The Great Alone could be the best book of 2018. Kristin Hannah's new novel is a masterpiece. It's hard to believe she could follow up The Nightingale with something equally amazing, but she did. Thanks to St Martin's Press for the ARC. The story begins in 1974 when we meet Leni, a friendless junior high girl that has attended five schools in four years. Her father, Ernt, fought in Vietnam and has anger issues. Her mother, Cora, is deeply in love with Ernt but also afraid of him. When Ernt unexpectedly inherits land in Alaska the family moves again. Leni and Cora hope that a new life in Alaska will be the salve Ernt desperately needs. Unfortunately the challenges of living in Alaska are many and they seem to fuel Ernt's anger. In Alaska Leni makes friends that offer their support in dealing with her dysfunctional family and dangerous father. Hannah has created a story that is suspenseful and full of fascinating characters. She makes the reader understand that living in Alaska is full of beauty-and danger.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Only 13, Leni has been bounced around from school to school. Her dad's war buddy left him property in Alaska so they move there and start their lives over - again. We follow Leni through her teen-age years with an abusive out of control dad, and a mother who wants what he wants.

This is a fantastic saga and a must read in 2018.

4 enthusiast stars

The Great Alone was wonderfully written and captivating book. The Alaskan setting was both beautiful and brutal. Leni was a fantastic narrator. She, along with her parents and the other characters, were well-developed and had important stories to tell. Everything about The Great Alone was pretty much perfect -- except that it was torturous to read at times.

There were just so many tragic moments. It hurt to read about Leni's life. There was just so much heartbreak. I had to take little breaks to get through much of it. I never felt like I could relax and just enjoy it.

In a way, that's a compliment to Kristin Hannah's writing. She really did touch my heart with The Great Alone. She depicted a life that was tough, but never let me give up hope for a brighter tomorrow for Leni. Even though The Great Alone wasn't a comfortable read, it was a great one. It shared an important story in a fascinating landscape.

Ernt Allbright lives life on his own terms, and when he suddenly finds out he's been gifted some land in Alaska from a fellow soldier he served with in Viet Nam, he packs up his wife and their daughter to start a new life. To say they were ill-prepared would be an understatement. Told from the daughter, Leni's perspective, readers follow along as a young girl becomes a woman in a largely undeveloped region of the Alaska wilderness. She's got her hand full; making friends, doing chores, and managing her family, who time and again threatens to fall apart.

4..5 stars

Perseverance and belonging.
No two words better capture the heart of this story and the will of those who choose to make a life in the Last Frontier, Alaska. Under the harshest conditions, a family of three struggle to adjust to daily challenges and hardships due to the elements, and at the same time, fight to survive each other.

Perseverance
Noun
- steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
Not everyone can survive living in Alaska. Along with the extreme weather conditions, the long winter and lack of sunlight can literally drive a person mad. So, what happens when an ill prepared and unstable family decides to make the small town of Kaneq, their new home? As a reader, you hope they can find it within them to make it.

Lenora "Leni" Allbright, daughter of Cora and Ernt, is the main narrator of this story. We learn early on how she has had trouble finding her identity and new friends, with her family's frequent moves. She essentially is trapped in an impossible situation. Her father is clearly suffering some form of PTSD following the Vietnam war, and it has left him a changed man. A man who struggles with nightmares, alcohol and keeping a job. Basically, a recipe for disaster.

With another job loss, the family finds out about an unexpected "opportunity" in Kaneq, Alaska. Despite her mother, Cora's fears, the family packs up and heads out, once again, and are immediately welcomed with warnings of how tough the Alaskan winters could be. My heart hurt for Cora and Leni who seemed unable to live up to the task. But that's what's most shocking about this book. These two weak women, with not a clue about surviving Alaskan winters, learn to adapt.

Page by page, we learn how the cold isolation slowly breaks Ernt, sending him spiraling into a state no one can help him escape.

Belonging (Belong)
verb
- (of a person) fit in a specified place or environment.
- be the property of:

Although it takes time to adjust to their new way of life, Leni finds her place in Kaneq. She no longer feels like an outcast, and even makes a new friend, Matthew. Despite her father's objections, Leni (and Cora) form bonds with other members of the town - Tom Walker, Marge "Large Marge" Birdsall, to name a few - who will do anything to help one another in a time of need. Those bonds form create a sense of belonging for the first time. Something that Leni draws upon as her life changes in dramatic fashion.

