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Hannah's Dream

by Diane Hammond

4.04 · rating details · 1,061 ratings · 341 reviews

An elephant never forgets . . . but can she dream?

For forty-one years, Samson Brown has been caring for Hannah, the lone elephant at the down-at-the-heels Max L. Biedelman Zoo. Having vowed not to retire until an equally loving and devoted caretaker is found to replace him, Sam rejoices when smart, compassionate Neva Wilson is hired as the new elephant keeper. But Neva qu

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Paperback, 319 pages

Published September 2nd 2008 by Harper Paperbacks (first published 2008)

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87th out of 370 books — 640 voters

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Nov 11, 2008

Joey rated it

this book has to be one of the best books I've ever read, honestly, I didn't want it to end. You fall in love with the main characters & can so picture everything actually happening, I want a sequel!!!! Thanks Diane for such a wonderful read!!!

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Nov 12, 2008

Dottie rated it

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Recommended to Dottie by: Joey

I absolutely loved Hannh's Dream. At the top of my favorites list along with Water for Elephants. You will fall in love withSam, Hannahs' caretaker, Hannah the elephant and his wife Corinna. Every character will live onin myheart. I imagine what they're doing now. Such a feel-good story. The author, Diane Hammond, has truly written one of the best stories I've ever read.

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Oct 04, 2008

Marie rated it

Very enjoyable novel about an aging elephant and her aging handler. I love it when a story unfolds effortlessly and doesn't make you think the author is trying hard to make it so. This book does that. It is beautifully written.

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Dec 17, 2008

C.liddelle.a rated it

Shelves: featured-on-npr

I'd heard about this book on NPR and put it on my To-Read List, so when I saw it on sale I snatched it up and started it even though I have a generally strict rule about reading only one book at a time...

I've heard it called a love story, and it is- but the thing I like most is the development of each of the characters right up until the end. I love Miles the pig and he and Truman's budding relationship. I laughed out loud so many times because I felt as though I had known a miniatur...more

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Sep 12, 2008

Emily rated it

Recommends it for: brandee

Shelves: fiction

A charming and sweet story about an aging elephant and the people who love her. This would be a great "comfort read" (lacking sex, drugs, violence, etc).

My only mild complaint is that the character development is a bit odd. For example, several characters spoke in mildly southern accents, but the book takes place in Washington, and their Arkansas roots were mentioned in passing about 2/3 of the way through. The same goes for the fact that for a while they're the only Af...more

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Jan 16, 2009

Greg rated it

What a beautiful story!! I loved it. The character development is good. There are a lot of eccentric people in this story which kept me captivated. It was hard for me to put this book down. Elephant's are amazing creatures. To me, Love was a central theme in this book. Good Healthy Relationships are important.

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Nov 13, 2008

Michelle BF rated it

I am going to enjoy recommending this book to lots of people. Hannah's zookeeper needs to retire due to his health but after 41 years together, the elephant will die without him. A new zookeeper comes on the picture and convinces him to help get Hannah to a new home with a new herd. A gentle read--easy to recommend to anyone. This story was inspired by Keiko the killer whale and its journey from captivity to the Antarctic. This is a good Water for Elephants readalike.

Hannah's Dream

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Dec 30, 2008

Kirby rated it

I was leery of reading anything ever again after finishing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society but this book and its endearing and earnest characters was the perfect selection.

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Jan 18, 2009

Tia rated it

This book was really sweet and reminded me of E.L.Konigsburg style of writing. The plot's pretty predictable but was still precious and entertaining.

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Dec 22, 2008

Imgnepc rated it

Recommends it for: animal lovers

This book was amazing. There isn't a lot more to say about it. She captured what all of us who work with animals already know about how brilliant they are, and how very like us... Beautiful. Every animal lover should read this.

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Dec 02, 2008

Linda rated it

Another wonderful book about an elephant...
The characters are beautifully realized. I loved the subtle ironies, like how one character's ex-wife keeps accusing him of being deadly boring while he's in the middle of secreting an elephant out of a zoo. There is much to learn from this book on the art of crafting a distinctive voice for each character.
The book is remarkable for a literary adult novel--the characters are likable, and the ending is uplifting.
Plus I could believe in ...more

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Jan 24, 2009

Susan Hartmann rated it

Great read. Heartwarming tale for animal lovers and elephant enthusiasts. It would make a great film.

