when I wondered where else Hannah could take us, what was left to experience, and she surpassed my expectations with this insightful and intelligent novel. This is one of the best novels I've read this year.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Press.
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Kristin Hannah tackles life in the Alaskan wilderness in the 70’s in The Great Alone. Having lived through this time, I well know it is before cell phones, satellite TV, and the World Wide Web. This is the world that Leni Albright spends her teenage years, more isolated than me because of the vastness of Alaska. It is a coming of age book, a survival book, a book if despair and one of hope too. It is a story of mother and daughter banding together, of how war changes a man into a monster, and a story of love.

Fresh starts would work better if one didn’t have to take their old selves and old issues with them to the new beginning. The unforgiving environment is not only without but also within the walls which should been a refuge but instead is a warzone for the Albrights. Ms. Hannah does not shy away from the stark but vivid described setting and events. One could not come away from this book without feeling that they had experienced along with Leni the merciless beauty and cruelty of the Alaskan environment as well as sense of community among the people who lived there.

Ms. Hannah builds this story through the careful development of the characters in the first half so that the second half has a much quicker pace. Like a snowball it starts out slow and small then builds, gaining momentum. Likewise, there is an emotional intensity throughout the story that makes this longer novel hard to put down. Even when I had to put it down I was anxious to get back to the story to see how Leni was faring. Powerful, poignant story that I can highly recommend.

Ernt is a Vietnam war veteran. He has become unstable, volatile and abusive since his time as a POW. When he inherits a homestead in Alaska, he decides to move his family for a fresh start on life.

Alaska has always been on my bucket list. The vastness is appealing to me. So, I jumped on this book as soon as I heard it was available. Kristin Hannah nailed Alaska for me. I could just picture the greatness and the dangers which encompass this last frontier.

Not only did Kristin Hannah have a great setting she also created some of the best characters. Ernt with his insanity, Cora with her strength and Leni, their daughter, with her determination form a family like no other. And then there is Large Marge…yes that is her name…Matthew and his family, just to name a few. I enjoyed this community of outcasts. They have a tough exterior but their hearts know no limits.

Parts of this novel I savored and parts I rushed through because it was terrifying. It was tough to get through some spots. I had to stop and breathe in places, especially where Leni was concerned. This is an incredible book! This story encompasses so much. And I cannot tell you what I liked more…the story, the land, the people…all of it creates a tale of survival, love and hope.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review

Alaska. The Great Alone. In 1974, a Vietnam vet suffering from PTSD takes his wife and teenage daughter to a small community in the wilderness of Alaska. A buddy who died in Vietnam left him his land and cabin. Ernt and his family are unprepared for what living in Alaska requires, but the tight-knit community rallies around them to help teach them to survive. For awhile, life in the wilderness calms Ernt's nightmares, volatile temper and paranoia. But, soon things start to unravel. Ernt is like a ticking time bomb.....his wife and daughter both know at some point he will explode. His daughter, Leni, loves him but at the same time, his behavior terrifies her.

This is such a moving story. The Great Alone doesn't just speak to the isolation in Alaska. Ernt is alone because he is a veteran left to deal with extreme PTSD with no support structure. His wife is alone because she just can't bring herself to escape from their abusive, toxic relationship. And Leni is a child caught in the middle of it all.

As a former victim of spousal abuse, this book was difficult for me to read. I kept wanting to jump into the book and plead with the mother to at least send her daughter away to safety, and to STOP making excuses for her husband's behavior. Every time she was weak, selfish and ridiculous, I wanted to shake and smack her. There is never an excuse good enough to keep a child in an abusive atmosphere. NEVER. In the end, the situation had a life changing effect on Leni. How could things have been different if Ernt had sought help instead of running from place to place and letting his demons gain control? How would things have been different if Cora had put her daughter's safety first and sent her to live in town, or Anchorage.....anywhere but in constant fear of her father and in view of their disintegrating marital relationship. And Leni.....how would things have been different for her if she wasn't constantly in fear of, and victimized by, her father's temper, violence and erratic behavior.....and her mother's refusal to do anything about it. In the end, I guess the truth is that love, when it is an addiction or too powerful, can be dangerous. Human emotions like jealousy, anger, resentfulness can be overpowering in a rough wilderness like Alaska. In the end, the parents' inability to control their emotions and situation was just as dangerous, unpredictable and volatile as wild Alaska.