This book also highlights the dangers of belonging, specifically in respect to Cora and Ernt. Some may call them tragic soulmates, but their relationship highlights the deep wounds that abuse, and the mere fear of abuse can cause. So many times I wanted to scream for Cora and Leni to run. But it’s clear how hard the decision would be, particularly given the time period of this book and the lack of support women are given in the eyes of the law.

This is a story that crept on me. There are times that the pace was slow, but the words still flowed skillfully. that I didn’t feel any desire to skim. The author manages to capture the harsh beauty of this state, and at times I felt so connected the story, I had to bundle myself in blankets despite the 60-degree temps around me.

The tension between Ernt, Cora and Leni was built deliberately, that those moments where Ernt lost control, had my heart beating uncontrollably and a prayed for the women's survival. And on the flip side, the brief moments of happiness that Leni felt, were bursting from the pages, warming my heart.

This is a book that highlights the courage and willpower a few can embrace to build a life, a home, a connection under the weight of abuse and dwindling resources. It captures the power of the human spirit - never giving up, never losing hope. Discovering oneself in the Great Alone.

I was a bit out of my usual comfort zone as far as reading genres when I came to this book. When I was about 5 percent into the book I was loving it, but as I got just a little bit further I thought to myself, "if I wasn't committed to reading this for NetGalley, I'd move onto something else." However, after taking a deep breath and persevering with the book, I came away with a healthy admiration for this author's writing.

I've held the lifelong belief that while reading books I've travelled all over the world in my mind. For this reason, I do not feel at all like I've missed out due to my anemic personal travel log. One of the gifts I received from this book was the very unique experience of living "off the grid" in Alaska.

It's the early 1970s, and 13 year old Lenora (Leni) Allbright is living with the stress and uncertainty of her parents' volatile marriage. Her father Ernt is a Vietnam POW, never quite the same upon his discharge from the Armed Forces. His sleep is often disturbed by flashbacks and he's unable to control his jealously where his attractive and dedicated wife Cora is concerned. Leni has too often seen her father's hair trigger violence towards her mother, as well as Cora's willingness to forgive without consequences. Cora and Ernt fell in love quite young, culminating in unexpected pregnancy and a rushed, simple wedding. Cora came from wealth and her parents disapproved of the marriage, but her love for Ernt was steadfast. Even though Ernt didn't come home from the war the same man, Cora stoically dealt with the rollercoaster moods from her husband. As Leni witnesses her parents riding the wild emotions of their marriage, their sexual passions still intact... she's a young teenager with a secret to be embarrassed about. Her father sometimes hits her mother.

Then a life-changing decision is suddenly made: Ernt receives a letter from the father of a fellow POW- one who didn't make it home alive. His comrade willed him some land and a home in Alaska. Ernt views this opportunity as a lifeline; a place where he can live in solitude off the land. A place to start anew. With hope and some trepidation, Cora agrees to leave their Seattle home along with Leni and Ernt for an unknown future in Alaska.

When the Allbrights arrive in this remote strip of Alaska, it's quite unsettling just how "off the grid" this new life will be. There is no running water or electricity, and their modest cabin is littered with dead bugs. There is no bathroom; those needs are met by an outhouse. The only means of communication with their fellow cove inhabitants is by ham radio. They are also warned by the locals how easily one can die during the cruel Alaska winters. The Allbrights must learn how to hunt and fish, can foods, tend to livestock and cut firewood... just to name a few life-saving skills. During the heart of an Alaskan winter, there are barely 8 hours of light in the day. Talk about cabin fever! This was where I hit critical mass in the book and felt so claustrophobic and disturbed that I wished to put aside the book.

Ernt at first thrives with the simplicity and physicality of working the land, but does not do well when the unrelenting winter hits. I won't get into the nuts and bolts of the story. Suffice it to say, and I quote Leni, her parents were in a "sick, twisted love that bound her parents together." There are characters that you will grow to love in this book, and one will absolutely turn your stomach. This is a story that is rich, atmospheric and fraught with great emotions. I came away from this book with utter respect and appreciation for the people who homestead in Alaska, with all its beauty and challenges. For all the hard physical work to survive there, they seem to love it and would have it no other way.