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Jan 17, 2009

Carrie rated it

Great character development, makes you keep reading to find out what happens

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Nov 18, 2008

Audrey rated it

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Audrey by: I found it by chance in the library

I loved this book. It was the elephant's version of the book The secret life of Bees. Great characters, interesting story and I love elephants. Definitely fiction but it feels like it could have been true

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Dec 28, 2008

Tara Affolter rated it

I hugged this book when i was finished.

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Jan 02, 2009

Heather Jensen rated it

Shelves: favorites

This was a sweet, tender story that even made me shed a few tears at the end and wish for a pet elephant! :) Not exactly an action-packed story or anything, but still compelling, I would definitely recommend it.

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Mar 29, 2009

Bill Hall rated it

Shelves: fiction

I finished Diane Hammond's novel, "Hannah's Dream," with a lump in my throat and joy in my heart.

"Hannah's Dream" is a well-crafted, heartfelt story of a 41-year love affair--between an elephant named Hannah and her long-time keeper, Samson "Sam" Brown. The tale is set at the fictional Max L. Biedelman Zoo in Washington State. The zoo was the proud creation of Maxine (Max was a woman, the daughter of a lumber magnate) Biedelman, who found her greatest jo...moreI finished Diane Hammond's novel, "Hannah's Dream," with a lump in my throat and joy in my heart.

"Hannah's Dream" is a well-crafted, heartfelt story of a 41-year love affair--between an elephant named Hannah and her long-time keeper, Samson "Sam" Brown. The tale is set at the fictional Max L. Biedelman Zoo in Washington State. The zoo was the proud creation of Maxine (Max was a woman, the daughter of a lumber magnate) Biedelman, who found her greatest joy in the green hills of Africa. The zoo was bequeathed to the local city after her death, and its glory days are clearly behind it. Hannah isn't faring much better, despite Sam's loving attention, which includes regular treats from Dunkin' Donuts. She's got bad feet from spending most of her days (and nights) standing on concrete and seems to long for the company of other elephants--something she hasn't enjoyed in decades. Sam's health is poor and he clearly needs to retire, but won't give up his "sugar" until he knows she's going to be well-cared for.

A couple of pivotal characters in the story are a new keeper who seems to be the answer to Sam's prayers--and a zoo director who sees Hannah as the key element in her plans to resurrect the fading institution. We get to know the lead characters, their families, other zoo staff, an ambitious reporter and others in Hammond's richly-drawn portraits that make these characters truly three-dimensional. One of the author's gifts is an ability to see even the less sympathetic players in this drama in a light that shows their humanity.

Hammond used to be the public relations officer for the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Free Willy Keiko Foundation, and was intimately acquainted with the world's most famous killer whale. As she explains in her introductory acknowledgements, she drew on that experience to help shape this wonderful, heartfelt story. As I said earlier, this is a love story--a story that shows the power of hope, the power of dreams, and one that illuminates one of life's bittersweet lessons--that sometimes true love involves letting go of the object of your love.(less)

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Jan 01, 2009

Gail rated it

Shelves: modern-fiction

This is truly a wonderful book to start the new year. Hannah is an Asian Elephant living in the Max L. Biedelman Zoo, a third rate zoo in Washington state. She's been alone for 41 years, after the other elephant died. She's been faithfully tended by her keeper, Samson Brown, a black Korean veteran. She's old, arthritic, loving, and needs another home with other elephants. That's the dream she and Sam share. He is ailing and wants to retire but doesn't want to leave her alone. A new keeper...more

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Nov 14, 2008

Laura rated it

In Hannah's Dream, author Diane Hammond takes a snippet of news footage about an aging elephant and her keeper and expands it into a marvelous novel. Hammond creates a vibrant and believable cast of characters to fill her fictional world not the least of which is the amazing elephant Hannah whose uncertain future is pivotal to the story. I was quickly and completley absorbed by the story and so will any reader who has ever looked into the eyes of an animal and seen a familiar soul looking back.

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Jul 16, 2011

April rated it

Hanna's Dream is a very simple book - there's no fancy language or hard to get to metaphors. The beauty of this book is in the simplicity of the story. The writer presents everything to the reader on a dinner plate with fork and everything. I usually call these "lazy read" books, but that doesn't mean that they are bad books. I enjoyed reading Hanna's Dream because like the writer, I, too, love animals. The story wasn't heart wrenching or gut stabbing, but there were parts/dialogues (e...moreHanna's Dream is a very simple book - there's no fancy language or hard to get to metaphors. The beauty of this book is in the simplicity of the story. The writer presents everything to the reader on a dinner plate with fork and everything. I usually call these "lazy read" books, but that doesn't mean that they are bad books. I enjoyed reading Hanna's Dream because like the writer, I, too, love animals. The story wasn't heart wrenching or gut stabbing, but there were parts/dialogues (especially between Sam and Corinna) that had me feeling what they felt.

