It is 1974, and Ernt Allbright is home from having been a prisoner in Vietnam during the war. The experience has left him with emotional scars from which he cannot seem to recover. He is constantly on the move while seeking a time and place that will be better for him and his family, wife Cora and thirteen-year-old daughter Leni. He believes the solution to have arrived when one day he receives a letter saying that his buddy who was killed in the war has willed his land and cabin in Alaska to Ernt. This is the new start that he has been wanting. So he uproots his family once again, they load up in their VW bus and head to Alaska.

They are totally unprepared for the Alaskan life. But thanks to the help of their neighbors, they are able to prepare to face the harsh winter that awaits them. But the outside weather is not the only harshness that the family must face. As darkness and cold settle on them, with it come the nightmares and bad times for Ernt. Following that, the meanness and abusive behaviors appear, making living in close winter quarters dangerous for Cora and Leni.

In spite of the hardships, the family loves the isolation and beauty of their Alaskan home. They make friends and adjust and adapt. Unfortunately, their happiness doesn’t last. Tragedy strikes and their lives change forever.

Hannah brings the setting alive on the page with her vivid and detailed descriptions of the magnificent Alaskan scenery. The accounts of what is needed to prepare for survival in an Alaskan winter in the 1970’s are comprehensive enough that I felt exhausted just reading about them. And when winter actually arrived, I could feel the cold and isolation in the significance of the title, The Great Alone.

With this book, we see how those war demons can ruin the lives of not only the soldiers but also of their families. Soldiers can’t always leave the war behind when they return home.

This book is also about the bonds of family, friends and community. These relationships are strengthened by hardship and love in spite of all odds. In these bonds, we also see forgiveness for past transgressions and acceptance of one another’s faults. Surprisingly, the book is populated with strong female characters who manage exceptionally well in a harsh world. And spousal abuse is woven into the story to tell of another kind of survival.

The Great Alone takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. As soon as you reach the high at the top, the bottom drops out leaving you emotionally drained. Before long you are going up the steep climb to the top again, hoping that the ride will come to an end there.

This review is written following the reading of an e-galley courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley

If you would like to read more of my reviews, visit https://mommyreadsbooks.blogspot.com/ .

This is not The Nightingale but is an amazing story in it's own right.

A coming of age novel set in the 70's and 80's Alaskan frontier. This is a hard book to review without giving a lot of it away.

I adored and was rooting for Leni throughout. At one point I had to set down the book to make dinner - muttering about a choice she had just made the whole time. I thought about the characters and story in between my reading of it. I was invested.

It's amazing to me how the Kristin Hannah was able to make Alaska itself a central character in the novel. Beautiful. Untamed.

The plot explores complicated themes in a multifaceted way.

It was wonderfully written. My only complaint is a situation towards then end that was handled to easily for the depth of the rest of the book.

I don't want to spoil any of it. Just read it.

Trigger warnings: violence, some language, alcoholism, PTSD

This book and the story told is heart wrenching, with hope for a better day in the eyes of a young girl.

Who doesn't love a Kristin Hannah book? I was intrigued by this one even though it seemed a little slow at the beginning. I understand now after finishing it, that we needed all the beautiful descriptions of Alaska in order to appreciate the picturesque landscape that consumes us as the story unfolds. When Leni and her family move suddenly, it is a new start for the young girl as she has never felt like she fit in with the rest of the kids. But winters can be harsh in Alaska and her family has secrets that will tear them apart given the harshness of the climate and the conflicts with the townspeople. But Hannah's books never disappoint and I loved the ending with all its pathos and beauty.

Leni is the teenage daughter of a Vietnam POW. Her father, Ernt, used to be a great guy, and now he is abusive, dark, moody, paranoid, violent. They up and move to Alaska and try to form friendships with people who have been living off the land for years.


That's really the first part of the book. About 50% of the way through, it switched to a love story. Honestly, I had no idea where or what was happening or why. Point of views switched randomly (and not often. Hannah seemed to just switch for convenience). It was slow moving and just not a fun read. The only interesting aspects were the details about living in Alaska. It's a different world, and Hannah really emphasized that. Otherwise, I wouldn't read this book if you are looking for a compelling story.

I love reading Kristin Hannah because she always delivers on transporting you to the world of the book. The Great Alone did not disappoint not that at all. You could really feel the emotion and struggles of the characterrs. There is always a twist or turn I do not expect and it keeps me hooked knowing she will make it an amazing read.
I think this was one of her best!