This is an emotional, heart wrenching read I couldn’t put down. Beauty, pain and sorrow mixed with so much love. I wondered if I would read anything as powerful as The Nightingale was to me......I just did.

Lena Allbright’s father, Ernt, is a Viet Nam vet who survived four years of hell as a POW. He returned a totally different person. Couldn’t keep a job, terrible mood swings, could never sleep. Her mom Cora, tried everything she could to keep life normal for Leni, despite constantly moving, changing schools and witnessing her father’s bursts of anger. The year is 1974. Finding out he has been left a plot of land in Lands End, Alaska has given Ernt new life and a lot of fear for Cora and Leni. But, they go.

It was a cabin, more like a shack, literally at lands end. Her father was ecstatic. The closest town was Kaneq, there were shops, a one room school and wonderful people who welcomed them, and began to help immediately. They were warned repeatedly that this was the time to prepare for winter, it would be worse than they could even imagine. They did their best. Lena made her first friend at school, his name was Matthew and he was 13 years old also. They survived their first winter, and learned a lot more to survive the next. The years went by, Ernt became a follower of a local Doomsday group, preparing for war, or the end of the world, extremely militant. It made Cora and Leni that much more nervous, but life entered a pattern that seemed to work. When Leni turned 18, she and Matthew had grown up and into a relationship that was much more serious than friends. They were planning a life together and Leni was going off to the University of Anchorage on scholarship. But more frequently now Ernt was taking out his anger on Cora, viciously. She always accepted his tearful begging for forgiveness, but Leni had lost patience. Her love for Matthew was the only thing that kept her going. Then, tragedy struck, her life plans were shattered, and she and her Mom had to find a way to survive.

Mixed with this emotional rollercoaster, the beauty of Alaska is painted for us by Ms. Hannah. The bitter cold of winter and darkness, contrasting with the never ending sun of summer. This is one of those books I will reread and get even more entertainment from. I have recommended it to many friends, and can only give it the highest praise.

I thank the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for review.

Pat Fordyce

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Kristin Hannah for the opportunity to read and review her latest work - it is fabulous! I'm a huge fan of Kristin Hannah's work and this will not disappoint.

Set in the early 1970s, this was a time when women couldn't get their own credit card without their husband's permission and domestic abuse was swept under the rug. The Allbright family is always just scraping by - Ernt is a former POW in the Vietnam War and came back with what would now be diagnosed as PTSD - nightmares, violent attacks, unable to hold a job. His wife Cora is still in love with the Ernt of Before and says that he is sick and you don't abandon someone if they are sick. Daughter Leni is used to switching schools and constantly moving. Ernt eventually moves them to Alaska - the Alaska that is so remote and beautiful but very inhospitable, especially to those unprepared for its own cruelties. With the help of the close-knit community, the Allbrights start figuring out how to survive. However, the long winters of almost all day darkness make Ernt worse. Cora and Leni have to learn to navigate him and their new world.

This is the story of powerful strong women who roll up their shirtsleeves and do what needs to be done. It's the story of love - and all the different forms that takes. Hannah's beautiful writing literally transports you into the Alaskan wilderness where danger can come at any time but also speaks of a lifestyle that changes your soul.

Such an amazing book - highly recommended!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Leni’s father was different before the war. At least, that’s what her mom Cora was always telling her. When Ernt came back from Vietnam he was a changed man. He had nightmares and was drinking all the time. The family moved from place to place. Then he got a letter from Alaska. One of the men he served with who was killed in Nam, had left him a plot of land and a home. This was the new beginning that Ernt had been looking for. But they weren’t in anyway prepared for the work Alaska would require. They would all have to learn how to hunt, how to protect themselves. What they couldn’t prepare for was how the winter would affect Ernt. How the worst of him would begin to show when the nights became longer and winter began to fall.

This book started off so good. It’s 1974 and the Allbright family are making their way to Alaska. The foreshadowing for disaster was strong and the tension was high. Everyone’s fears and the family secrets were put on display. What this story really began to focus on was the love between mother and daughter and the bond they shared. Leni and Cora found strength in each other while Ernt was at his most dangerous. Along the way they found a community. But for a while, this story wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. At moments I felt like I was reading a different reincarnation of Stephen King’s The Shining with Ernt’s character mirroring that of Jack Torrance. Instead of being stuck in a hotel they were stuck in the Alaskan Wilderness. At other points of the story I felt like I was reading a new version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with two star-crossed lovers, defying the disagreements between their parents to be with each other. This story in its attempts to be unpredictable became disjointed in placed.