My favorite character in the book was Sam. When I first asked myself who I connected to the most, and who I enjoyed reading the most, I was surprised when my mind answered: Sam. Sam is very simple in character, and yes very diverse as well. His character is believable and his dialogue is superbly written. I learned the most from him and his wife's dialogues together. It would seem to me that they are the most well rounded in the whole book.

As I read further into the book, I found the Hannah/Harriet dichotomy interesting. Harriet, the manager of the zoo, is a foster child, just like Hanna. She was neglected by Maude and told that she was ugly. In addition, she was bounced from home to home, and didn't really have anyone in her life and even in her adult life had no one to lean on.

Both characters are very similar, even though Hanna happens to be an elephant. Hanna was neglected at an early age, with her mother being murdered. She also had no one to love her, initially and even bears physical scars from someone abusing her on the ship that transported her to the zoo. She was also bounced around from owner to owner - Max, Sam, and now Neva.

I was very surprised that Harriet never realized in the book just how similar her situation was to Hanna's. She could have learned from Hanna and leaned on her. But Harriet is always too busy in the novel with trying to steal someone else's life (Max's) instead of living her own. Perhaps the lesson here is that we could all learn from animals. Also, both names start with an H, intentional perhaps?

"From her night table Harriet pulled a thick stack of unframed pictures and fingered them like rosary beads. She left on top a close-up of the face of a young elephant, its left eye mangled and swollen shut, the eyelid pulpy and weeping blood. Under the picture was written in faint pencil, OUR DEAR GIRL. The photograph was of Hannah, freshly orphaned: Hannah, Maxine's crowning achievement, the object of her final passion. A big, awkward, wounded creature who was lucky enough to be loved by a woman who saw beauty where there wasn't any. Along the bottom of the photograph was written, THE FINAL RED TAPE IS DONE, AND WE SHALL HAVE HER!"

There's also an aspect of religion in this book. Sam and Corinna lose their baby, and Corinna never really forgives God until she and Sam start believing that Hannah is their dead baby's incarnate. The message that I found here is: always hope, and always stay optimistic because God works in mysterious ways.

The book overall is a "cute" read. I label it cute because as I stated above, it's very simple and straight to the point. There's no hallways to get lost in or rocks to stumble on. It was a very quick read, and I enjoyed reading about Hannah, the elephant. Will I remember this book, 6 months from now? Probably not, unless someone sparks my memory(less)

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Sep 22, 2010

Sara Childers rated it

Shelves: leisure-reading, highly-recommend

The story of a lone elephant and her best friend that will do anything for her, Hannah's Dream really stole my heart. I have had the fortune of working with an Asian elephant and I found this little gem about six months after my encounter. Having some experience with elephants, I showed some interest in this book.. but never expected it to be so gosh darn good! It was a very warm and touching book; one that was very easy to read (honestly, I had a hard time putting it down). Diane Hammond's wond...more

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Dec 23, 2009

Laura rated it

What a great idea for a book. Wonderful characters and wonderful dialog – especially between the adults and the two children (Winslow and Reginald) – like on p76. I liked all of the characters. Even though Hammond’s style is relatively straightforward (not as subtle as it could be), the people were very real to me (not Harriet as much, but all the others. Each little family had it’s own way of being a family – and most of them were happy families in spite of the fact that they had all gone t...moreWhat a great idea for a book. Wonderful characters and wonderful dialog – especially between the adults and the two children (Winslow and Reginald) – like on p76. I liked all of the characters. Even though Hammond’s style is relatively straightforward (not as subtle as it could be), the people were very real to me (not Harriet as much, but all the others. Each little family had it’s own way of being a family – and most of them were happy families in spite of the fact that they had all gone through some trauma (as every real family does). This makes Tolstoy’s famous quote a lie (Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.). Each of these happy families had learned to cope with their situation and had become stronger in their own way. She did a wonderful job of painting the intricacies of every day life for each of them.

I loved Miles the pig. You can just see Truman getting the pig to help Winslow adjust to his motherless existence and getting sucked helplessly into the pig bond. All of these people cared. They had that element that seems to be missing from much of humanity – actually caring about other people and things. Which of course is what unites them in caring about Hannah.

