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.

Kristin Hannah has written numerous bestselling books. Her 2015 release, The Nightingale, reached even new literary heights, and the movie is set to be released this August. If you haven’t read the Nightingale, you need to read it as soon as you can; new books from this year can wait.

This February (on my birthday, in fact, the 6th) her new novel, The Great Alone, will be released. I just finished an advanced readers edition and want to tell you why you should not miss this book; in fact, this book will be in discussion for book of the year eleven months from now (I won’t reveal any spoilers).

Most of The Great Alone takes place in the nineteen-seventies. The book is the story of the Allbright family. The family consists of Leni and her parents, Cora and Ernt. We meet Leni on the first page, along with the central tension of the novel.

Leni felt edgy, too. She was the new girl at school, just a face in the crowd; a girl with long hair, parted in the middle, who had no friends and walked to school alone.
Now she sat on her bed, with her skinny legs drawn up to her flat chest, a dog-eared copy of Watership Down open beside her. Through the thin walls of the rambler, she heard her mother say, Ernt, baby, please don’t. Listen…and her father’s angry leave me the hell alone.
They were at it again. Arguing. Shouting.
Soon there would be crying.
Weather like this brought out the darkness in her father.

With simple language, the author has deftly laid out the story right there on page one. Two pages later, she completes the underlying story that will carry the reader through this complicated, emotional, and conflicted novel:

It hadn’t always been this way. At least that’s what Mama said. Before the war, they’d been happy, back when they’d lived in a trailer park in Kent and Dad had had a good job as a mechanic and Mama had laughed all of the time and danced to “Piece of My Heart” while she made dinner. (Mama dancing was really all Leni remembered of those years.)
Then Dad got drafted and went off to Vietnam and got shot down and captured. Without him, Mama fell apart; that was when Leni first understood her mother’s fragility…
When Dad had finally come home, Leni barely recognized him. The handsome, laughing man of her memory had become moody, quick to anger, and distant. He hated everything about the commune, it seemed, and so they moved. Then they moved again. And again. Nothing ever worked out the way he wanted.

So now you understand the family dynamic. All we need is a location for the story to unfold. The Allbrights will receive that through a letter from a man whose son Ernt served with in Vietnam: Alaska. It is there, in that wide, wild land full of darkness and danger, community and isolation, that this story of love and survival will take hold of you.

Kristin Hannah does a remarkable job creating an Alaska vast and deadly and still full of wonder and beauty. The supporting characters in the book can be as large as the land itself; the Allbright’s neighbors, the Walker family, are well-written, and their story is complex and nimbly interwoven with the Allbright’s; Large Marge is nothing less than a force of nature and will be a reader favorite; and the off-the-gridders, the conspiracy-theorist group, add an element of entanglement and realism that mirrors sectors of our modern lives.

The Allbrights do find a home in Alaska. Ernt Allbright finds people who are like-minded and listen to him as well as a largeness of space which lets him feel less trapped. Leni learns hunting from her father and self-reliance from necessity which gives her the confidence and strength she had been lacking. And Cora, Cora learns how weak love can make you, and the strength it can give you to do anything to protect it.

The family finds a routine in Alaska. They learn how to survive there and make a place for themselves. But underneath it all, the cancer of domestic violence is spreading. All the dark, the isolation, the constant fight for survival, takes its toll:

The sudden wildness in his eyes, the showing of the whites, scared Leni. She took a step backward…
“It’s the weather,” Mama said, lighting a cigarette, watching him drive away. Her beautiful skin looked sallow in the headlight’s glow, almost waxen.
“It’s going to get worse,” Leni said. “Every day is darker and colder.”
“Yeah,” Mama said, looking as scared as Leni suddenly felt. “I know.”

There is a certain chilling beauty to that passage, both in the description of the mother and the connection of the father’s temperament to the weather. In places, the reflection of the violence and fury in the natural world in the Allbright father reminds me of Wuthering Heights. I haven’t read that book in decades, but I remember the natural world being a mirror to the character’s internal struggles in that book as well as in this one.