Another thing I have to mention is the obvious Native erasure. The area that Leni happened to be living in was somehow conspicuously missing any natives. All of the people that lived in this homestead where people escaping from the Outside, who came here to start a new. There was a Native school teacher who came to teach and that was about it. I also found it off that after living in Alaska for a few years, and learning survival skills, one can consider themselves an Alaskan. Is that all it takes? It also needs to be clear that this novel includes a lot of domestic violence both descriptive and disturbing. These were issues that I noticed that tugged at me continuously while reading.

I’ve read a few novels by Hannah and this was my least favorite. The writing was really well done with well developed characters and great world building. But this plot was a bit of a mess. This novel started off strong and just lost intensity over time. I kept reading because I became so invested in these characters that I had to know how their story would end. This was interesting because not as compelling and enjoyable as other novels by Hannah.

Among the beauty and dangers of Alaska, Lenore "Leni" and her parents move into a small cabin to start a new life off the grid. They are unprepared for the wild Alaskan environment will have on their family for not all danger comes from outside. Reading a book outside my usual genres can be a hit or miss situation, however this book captivated me from the start. It was not only about the toxic effects love can have but also an incredible portrayal of the untamed and unforgiving land of Alaska. I felt a kinship with Leni who turned to books to escape the everyday fragile atmosphere caused by her father's mental state. Although parts of this book infuriated me, the detailed descriptions of Alaska and its people reinforced my lifelong desire to visit the Last Frontier.

Love doesn’t fade or die,..

Kristin Hannah's novel The Great Alone is a compelling story of hope and love that doesn’t fade or die. Throughout this beautifully illustrated landscape a tragic story grows from the ashes and rebirths a new journey for Leni, the main character. The depth of the characters which built this small village to a strong family and community held my heart and tearfully cheered for their happiness and success. When you read this, have a box of tissues close at hand.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this novel,

Another engaging story by Hannah this one set in Alaska. Hannah is a great storyteller and a wonderful character writer but the setting here makes this story pop off the page. I am booking my Alaska cruise tomorrow (but I promise not to move there!).

“In Alaska you can make one mistake. One. The second one will kill you.”

It’s 1974 and the world is imploding. Watergate. Vietnam. Black panthers. Gas shortages. Protests. Revolutionaries. Kidnappings. Serial Killers. After receiving an unexpected inheritance, thirteen year old Leni and her parents, Cora and Ernt, move to rural Alaska. With no running water or electricity, the family work hard to make their house a home before winter sets in. As their friendly neighbor Large Marge says, winter “will cull the herd, and fast.”

Ernt has dark moods and nightmares since returning from Vietnam. The moods get darker in the long and frigid Alaskan winters. Cora takes the brunt of it. Leni dreams of a life for herself and her mom away from Ernt.

Seeing a family spiraling downwards into death and madness, The Great Alone puts the reader into an untenable situation along with Leni. Run away alone leaving her mother to her fate or fight the monster who used to be her loving father. This gripping thriller grabs the reader by the throat and causes their real life to be put on hold as they rush to read the conclusion. The Great Alone is highly recommended. Be warned! Starting this compelling novel at bedtime may reduce sleep time significantly.

Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

13-year-old Leni and her POW father and her hippie mama move to Alaska in 1973 to escape "the man", and hopefully help her dad heal. But Alaska is dark and brutal and beautiful. this book brings it to life in a way that I've never seen. fair warning: I spent at least the last 15% intermittently battling tears. This is not The Nightingale, but it is AMAZING. Highly recommended. I'd put this novel between the YA and coming of age genre. it has some tough domestic violence situations, for those that are triggered by such scenes.

I absolutely loved Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale as well as Winter Garden, so I was happy that her writing also fits quite well in a more modern time period. This book was absolutely incredible. At first, I just picked away it here and there, but then around the halfway mark I was all-in and I could not put it down. This is the case with her other books I've read too if you feel like the start is a bit slow. This story was wonderful: the setting was amazing, I fell in love with (some of) the characters, and the issues and tension in the book were SOOO intense. I can guarantee that this book will be buzzed about all year long and it is so well deserved. I need to go back and read her other books now.

