The Great Alone
Books | Fiction / Women
4.5
(44.6K)
Kristin Hannah
#1 New York Times Instant Bestseller In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature.Alaska, 1974. Ernt Allbright came home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter north where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.Cora will do anything for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. Thirteen-year-old Leni, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, has little choice but to go along, daring to hope this new land promises her family a better future.In a wild, remote corner of Alaska, the Allbrights 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 newcomers’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.But as winter approaches and darkness descends, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates. 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.
Historical Fiction
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More Details:
Author
Kristin Hannah
Pages
464
Publisher
St. Martin's Publishing Group
Published Date
2018-02-06
ISBN
125016561X 9781250165619
Community ReviewsSee all
"Similar to other Kristin Hannah books, she really establishes the characters and writes a story that is all to believable for that period of time in WA and AK. I think any fans of her will like this book. It’s always really cool if you are from these areas too because she describes them so well."
"Kristin Hannah has a gift for transporting readers to other places and other times. This time it is Alaska, the great alone. Leni, daughter of Cora and Ernt, is young when her Seattle parents move to Alaska to escape society and, more hopefully, to help dad recover from the distress of the Vietnam war. All three characters are brought to their knees by the wildness, harshness and beauty of Alaska, none more so than Leni’s dad, whose mental state deteriorates. Notably, Kristin Hannah creates Alaska as a living character, causing and intensifying the family’s joy, love, fear and struggle. In that sense The Great Alone is similar to Jane Harper’s The Dry, which renders Australia as a major character in a decades-old disappearance."
"This novel has all the characteristics of a Kristin Hannah novel. It has action, adventure, heartache, heartbreak, complex characters and a prose that makes the book hard to put down. There’s a lot packed into the novel and it’s not for the faint of heart.
I found most of the major plot points predictable, but the details that caused them surprising. There were certain scenes or chapters that felt unnecessary and just thrown in to add tension that was needless the ending also felt a little like Forrest Gump.
I think I’m going to take away all the different forms of love on display in this book. There was traditional man loves woman love, but also strong community love, neighborly love, parental love, childlike love, toxic love, and unconditional love. Overall, I rooted for the main character, Leni, devoured each chapter, and was mildly satisfied by the ending. It makes me want to visit Alaska again, because the beauty of it can never really be described by words.
4/5 stars "
"I loved the overall plot of this book. A young family that moved to Alaska to escape the lower 48 after the war. They learn to live off the land, and how to navigate mental health issues after the father was a POW. This book had everything, thrill, romance, you name it. The only thing I did not like, was how the timeline would skip ahead by months at a time. I know it was to keep interest as time developed, but it made me lose interest during parts where I had to push through and finish it. 1/22"