Wonderful, haunting story. It's a difficult subject for me to read about....but I was hooked from the first chapter. Portions were gut wrenching and emotional. The story is very well-written and engaging. Kristin Hannah has written several other books. I will definitely be reading more by her.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah was a moving story about a family’s strength and survival. Set in the seventies, a family finds themselves moving to Alaska for a second chance. For the father, a Vietnam POW, who is suffering from PTSD, this is the fresh start he seems to be looking for. For the mother and daughter this may be the change they need for the man they both love and want back to who he was.

This was without a doubt a very touching and heartbreaking story. A family struggling to find their way, a father, Ernt, suffering from a condition that was not acknowledged at the time and a mother, Cora, and daughter, Leni, trying to survive. All of this while they move to a new home with conditions they never expected. Even so, they find a camaraderie with the small community they are now a part of.

As we read their journey, it is heartbreaking to see Ernt’s downfall, Cora’s courage and struggle and experience Leni’s heartbreak. The characters, story and vivid detail of Alaska will draw you right in. An emotional story that will touch your heart.

Happy reading!

How to write this review. From the moment you pick this book up, it sucks you in and you don't want to put it down. You will go on an emotional roller coaster. Ernt came back from Vietnam a broken and changed man suffering from PTSD, which they didn't recognize how to treat after that war. Cora loved him through all the mood changes and abuse. I still don't understand this personally. Daughter Leni is on the cusp of coming into her own. She wants her dad back, the man who used to laugh and smile. Wishing for better times, Ernt was left a cabin in Kaneq, Alaska. So off they went. The feeling of getting away and going off grid. No mortgage, living off the land and no pressure. The cabin was small, dark, no running water or electricity. Winter was coming and they weren't prepared. The people of Kaneq pitched in to help them prepare. When winter arrives, no one can prepare you for the constant darkness. No one can prepare you for your worst nightmare.

You have to read this book. If you don't read any other book this year, this is a must.

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 (click to read the review) 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.  Hannah writes a fabulous book that would appeal to women and men.  I highly recommend reading both of these books.

Historically, Alaska is a place that has attracted those fed up with conventionality. - Bill O'Reilly

I have been a fan of author Kristin Hannah for a long time. I believe this is her best book to date.

This is a story that will make you feel - and not all of those feelings are going to be good ones. I spent most of this book tense, upset, and waiting - because I knew something terrible was going to happen.

So, okay, that might not be everyone's idea of an excellent book but, in this case, it really is. Do be aware, though, that this story contains a lot of triggers. It sure enough triggered some bad memories for me. But the writing and the story are excellent and important.

The story fits my own timeline too. It starts in 1974, which is near to the year I graduated high school. At that time in my life I almost moved to Alaska for some of the same reasons mentioned in the book. And I had an abusive boyfriend at that time.

1974 - Ernt and Cora Allbright move near Homer, Alaska with their young teen daughter Lenora (Leni). Ernt fought in the Vietnam War and was a POW, now back and suffering PTSD (not something that people knew much about in those days).

The Allbright family is financially unprepared to live in the boonies of Alaska and Ernt is emotionally unprepared for the long, dark winters. And so a cycle of domestic abuse starts with Leni caught right between her mother and her father.

This is one of the best books I've read about this cycle of abuse but it's also a story of the great beauty and unforgiving nature of Alaska. I've been there in the wintertime. It's awesome and scary.

