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The Great Alone

From the multimillion-copy bestselling author of The Women, The Nightingale and The Four Winds

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About this listen

'One of the greatest storytellers of our time' Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska-a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.

‘A woman has to be tough as steel up here. You can’t count on anyone to save you and your children. You have to be willing to save yourselves’

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

As Leni grows up in the shadow of her parents’ increasingly volatile marriage, she meets Matthew. And Matthew – thoughtful, kind, and brave – makes her believe in the possibility of a better life.

‘A masterclass’ - Karen Swan, author of The Stolen Hours

‘A rich, compelling novel of love, sacrifice and survival, as epic as the Alaskan landscape it so vividly describes’ - Kate Morton, author of Homecoming

 20th Century Biographical Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Small Town & Rural Women's Fiction Romance Survival Heartfelt Tear-jerking Alaska

Critic reviews

I didn’t just love this book, I became obsessed with it [. . .] I could neither breathe nor move until I got to the end. I’m not sure a book has ever made me so furious, so thrilled or so devastated, often in the course of the same chapter. The characters were flawed and vulnerable, strong and naïve, and Hannah has delivered a masterclass in all the different ways love can both save us and destroy us. She is an absolutely lyrical writer [. . . ] she perfectly captures and evokes the majesty and splendid isolation of Alaska and it feels a privilege to have journeyed there with her. This is a story that will stay with me for a long, long time. (Karen Swan, Sunday Times bestselling author)
Great characters, great plots, great emotions, who could ask for more in a novel?’ (Isabel Allende on The Nightingale)
Beautifully written . . . packed with action and emotion (Sara Gruen, bestselling author of Water for Elephants on The Nightingale)
Movingly written and plotted with the skill of Greek tragedy. You'll keep turning the pages until the last racking sob (Daily Mail on The Nightingale)
All stars
Most relevant
I approached this cautiously for I adored The Nightingale It was unique so well written amazing story and the narration was just fabulous I'm just frantically trying to find my next read as this followed another great book I've already purchased more Kristen Hannah books and they all stand as individuals

Amazing book

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I loved this extraordinary story of homesteaders in 1970s Alaska. It was gripping and vividly descriptive, sparing nothing, which made it difficult to listen to at times. I would thoroughly recommend it.

This is the 3rd novel I have heard Julia Whelan narrate. While she is excellent, I do wish she wouldn't try to portray men and tough women through a downward shift in tone and pitch. All men, and even some women, over the age of 60 develop an old timer whistle between the teeth, while younger men are all drawn from the same stable. This has the effect of making the listener feel that any of the male characters could have been beamed up from another of her narrated novels, eg, when I first heard Ernt, the abusive husband/father in this novel, I felt I was right back in Tara Westover's 'Educated', where another toxic father held dominion over his helpless family.
it's a risk one always takes with Audible - the impression you receive of characters comes from the narrator rather than your own imagination - but it might just be time for Whelan to adjust her technique, otherwise this same father figure will be crawling through every one of the many books she narrates.

Raw, wild, intensely moving

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Fantastic story making Alaska come alive for the listener.
Sad and happy and engages all your emotions

Atmospheric

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Such a lovely,well written and narrated story.
I loved every chapter and I found each chapter even better than the previous one. A must read in my opinion. Loved it!

Brilliant

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I felt like I was there with them in Alaska. great story and we'll read 👏

captivating

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