This book will grab you and twist your insides. You will get angry; you’ll feel frustration, pity, and love. I was surprised at how tangled my emotions were toward the mother, Cora. I got so mad at her and wanted to wake her up, and yet there were times I just wanted to hug and soothe her. The toll love takes in her life is tremendous. Leni you’ll cheer for, but there is a sadness within her that will always give you pause.

Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale is a five-star book. The only thing that bugged me about that book was the neatly-tied, pretty ribbon at the story’s conclusion. It and Anthony Doer’s All the Light We Cannot See were side-by-side stellar historical fiction about the WWII period: I preferred how Doer let his story have its own ending rather than making sure it ended in a way to appease readers. (I also think I may be in the minority with that preference.) The Great Alone had a little of that same issue for me, as well as one twist toward the end which caught me by surprise, but then unraveled too easily. It made the final twist feel unnecessary and a little like a late addition to the novel.

Still, this will be one of the books of the year. It is a wonderful book. Most writers will spend their life trying to write one book this good and fail. Thank you, Kristin Hannah, for giving up law and turning to writing. Readers, enjoy.

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.

Wow. What a tale Kristin Hannah has spun. It was so bleak, yet I couldn’t stop reading it. I’ve ordered several copies for my library and am likely to order more as demand is already high. I like that I can recommend this title to so many patrons: readers of drama, history, survival, and women’s lit. The appeal is very widespread! Thank you so much for allowing me to read The Great Alone.

ScrappyMags 3-word review: Escape to Alaska?

Genre: Chic-Lit/contemporary fiction (my 6th Hannah book I've read)

Shortest summary ever: It's the 1970's and 13 year-old Lenora “Leni” Allbright is suddenly uprooted to Alaska by her Vietnam vet dad and can’t-leave-the-man-I-love mom after inheriting a plot of land in the lush, beautiful wilderness. Hoping her father will “get better”, she acquiesces, but life is hard in Alaska and Leni’s days are full of chores, constantly prepping for winter, and worrying as her father slowly worsens when days grow shorter and shorter and a long, cold winter settles around them. Amidst the cold terrain, friendship and love flourish - a special friend named Matthew provides Leni with what she desperately needs - someone to talk to. Neighbors care for her and pitch in to help the Allbrights. However, the demons battled by her father won't simply die and her mother’s love for him seem to push Leni’s life in directions she never sees coming...

What’s good under the hood: Alaska. I think there might be a part in all of us that thinks - What if I LEFT, went to Alaska and disappeared and lived in a cabin. Or maybe that's just me? I adored that flight-from-the-every-day fantasy aspect alive in this book. As a child we had 5 acres in rural Northern Michigan. No TV, phone, or bathroom. And I loved every second of it. I’m sold on Alaska (to visit ... I’m not cut out for mountain life) and felt is was almost a character in the story - an entity given breadth and life. That and the town - the people, the LIFE was by far the best part of this book.

What’s bad or made me mad: I will fervently admit that I am and forever will find it difficult to understand women who refuse to leave abusive husbands, particularly when they have children and particularly when they are offered multiple ways to escape. I found some of the book predictable but that was okay, made up for with wonderful writing.

Recommend to:

Hannah fans will give this an easy 5.
It's great chic-lit (not really my jam right now, but I can acknowledge it's a wonderful addition to the genre)
If you're in the mood for love, Alaska, passion, ruggedness, small town life, etc..

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and for many Googlings of the Alaskan wilderness.

Thank you for sharing this book with me. Very descriptive book that was well written by this beloved author. I was taken by the landscape and the feelings and tragedies the characters were depicted as going through. It was an insightful journey to what I imagine is still a hard life in Alaska and for those suffering with PTSD. I think the story was a bit slow and predictable to give it a higher rating.