I recommend this book highly even though it is a story with many dark moments.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

After reading a fair number of KH's books, I find myself still very much in love with her brand of storytelling. Fellow fans and new fans, I do very much believe that "The Great Alone " shall be trending the book lists as soon as it hits stores this Tuesday(February 6th).

The Great Alone introduces us to Alaska in the 1970's- the last frontier and the American population was still feeling the effects of the Vietnam War as soldiers like Leni's father adjusted to civilian life. But "battle stress" clearly shows that Leni's father is not the same man that he was before. Trigger Warning for scenes involving domestic violence. Certainly an issue that is certainly very much a conversation in our society with veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Although a bit "long in the tooth" and a fairytale quality ending that has me holding back from a 5 star, The Great Alone demonstrates once again that Kristin Hannah is not afraid to tackle the tough issues of the heart.

I received a free Kindle copy of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah courtesy of Net Galley  and St. Martins Press, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I am looking for asomething different and it takes place in Alaska, one of my favorite places. It is the first book by Kristin Hannah that I have read.

The author's writing style makes this an easy and fairly quick read. The book itself did not overly engage me as the main plot line was very predictable as to outcomes. The book itself deals with young love, domestic violence, PTSD, and community support. The book itself will appeal to certain types of readers (based on reviews I have seen), but it did not resonate with me.

The Great Alone spans about four decades telling the story of Leni whose life was anything but easy. Kristin Hannah told Leni’s story with emotion and compassion. There is much to like about the book from a simple entertainment view.

What is not to like is the tired, stereotypical portrayal of the Vietnam veteran. Only a few pages into the book I knew it would be the same old story of an abused man becoming the abuser. While the mid-1970’s was not known for being on the forefront of positive treatment of the vets, there were places and people who did do marvelous work with PTSD. I would love to read a novel by an excellent writer who tackled this subject and showed some positive outcomes. Leni’s story could have been that book, but it is not.

Four stars for the prose. Kristin Hannah is one of the best. One star for taking the easy way out in the portrayal of the veteran.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review. Thank you.

Latest book from Kristin Hannah details the lives of a family affected by the father's PTSD after serving in Vietnam. Hannah deftly outlines how the family was affected and how the mother dealt with raising a teenage daughter under these conditions.

The Great Alone is the latest novel by award winning author Kristin Hannah. As in all of her stories, the depth of research and understanding of her subject matter is amazing. The rich portrayal of her characters is perfection. And her underlying threads of PTSD and abuse of women, although shown back in time, are so incredibly relevant today.

This story is set in the mid 1970's to the latter 1980's. Leni Allbright is thirteen and a very lonely young lady. Her family's constant moving and lack of funds continues to make her the new girl and the poor girl in school. Although an avid reader and an interested student, moving so often makes school difficult. Leni's Vietnam POW veteran dad Ernt, once a skilled mechanic, has suffered so much he can no longer hold a job and they live on her dropout mom's waitress wages.

When out of the blue, Ernt receives a letter telling him that his best Army buddy, who their Vietnamese captors killed before Ernt's eyes, had left his cabin and forty acres near Homer, Alaska to him. Feeling this is the best thing that has ever happened to him, Ernt sells off their few belongings, gets a used VW bus, and packs up what they have left and heads north from Seattle to Alaska, the great alone.
When they arrive in the small town of Kaneq, the first person they meet is general store owner Large Marge, who is also a neighbor. But soon they have found something they never had before, friends and a community. On her first day at the one room schoolhouse Leni makes a friend of her own, 13 year old neighbor Matthew Walker. They have both waited their entire lives for a friend the same age.

As Ms. Hannah spins this very poignant coming of age story, she does so in a vast and desolate, yet picturesque landscape. The harshness of the setting reflects the unsettling depth of this story. The wildness of the land, the strength seen in so many of the characters, and the way they came together to take care of their own is a gripping tale that I did not want to put down. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

When I decided to read “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah, I had no idea where the subject would take me. It is a coming of age and beyond book about a young girl/woman, Leni, who is moved to Alaska when her father, Ernt decides it is the next place for them to live. This is after many other moves in the past as he tries to escape the emotional trauma he is left with after being a POW in Vietnam.

