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.

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.

The Great Alone – Kristin Hannah

Lenora Allbright is a pre-pubescent ‘tween’ in 1976 when her war veteran father makes an impromptu decision to move the family to Alaska. After losing yet another job, the PTSD ridden Ernt receives a letter from the father of a deceased military buddy offering him his sons’ home and land in the last frontier state. They pack their meager belongings and head to rural Kaneq, AK, where they quickly learn that Alaska is another world all together.

A small town with no electricity and none of the modern conveniences, Kaneq is full of colorful characters who quickly welcome the Allbrights into their midst. There’s Large Marge, who left behind a life as an attorney, and runs the towns market. There’s Mad Earl, the town eccentric, and Thomas Walker, who’s family once founded Kaneq, and whom Ernt rapidly comes to resent, and the lovable Thelma.

As summer gradually gives way to fall and into the long, dark Alaskan winter, Ernt becomes more and more irrational, planning for events that don’t come, and pitting himself against the whole town. He takes out his fears and frustration on wife Cora, while Leni does her best to protect her. However, Leni becomes close to Matthew Walker, Tom’s son, and Ernt refuses to allow the relationship to continue. But continue it does, and Leni finds herself in an impossible position – run away with the man she loves, or remain at home and attempt to protect her mother from an increasingly abusive and volatile situation?

When an attempt to run results in a serious accident that threatens Matthews life, Leni must remain home to safeguard her mother. Then, on a dark winters night, violence flares, leaving Leni and Cora having to flee the land they’ve come to call home, and the man that Leni loves...

I LOVED this book, and like most of Kristin Hannah’s novels, it really resonated with me. I don’t believe I’ve ever made it through one of her books without tears – and this one is no different!! A must-read for Hannah fans, and for anyone looking for heartwarming characters, descriptive and colorful writing, and a story you’ll remember long after you put the book down!
Also, Alaska has just moved way up on my ‘bucket list’ of places I need to see!

Five stars is not enough for this incredible tug at the heart strings novel. Kristin Hannah has done it again! I was sucked into the book immediately and there was no question that I wouldn’t do anything else until I finished the book. I was in Alaska. The descriptions of its beauty and treachery gave me a glimpse of what life could have been like there in the 70s and the strength of those who lived there.

The raw emotions and the depth of these characters kept me on the brink of tears until the last page. The tragedy of war and undiagnosed PTSD, how it affects family members and the coping mechanisms they utilize are a focal point of Hannah’s novel. It was both heart-wrenching and yet hopeful.

Ernt and his wife Cora make the move to Alaska with their thirteen-year old daughter Leni to have yet another fresh start. They have little money, no wilderness skills, and winter is approaching. Leni deals with her parents completely dysfunctional relationship, living in almost complete isolation and the angst of the growing up before her time.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Kristin Hannah's latest book is a story about a family in turmoil set against the ruthless yet stunning beauty of Alaska in 1974.

This family saga felt like two different books. The first three-quarters was a gritty look at the Allbright family as they struggled to settle into the wilds of Alaska and deal with the trouble within their own family. Life in 'off the grid Alaska' was harsh, dangerous and lonely but Hannah's descriptions of the unforgiving wilds of Alaska were my favourite part of the book (with Alaska herself easily becoming my favourite character).

But after awhile the story started to feel redundant as the same issues kept popping up with the characters reacting in the same way each time. There's also a fair amount of 'telling, not showing' and I found the dialogue weak which didn't bode well for building a connection with Leni and the other characters who were a one-dimensional bunch.

Then, at three-quarters of the way through the book, it had a different feel. I ended up skimming the last hundred pages which was filled with hard to believe scenes and an ending that felt rushed and tied up so easily that it was eye-roll worthy. Hannah was going for tragedy and there are bucket loads of it but there were so many issues (PTSD, abuse, poverty, death ...) that it felt soap opera-ish. It was tragedy after tragedy without enough room in between for readers to take a breath.

Overall, I appreciated the beautiful descriptions of Alaska (and the delightful Large Marge - who should have had her own chapters) and I liked the premise but overall this book fell short for me.

Disclaimer: This ARC was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read the book after reading the description. After visiting Alaska once I've been fascinated by what lures people to live in such remote locations where bare survival is a priority. I have never read Kristen Hannah's work before but I will be sure to do so now. I hated finishing this book, the writing was excellent and I earmarked many passages. This book touches on so many subjects and keeps your interest throughout, I highly recommend it!

I loved the bravery and the striving for survival shown by Leni in THE GREAT ALONE.. I wish she had been able to stand up for herself to her father before the father is killed. I liked the descriptive passages about Alaska and the harsh but compelling nature. I think the doomed romance was a bit over the top. I think it would have been better to have Matthew be injured but survive and end up with amnesia like a soap opera. I think the abusive husband/father character got a little too repetitive before the ending.

Compelling story of perseverance in a 1970’s Alaskan wilderness about a mother & daughter who are determined to survive both the harsh environment and the abusive husband/father. This women’s tale of grit and determination kept me reading even when the prose became cliche and the dialogue was cringe-worthy. Hannah wrote a wonderful ode to Alaska and she has the personal experience to give insight into a climate many of us can only imagine. Her characters are a bit flat, I wish Matthew’s story had more depth and more of his perspective. The whole have a baby and keep a part of the man trope was weak. I think NIGHTENGALE is a better written book but I enjoyed the descriptions of the Alaskan world and wish Large Marge had been the narrator ( who seems so caricatured here).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this fantastic book. It's another amazing book by this author, right up there with The Nightingale, but a completely different plot line.