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I couldn't put this down! What a great story! It's been a long time since I've read anything so well written. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

A beautifully written story. An inside look at homesteading in Alaska and the relationships that really matter in a hard, challenging life.

Sadly my review copy expired before I finished reading the book. Being a fan of Kristin Hannah's I was eager to read this one and what I did read did not disappoint at all. The harsh setting of 1970s Alaska combined with Leni's chaotic homelife worked beautifully in contrast to the warm community that the locals built. I'm looking forward to finishing the book when it comes out.

Thirteen year old Leni is always trapped between her parents. Rent, her father, comes home from Vietnam a completely different man and her mother Cora, who will follow him anywhere even when he wants to move the family t Alaska. Alone in the wild, things begin to fall apart. Novel of survival and resilience.

There is honestly so much to this book that I really hope to do it justice. It really, for me, boils down to a book on physical and mental survival. On the one hand, there is survival in a beautifully described, desolate terrain and survival of the body against not only the harsh winter but also of physical assault. Mental survival saves some characters and the lack of it destroys another. The rawness of nature plays into the rawness of spirit and of being.
At the core of the story is a floundering family, barely surviving in Washington due to the father’s PTSD from being a Vietnam prisoner of war. Adding to the PTSD is the whole American milieu of anti-war, anti-veterans from a loud and verbal protestation. When Ernt Albright learns he has inherited a cabin and land in remote, untamed Alaska, he packs up his wife Cora and daughter Leni to claim the cabin totally unprepared for the realities that await them yet filled with a hope of finally escaping the torment the resides in him.
It is a story also of Leni’s maturing from a thirteen year old rejected by her peers and finding a place and a person to love in a beautiful but harsh environment. It is Cora and Leni’s resilience fortitude and reliance that drive the book through the horrors they encounter and the hardships that they daily endure.

I stayed up until almost 4 am reading this book. With my husband asleep at my side, his arms around me, I was transported to Alaska and to the painfully beautiful love story of Leni and Matthew. This is a book you won't soon forget. This is a book you'll find hard to put down. It's a winner, and I highly recommend it. Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.

1974 Alaska.  The beauty of the land is breathtaking, but it is counter-balanced by the cruel and unforgiving elements of nature.  A terrible and beautiful mosaic.  An emotionally scarred man moves his wife and daughter to the remote town of Kaneq for a fresh start.  They are welcomed by the community, but their problems have not been solved.  Tough, hopeful, and bittersweet.  You may leave a little piece of your heart behind when you close the pages of this one.

This was one of my favorite Kristin Hannah books. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and I'm no nature lover so the thought of moving not just to Alaska, but to off the grid Alaska, had me grinding my teeth. What kind of parents do that to their child? The answer is crazy ones.

Ernt has come back from the Vietnam war changed. His wife is still madly in love with him and goes along with the frequent moves that come with the frequent job losses, and the paranoia that leads to quick anger and lack of sleep for the whole family.

When Ernt receives a letter from the family of a dead Army buddy, he doesn't hesitate to uproot his entire family to move into a house sight unseen. No running water, no bathroom, no electricity, no nothing.

But Leni and her mother Cora make the best of a bad situation. This was crazy to me, it's like it never occurred to the that there was any other option. Although this was during a time when a woman couldn't have a credit card unless her father or husband co-signed for her. Complete madness.

The years pass, and Leni develops an attraction to Matthew Walker, the richest boy in town, an attraction that is reciprocated. But her father's paranoia has continued to grow, and his envy towards the Walker family is all consuming. The means that Leni has to sneak around, not an easy task in a tiny town.

The best part of Kristin Hannah books is that they usually follow a large span of their character's lives, which I find immensely satisfying. Every life has good times, bad times, births, deaths, and messy, messy relationships. This book covers all of these chapters of life, set in the wilds of Alaska, where the landscape presents as much danger as the people who proclaim to love you.