Living with her damaged father and her mother Cora, who will not stand up for herself against her husband, Leni
learns first to survive in the harsh Alaskan landscape and then to learn to love the land for all of its harsh beauty.


Ernt continues his spiral downhill and Leni learns more and more about just how bad he has become. She is blessed to have found a friend her own age, Matthew, who gives her an emotional break from the drama and trauma of her family life. Notwithstanding her friendship, her life continues to get darker and darker where both physical and mental survival become her primary goals.

The book was an amazing read in the resilience of a young personal determined to make a life for herself. I will certainly be reading more books by this talented author in the future.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

After having read five of Kristin Hannah's novels, I expected her most recent publication, The Great Alone, to be emotionally heavy and beautifully written; it is most certainly both of those, yet I am left feeling rather conflicted.

In the first half of the novel, those of us who have no knowledge of the history of Alaskan homesteaders are in for vividly explicit descriptions of the extreme winter conditions and endless summer days. Hannah does an incredible job of harnessing her own personal memories of Alaskan adventures and translating them into a captivating narrative, full of characters with potential for development.

"They lived on a piece of land that couldn’t be accessed by water at low tide, on a peninsula with only a handful of people and hundreds of wild animals, in a climate harsh enough to kill you. There was no police station, no telephone service, no one to hear you scream. For the first time, she really understood what her dad had been saying. Remote."

By the half way mark, I began to make some predictions (several of which materialized by the end) and feel a little less enchanted with the Alaskan wilderness and the ongoing domestic violence; much of this is due to a transference of personal beliefs/challenges on this topic, so readers should be aware of this trigger.

"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."

This novel is dense: not only in page count, but also in characters, narrative and possibilities. There were times, while reading, when I could not imagine how this story would draw to a close; I sent a message, after completing the novel, to friends to say that I thought the 76% mark (I read an electronic copy) would have been the perfect opportunity for a conclusion.

While there were elements about this novel that I enjoyed - the descriptive writing, the setting, most of the characters the dynamics of their relationships - I would have traded some of the extended story in the last few chapters for a little more character development and nuance.

Fans of Hannah's previous work will be pleased with The Great Alone and I have already read several favorable reviews; it's not The Nightingale, but it's not supposed to be.

This is the book I am recommending to everyone now. The characters, the setting, the tension, the story - all are important and memorable. I have family who lives where this book takes place and the description of the scenery and the character of Alaskans ring true. I see some awards in The Great Alone's future!

<b>----->"Dad had taught Leni how dangerous the outside world was. The truth was that the biggest danger of all was in her home."</b>

This is my first read by Kristin Hannah and I LOVED it! Honestly, if I had not heard amazing reviews of her previous novel, <i>The Nightingale</i>, I would not be interested in reading a book about Alaska in the 1970's BUT I would seriously be missing out! Hannah had me so captivated in learning about Alaska and The Great Alone and how this transient family was able to make their mark and learn to survive fast in this beautiful, but treacherous environment.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/pCWkJ5gGQnIHu/giphy.gif" width="" height="" alt="description"/>

<b>"Up here you can make one mistake. The second will kill you."</b>

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/MeVYchhGw8ges/giphy.gif" width="" height="" alt="description"/>

Throughout the book you really look at a community coming together and 'taking care of their own' and how this family of three made a major impact in this homestead settlement. When you read this book, make sure to be snuggling up by the fire, because reading about winters in Alaska it just makes you feel that bone chill cold. Hannah also gives you the imagery of the shift in seasons to spring with the melting ice crackling and able to really imagine Alaska and all its beauty.

The Great Alone touches upon so many important issues: women's rights, domestic abuse, political issues, alcoholism, PTSD and the list goes on. I <b><u>Highly Recommend</b></u> this book and I am off to read <i>The Nightingale</i>!