Kristin Hannah has yet to disappoint me with a title and this one is definitely no exception. The story of Leni trying so desperately to live with what her POW father has become in the aftermath of the Vietnam War is a narrative that is, sadly, still relevant in today's world. Setting such a traumatic story against the beautiful yet isolated Alaska backdrop really drives home how helpless people can feel when faced with issues such as PTSD and domestic violence. The characters were well written and memorable and the scenery so incredibly described that I have found myself wanting to take a trip up there now. Heartbreaking yet hopeful book in the end.

The first Kristin Hannah book I ever read was at the recommendation of someone whose opinion I trust. She didn't steer me wrong. Since then, I have tried to make my way through more of her books. When I saw she had a new book out, a book set in Alaska, I had to add it to my list. I am so glad I did. Hannah writes in a way that makes you feel as if you are reading about some old friends. Whenever I finished, I was sad to leave them.

There are so many things I loved about Hannah's latest novel, The Great Alone. She once again proves what a talented writer she is.

Leni's father has PTSD since he returned home after being a POW during the Vietnam War. It is 1974. He can't hold a job; he has terrible nightmares and a terrible temper that he takes out on Leni's mother, Cora. When the opportunity arises for them to move to a very remote part of Alaska, they pack up their VW van and move, hoping for a better life. They are totally unprepared for the harshness of this place. And the long, brutal, dark winters only serve to make Leni's father worse.

With the help of the generous and knowledgeable townspeople, they learn to grow and hunt for food and how to preserve it for the long winter. They also learn to protect themselves from predators, like bears.

I loved the historical aspect. Leni was born the same year that I was. I could relate to all the references, political and cultural, to the 1970s. Although, I wasn't as tough as Leni!

I loved the Alaskan survival aspect. These people spent every waking moment during the long days of a very short summer working to stock up enough food for the winter. They had to tend animals and learn how to keep them alive during the winter. They had no running water or electricity. No indoor plumbing. Then they spent the long nights of winter trying to stay warm and safe. Hannah doesn't make this sound like a romantic Alaskan adventure. She's brutally honest.

I loved the family dynamic, and how the PTSD aspect played out. Leni's father, Ernt, is scary. And her mother loves him and can't live without him. It makes for a lot of tension. It is scary when they realize he's about to go off, and there is nothing they can do to protect themselves. Cora is stupid and blind. But she has memories of her husband before the war and can't let him go. He gets crazier and crazier, and Cora is more and more blinded. As a reader, you know that eventually, something has got to give.

I loved the romance. Leni falls in love with Matthew Walker whose dad is the rich guy in town, and of course, Ernt hates him. I won't say too much more, but it's heartbreaking.

I loved the ending. It's tragic. It's happy. It made me tear up (and, you may recall, I'm not a cryer.) So yeah, Hannah got me.

The pacing is perfect. I just can't think of anything even remotely negative about The Great Alone. It's a great book for teens. There is nothing at all objectionable, and the main character is a teen. So those who enjoy "romantic survival drama" stories will go for The Great Alone. This is sure to be a favorite of 2018.

I would first like to admit that this is only my second time reading Kristin Hannah. My first was, of course, the amazing hit of a couple of years ago, The Nightingale. I was completely surprised and thrilled to get the opportunity to read her latest in advance.
I had no idea what the book was about going in but I still would have bee excited to read had I known they synopsis. That being said, this book is so beautiful! There is struggle, love, friendships and redemption. Ms. Hannah seems to be able to write about anything and make it meaningful to you no matter the subject.
The characters were people you could really care about and feel sympathy for even when you really don't like them. And the setting of Alaska was a whole character in and of itself. There are some scenes of domestic violence that may bother some but this is really a story of strength and love. Have tissues near by!

P.S. Be sure the read the author's acknowledgments at the end to see the personal connection to Alaska-makes the story even better.

This wasn’t the book I thought I was reading from the publishers blurb, which would have been about naive back-to-the-land survivalism without adequate preparations in the harshness of Alaskan winters. That would have been wholesome compared to the darkness that unfolded page by page and chapter by chapter to the point I wondered if I wanted to know how it all would end.

But is a story of the triumph of the human spirit and of friendships that matter, and it is indictment of our justice system that turns a blind eye to spousal abuse. It’s a rough read and it’s worth it.