Returning home after several years as a Viet Nam War POW, Ernt Albright has many unresolved emotional and psychological issues, to say the least. Because of this, he and his wife, Cora, and their teenage daughter, Leni, move around a lot, as Ernt tries unsuccessfully to get his life back on track. When he inherits some property from a Nam buddy who never made it home, Ernt decides to move, with his wife and daughter, to Alaska to live on the property. Once there they find out just how hard life can be living on the edge of nowhere, with almost no amenities. Still, they manage to make a life, though Ernt never does overcome his short temper and the abusive way he treats his wife. As the years pass, we see just how much this family sacrifices to stay in Alaska, which is Ernt’s decision, while Cora and Leni and most of their neighbors and the townsfolk put up with Ernt’s frequent, abusive temper tantrums. During this time, Leni finds and falls for a young man who also lives a hardscrabble life in the area, while Cora manages to somehow keep Ernt as much in check as anyone can, while learning to adapt to the hard life herself. However, as can be expected, one day, things come to head, and actions ensue that impact on their lives forever after.

This is a fantastic story of love, endurance and acceptance of what life throws at you. I did not particularly like Cora staying with Ernt, as abusive and difficult a person as he was, year after year, but I realize some people are like that. I also felt sorry for Leni throughout a most of the story, because she was an innocent victim, thrown into a terrible situation, from which there really was no escape as long as her mother Cora stayed with Ernt. I enjoyed watching Leni’s relationship with her beau, Matthew, develop, but knew, as most other readers probably did, that a relationship with the son of the man Ernt most despised in town was eventually going to cause some real problems, which it did. The author’s descriptions of the hard life these modern-day pioneers in Alaska endured so recently was extremely well done and fascination to read about. There were also many twists and turns in the story that kept my attention. In fact, I could hardly put the book down most of the time. I have read most of what this author has written, and this book is right up there with the best. I find it hard to believe that any reader would find this one boring or even want to put it down. My only regret is that I am limited to giving it five stars, so, if there ever was/is a book to deserve more, this is it. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good book or to anyone who likes this author. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Leni doesn’t understand the love that binds her mother in marriage to a man suffering from PTSD. Hannah’s sympathetic view of a Vietnam War POW is heartrending as he struggles to assimilate back into a normal life in Seattle. He ultimately decides to take his family to Alaska to avoid the government and live off the grid. Kristin Hannah is familiar with the harsh wilderness of Alaska, and she depicts well the lifestyle of those who choose to live where one mistake can cost you your life. All characters are well developed and their reasons for living in such isolation are hinted at and sometimes told outright. The reader can feel the lure of the landscape and the wildlife, and the pragmatic nature of small town Alaska, where everyone takes care of even the most resistant newcomer. As Leni comes of age and finds herself falling for her classmate and friend, her father’s paranoia escalates to dangerous heights for his family. This is when Leni discovers her mother’s breaking point, and eventually her own need for the kind of freedom that Alaska offers. Leni’s story is one of many that show how living outside the mainstream can become a lifestyle choice, a necessity for the soul. Her parents are not unusual in their challenge to maintain a marriage in the face of one partner’s personal demons. When external influences exacerbate those demons, the other partner finds the limit to the relationship.

This is a gorgeous novel of Alaska, a setting that comes across as a main character in the story, ever present, a big personality.

I’m thankful to have received a digital ARC of this wonderful story through NetGalley.

I shared my review also on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

The Great Alone is a compelling read that showcases the strength and bond between a mother and daughter. As you read through The Great Alone, you will gain insight into the love and struggles of men and women in our country after the Vietnam War. This story gives your mind’s eye breathtaking views of Alaska, followed by the heartbreak that followed those who lived there at a tumultuous time in our countries history, and how a community can come together during adversity to support those they love.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a story about a family and love and a story about fear and pain. The book brings you down to the lowest depths and then up into the heights. Leni, the main character is brought up to Alaska as a teen. She knows that her father is damaged and her mother always tries to keep things moving to a safe place. Moving to Alaska without enough money, food and knowledge was a dangerous choice. However, Leni begins to flower with the land and people. Her father continues his slow descent into hell and her mother continues to try to keep everything together. Leni meets Matthew and realizes that for the first time she has a friend, a home, an opportunities, but life is not a smooth path. Things happen as the seasons change, yet Leni continues on the rocky path with her family.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a fabulous book. You know a book is fabulous when your emotions are so tied to the characters that you breath when they breath. A book is a fabulous book when you are so entranced with a book, but you are almost afraid to complete the book, because you are so worried about what will happen next. I loved reading this story with all the ups and downs. I cried and laughed and smiled and shivered in the cold.

There are always books that leave you speechless. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah was one of those books for me!