I stepped back in time to the early seventies, reliving some of what the main character, Leni, talks about going on in the world at that time. However, it was a whole new experience "living" in rural Alaska with her. Wow, what an experience! The characters and settings were so vivid I felt I was right there!

The author does a great job of exploring why people act the way they do (a good depth of Leni's father's POW frail mind after Vietnam), and the repercussions of each decision we make in life. I stayed up way too late several nights because I just had to know what happened next in Leni's world!

This book was an epic, amazing, emotionally draining, beautifully (BEAUTIFULLY!!!) written, soul-crushing, roller-coaster of a read. I'm still reeling. It's totally different than my two favorites from KH: Firefly Lane (my favorite book of all time ever) and The Nightingale. I loved the characters (except for her father- he's wretched) and also Alaska, which was really another character. Thank you so much for letting me read & review. KH is brilliant & I have no doubt this will be on the bestsellers list for weeks and weeks- and will make a phenomenal movie!!!! I will recommend this book to everyone!!!

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown.

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

My Thoughts: I love the setting and the era in which the story begins. It takes me back to what was happening in my life in the 1970s. The Vietnam War, protesters, Nixon and Watergate…and a feeling of a country divided. Not that different from the world today.

Ernt Allbright is the MC, who, along with his wife Cora and daughter Leni, hopes to find a new life in Alaska. Ernt’s experiences as a POW in Vietnam have left him with nightmares, flashbacks, and rage. A lot of rage.

Long winters in Alaska bring out his worst emotions…what will happen to his family in the isolated “great alone”?

Leni’s third person narrative kept me thoroughly engaged, and I felt such empathy for her experiences, having grown up in a family with domestic violence and rage. A family that relished its “outsider” status.

Leni’s fear that her father would eventually kill her mother held me by the throat, as I watched the intensity grow. Her friendship with Matthew opens up the world for her, but her father’s hatred of his family enhances the danger. Will Leni find a way to escape? What will need to happen before she can find the peace she craves?

A beautiful saga of an unpredictable wilderness and the people who brought a sense of belonging to Leni, The Great Alone spanned decades, and left me feeling the beauty of the land and the people who had found their place there. 5 stars.

***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley

Alaska - The Great Alone.

Its 1974. Imagine you're 13. You've been drug to a place you can't get to except by boat or plane by your alcoholic father and emotionally fragile mother. If anyone can write a train wreck in a beautiful setting, it's Kristin Hannah. I was heartbroken by the life this poor kid was dealt, but somehow I understood her love of the wild beauty that is Alaska. I felt the biting cold winters she described as if I were there. I could smell the mountain air. I could taste the fresh salmon they fried on the shores after pulling them fresh out of the water. It takes a special writer to make the reader have an experience like that. And yet... What a tragic story.

Being a kid who grew up in the 80's, I can remember hearing about the men who returned from Vietnam, damaged and bruised by circumstances beyond their control. As bad as they were, nobody thought to get help. It's sad to think how many families were destroyed by it. The girl in this book was trapped in hell for years. If it weren't for the tight knit community looking out for her and her mother, they might not have survived. This book brought out so many emotions in me. I struggled through the last half of the book because of the violence and tragedies that came one after the other. Why do we torture ourselves like that? Because it's in these stories that we learn about perseverance. I appreciate the care in which Hannah approached this topic. I imagine it wasn't easy, but I'm glad she wrote it.

Kristin Hannah wrote 70% of a novel and then 30% of a soap opera.

I know this isn't likely to be a popular opinion. Hannah is an incredibly popular writer whose books sell into the millions. This might be a case of "it's not you, it's me." The same problems I found in her sentinel work The Nightingale came back to haunt The Great Alone: weak female characters, use of death and tragedy as plot devises, and an overwrought, melodramatic narrative. People who liked Hannah's earlier work, will probably love this book. But if you've not been a fan in the past, don't expect much to change with this Alaskan tale.

The book starts when Leni Allbright is thirteen, awkward, and unable to fit in anywhere. It doesn't help that her parents are constantly moving her around the country. Her father, Ernt, is chasing that next big opportunity that will make him happy for good. Her mother, Cora, is hoping the next town they land in will transform Ernt into the man we was before Vietnam. The Allbright family wind up in Alaska, in a cabin without pluming and electricity and far from any real civilization. When they arrive at the start of summer, Ernt is able to relax in the natural setting, and Cora and Leni think he might really return to how he was before the war. But as they days grow colder and the sun disappear from the sky, Ernt's demons come back with a vengeance.

Cora reminded me a lot of Vianne from The Nightingale, only with an abusive husband this time. Like her predecessor, she acts like a sad doormat the majority of the book until the moment she snaps out of character (spoiler: and murders someone). Ernt is the usual abusive husband archetype-- drinking and beating and obsessing. One character I loved was Large Marge, who doesn't take any prisoners and doesn't suffer any fools. But I almost felt like making Marge an African-American in Alaska and obese gave her the "excuse" not to be yet another shrinking violet.

I actually quite liked the first 70% of the book. I was rooting for Leni, I enjoyed her friendship with Matthew, the understanding boy next homestead over, and I was waiting for Ernt's dangerous end-of-the-world prepping to come to a head. This book really brings Alaska and off-grid living to life. But then it all fell apart.

I feel like Hannah wanted to make her readers sad, so they would feel things, and isn't it a good book if it makes you cry? So lets kill off some characters. Heck, let's kill off all the characters! Teenage pregnancy? Sure, that's juicy stuff and very romantic. Wait, I killed off too many characters? There's a fix for that. Perfect bittersweet ending! I wound up skimming the last 30% of the book. The last hundred pages made me hate how much I enjoyed the first three hundred pages. I don't think I'll be picking up another Kristin Hannah book any time soon.