The Great Alone in Books and Jams Readalong

Jul 08, 2018 Rose rated it it was amazing

Kristin Hannah has done it again! This epic novel of the Allbright’s migration to Alaska after Ernt, the father, has returned war torn from Vietnam brings the characters and settings to brilliant life. Though parts of the book were difficult to read, the sweeping story of Ernt’s daughter,Leni, wife, Cora, and their life in Alaska was captivating from start to finish. I was a solid four stars for this one until the end and it quickly bounded to five stars because I would read this again and would ...more

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Oct 24, 2018 Callie rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018

3.5/5 stars.

I tried a different book by Kristin Hannah and kind of hated it, but I was told her newer ones were a little better, so I thought I'd give this one a try.

This book takes place in the 1970's, with a man who returns to his family after being a POW in the Vietnam War. He has PTSD, but his issues are far worse than that. He is abusive to his family, but the mother is in love with him and sticks with him, even though she is putting herself and her daughter in danger. To make matters wors 3.5/5 stars.

I tried a different book by Kristin Hannah and kind of hated it, but I was told her newer ones were a little better, so I thought I'd give this one a try.

This book takes place in the 1970's, with a man who returns to his family after being a POW in the Vietnam War. He has PTSD, but his issues are far worse than that. He is abusive to his family, but the mother is in love with him and sticks with him, even though she is putting herself and her daughter in danger. To make matters worse, they move to Alaska to start a homestead, and the long nights make everything worse.

Language: Lots of bad language from the father mainly.

Religious: God is mentioned here and there, but that's about it. Karma and some New Age concepts are mentioned briefly.

Sexual Content: The parents' sexual relationship is mentioned, since they all live in a very small cabin, and the daughter, Leni, can hear. Leni starts a relationship with a local boy, and some groping is described in too much detail. She and her boyfriend sleep together which is described mostly non-explicitly, but was still a little much.

Moral: There is a murder in this book, which is done in defense of someone else, but it's followed by a cover-up. I'm not sure that was ever fully acknowledged as the wrong decision. One of the characters later thinks about the value of living an honest life though, and decides to come clean, which I thought was a positive at least. The character ends up getting off without jail time or even a trial because of connections to people in high places.

Overall, this book ended really well, but was also sad. If so many people had made the right decision earlier, then these terrible decisions would never had to have been made. So much of life is missed out on because the characters just wouldn't do the right thing. I do wish we had seen more lawful justice in this book - I'm not a huge fan of "vigilante justice" in my books. Law and order and all that.

The descriptions of Alaska though - man! It makes me want to go! ...more

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Nov 29, 2018 Chloe (Always Booked) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really liked this book. Leni and her parents Ernt and Cora move to the middle of nowhere Alaska when shes 14(ish). Her dad has PTSD and a drinking problem so to say he's a little unpredictable and volatile is an understatement. They move to a very small community and they live on a property that doesn't even have an established road to it. Kristin Hannah did a remarkable job of setting the scene and making you feel like you were there. My anxiety was high throughout this whole book. I was scar I really liked this book. Leni and her parents Ernt and Cora move to the middle of nowhere Alaska when shes 14(ish). Her dad has PTSD and a drinking problem so to say he's a little unpredictable and volatile is an understatement. They move to a very small community and they live on a property that doesn't even have an established road to it. Kristin Hannah did a remarkable job of setting the scene and making you feel like you were there. My anxiety was high throughout this whole book. I was scared of what might happen to them because they did live so remote, I was scared of what might happen to Leni and Cora because Ernt was so abusive, I was overall just tense while reading this (in a very good way).
Thankfully, there is a school. Leni meets a boy named Matthew (the only other kid her age) and they form an instant friendship that later turns into a relationship. Years later when they are nearing college age, they are off together and she falls and he goes down to save her and is in a paralyzing accident. He is virtually turned into a vegetable and his family urges her to move on. Ernt never supported their relationship because he wants to control Leni and because he hates Matthew's father because he thinks that he and Cora have a flirtatious relationship. Later we find out Leni is pregnant with Matthew's child and so a piece of him will live on. However, in the very end, Leni goes back to Alaska (more on that later) and Matthew is okay! He is able to talk and move and function, albeit with some impairments.
As for her parents, when Leni tells Ernt she's pregnant, he starts beating her badly. Cora acts as I think any mother would and protects her child by shooting Ernt. She kills him and she and Leni decide to take the body and dump it. With the help of the local General Store owner (and former lawyer) , they create a fake crime scene that makes it look like Cora and Leni were the ones injured and they leave Alaska. They reinvent themselves with new identities and go on with life. Years later, Matthew and Leni's son is a young boy and Cora discovers she has aggressive lung cancer. She eventually loses the battle and on her death bed leaves a confession note that she wants Leni to take back to Alaska to clear her guilt. Her mother was plagued by guilt the rest of her life and thought the cancer was some sort of karma. Leni takes the note to the police station and the chief tricks her into writing a statement saying she was involved (even though her mother's blatantly said she was not) and he tries to send her to jail. However, she gets off and that's when she goes to see Matthew and the story ends happily.
Things I loved about this book:
Matthew and Leni's relationship. He was her safe spot in a world that felt so scary and I loved seeing them grow and rely on each other in a healthy way.
The General store owner. I'm spacing on her name, but she was fiercely loyal and an awesome character.
The mother daughter bond between Leni and Cora. They were each other's best friends and it totally made me want to go hug my daughter tight.
The atmosphere. Like I said, its very well done and creates a tension and anxiety that is palpable.
Things I didn't love:
I felt like there was a little bit of a pacing issue in the middle where it slowed down quite a bit. It wasn't long and I think it helped establish some of the aforementioned relationships, it just took away a little bit of enjoyment.
I wish we got a little more of Matthew's recovery. He went from a vegetable to a functioning adult without much explanation.
Overall, very enjoyable book that I would highly recommend. ...more

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May 25, 2019 CJ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-rc-2019

I chose this book for the Good Reads Summer reading challenge for 2019. This was my "Good as Gold" pick. I really enjoyed it! ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 LauraBytheBook rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

First, this is an amazingly well-written book. The plot flows naturally pulling you along and the characters are so well-drawn that they feel like real people. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator does an excellent job creating a diverse group of characters. All that being said, I have never found myself so angry at characters before, literally yelling at them. There are some very intense moments of emotional and physical violence that I just had to take a break from a few times before f ...more

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Feb 13, 2019 Berna rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

I liked the book enough to give it four stars but I liked Kristin Hannah's Night Road much more.
I loved the characters and their descriptions of feelings. Aside from Leni and her mom, all the side characters felt so fleshed out.
The descriptions of the atmosphere, Alaska and the cold was also really good because I felt like I was there.
The reason I gave it four stars was because of the plot, I was becoming a bit tired of reading about the same themes in the middle sections. Also, I felt the end ...more

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