Something about this book grabbed me and squeezed.

I loved Leni and Large Marge and some of the more ancillary characters, but the greatest character is Alaska life in the 70s & 80s. I wish more time has been spent on the events of the last 50 pages at the expense of some of the front end of the story, but nevertheless I sped through it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is outside of my normal genre, but I have been wanting to try this author for quite a while. When I saw the blurb was about Alaskan homesteaders, I knew that I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and start with this one. I get sucked into those Alaskan Bush People type shows from time to time, and I have always wanted to go to Alaska, so I knew that the subject matter would be interesting. I have to say that Kristin Hannah is a master storycrafter and I will definitely be adding more of her books to my TBR.

The Great Alone is not a happy story by any means, but it is poignant and captivating. The narrator of the story is Lenora "Leni" Albright, whom we followed as she came of age in the 1970s following the Vietnam War. Leni's father, Ernt Albright, has returned home a changed man after years as a POW in Vietnam. As he suffers from (likely undiagnosed) PTSD, Leni and her mother, Cora, do everything they can to appease Ernt, including following him to the Alaskan wilderness to get away from what he sees as the deterioration of society.

The Albrights arrive in Alaska wholly unprepared for the realities of living in such a harsh environment. Luckily the small community of homesteaders on the Kenai Peninsula are willing to help cheechakos that come up from the Outside and help get them settled and prepared to survive the harsh winter. I enjoyed the sense of community that we saw around Otters Cove, and each of the secondary characters added a needed dimension to the story. I enjoyed the diversity of thought and methods of living that we saw from the townfolk - from survivalists, to escapists, to people who loved the Alaskan beauty.

Sometimes it was hard to read about Leni's life. She and Cora were suffering the fate of many females of the time, struggling to get by in a world where women's rights were still a new phenomenon. Hardest of all was dealing with the volatility and declining mental state of Ernt, particularly once they had diminished resources in Alaska. I can only imagine how difficult and terrifying it was to live in that household that was more full of fear than love. There were times when I really wanted Leni to run, even if she had to leave her mom behind. I think that Hannah did an admirable job chronicling the life and circumstances of battered women, particularly the emotional turmoil that Cora felt over the man she loved, but who was also violent.

I enjoyed watching Leni come of age and gain maturity and experience in such a harsh environment. I respected her ability and love for this type of life, even if I don't think I could have survived it myself. The imagery was fantastic and allowed me to picture the harsh landscape in my head, but also sent me to google looking up images of Otters Cove and the surrounding area. I am no less fascinated by Alaska after reading this story, although I no longer think I would be capable of living the isolationist life in this type of environment.

While this story was not a happy tale for the most part, I do recommend it to those who enjoy dense historical fiction or captivating family sagas. The Great Alone was a one-sitting read for me, as I couldn't put it down until the very last page. Every time I would turn off the Kindle and try to sleep, I found my eyes popping back open and willing me back to the next chapter.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.

Devastating, raw, and suspenseful, The Great Alone is the coming-of-age tale of Leni Allbright, taking place in the largely unsettled Alaska of the 1970s. Leni’s father, Ernt, is a Vietnam prisoner of war with unresolved PTSD, resulting in episodes of uncontrollable rage and abuse. Leni and her mother have learned to live in a way that minimizes Ernt’s anger, adhering to his every whim. When Ernt inherits a dilapidated cabin in Alaska, the family uproots once again, seeking the freedom of off-the-grid living. The close-knit community welcomes the Allbrights into the fold, teaching them survival skills and offering them the companionship of fellow pioneers. However, as the weather deteriorates and winter approaches, Leni and her mother become increasingly isolated, at the mercy of Ernt’s fury and paranoia. Leni must break through the bonds of her parents’ brokenness to understand the meaning of genuine, unconditional love and to encounter her true self. Hannah explores the lasting effects of family relationships, mental illness, and the isolation, danger, and freedom of the wilderness.