Johnson Johnson was a character and a half. I don’t know where he came from, and she didn’t dwell on his interior life at all, as she did with the others. But what a wonderful character. I loved every one of his art projects, enjoying them must as much from the descriptions as I would have from being there: painted toilets, kitty playgrounds and tunnels, stars on the ceiling, ferris wheel?. The drums were cool, but not as cool as the other stuff.

The descriptions of Hannah were magnificent. Elephants are very social animals. Every thing described about her behavior fit. And the light dream that Sam had that was really Hannah’s dream – was beautiful.

She dealt with all sorts of life issues. Max preparing for death (p164) sorting her memories. A nice quote: “Seemed to him that sorting memories was just like carding wool: you combed and combed until you had all the fibers going in the same direction, the whole thing gleaming like a river”.

P314 – Max and Sam “I’ve been thinking that we‘re animals, like any others = we senesce, we sink into decrepitude just as they do. But I’ve wondered if it isn’t our special hell that we are able to register the swift passage of time, the lightning speed of it all, and the absoluteness with which it is gone.”

Truman with Neva – p 202 – “Intimacy was a complicated business” he concludes to himself after thinking about how much he wanted to be at ease with her for a nice, slow, easy kiss “the kind that happened between two people who were completely at ease. He wished he could be at ease. Wanting the other person to be at ease made him uneasy. Intimacy was a complicated business”.

A little mistake – she had Harriet’s father die of two different things – a car accident on 66, and cancer on p 155.
(less)

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Nov 10, 2009

Tamara rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 17, 2008

Kristin rated it

As usual another perfect recommendation, Joey!! Thank you!

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Jan 19, 2009

Kay rated it

Predictable (but satisfying) end and memorable characters. This one stayed with me longer than Water for Elephants. Maria (age 2) told me she touched an elephant at the zoo in Florida and "it was soft."

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Dec 21, 2008

Sydney rated it

This book is soooooo good. The characters are rich and the plot is absorbing and touching. Highly recommended!

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Oct 06, 2008

Patti rated it

Recommends it for: Everyone

I love, love, love, love, love this book! I could not put it down. I highly recommend this to anyone from Tacoma who remembers Cindy the elephant at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. The voice the author uses is soothing and brings you in to this story and brings you to love or hate the characters. What a wonderful "tail" or "trunk" if you will...You will enjoy this book if you like stories about animals and the people who love them.

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Jul 25, 2009

Candice rated it

Someone made the mistake of telling me that this book would be similar to Water for Elephants. It did have an elephant in it, but I wouldn't say they are similar. This is a story about an elephant at a second-rate zoo in Washington State. The zoo was founded by a colorful character, Max(ine) Biedelman, back in the 50s, but is now run by a rather strange and nasty woman with a sad past. The zoo's sole elephant, Hannah, has been without pachyderm company for over 40 years and it is affecting h...more

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Aug 30, 2011

Sandy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: library

Wonderful story and grab the tissues! The love between the Hannah and Sam was just breath-taking. I got hooked about 1/3 through the book and I could not put it down until I was finished. Sam devoted his life to taking care of Hannah and the tenderness and selflessness he had towards her was just so amazing. The author did a great job describing the emotions and feeling Sam and his wife Corinna felt towards Hannah and their lives surrounding the care of Hannah. Max had a love towards animals ...more

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Dec 12, 2008

Crystal Allen rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of Water for Elephants

Shelves: fiction, coversthatmakeyouwanttoreadthem, myfavorites

A charming book that makes you want to pick it up day after day (even when your tending to your screaming baby.)

If you like Water For Elephants I would suggest this book. Contained one of my favorite quotes: "You help yourself to a hug whenever you want one, sugar. They're warm, and they're free."

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About Diane Hammond

I'm 53, and it's hard to believe that anyone could possibly care about where I was born, but for the sake of due diligence, it was in Queens, NY. I grew up in Upper Nyack, a suburb of New York City, without a lot of drama, and the most important thing I learned in my four years at Middlebury College in Vermont was that I could write in James Joyce's stream-of-consciousness style fluently and for l...more

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Quotes from Hannah's Dream

“They also learned that not everything broken could be fixed, and that not everything ruined could be thrown away. Sometimes the damaged things were all you had to work with.” — 11 people liked it

“Why did we divorce? I guess you could say we had trouble synchronizing. You know that carnival ride where two cages swing in opposite directions, going higher and higher until they go over the top? That was us. We passed each other all the time, but we never actually stopped in the same place until it was time to get off the ride.” — 2 people liked it

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