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Megan's Reviews > The Great Alone
The Great Alone
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Only 2 stars because she's a "good" writer and I did keep reading until the end to see what happened. Really deserves one star. What schlock! Was this meant to be a Young Adult book? Or the screenplay treatment for a bad Hallmark movie? As mentioned, Hannah's writing is quite nice and she paints quite a vivid and lovely picture of Alaska. But she does it OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. We get it. Alaska is wild and beautiful and harsh. On to the characters - each and everyone is a completely one dimensional caricature. The beautiful, love-struck mother with the loving, wealthy parents, who allows her crazy, penniless husband to force her and her teen daughter to move into a cabin with no electricity or toilet in Alaska. Glorious Mama (what was with the book being in third person but calling the parents "Mama" and "Dad?) then allows crazy husband to beat the living hell out of her repeatedly (something the daughter never notices until Alaska). Daughter meanwhile just loves living in a shack in the tundra and magically meets the love of her life in the one room school. Never for a moment does she resent her beautiful, perfect mother for foisting this life upon her and refusing to leave her insane, violent husband. Dad is a mysteriously released POW who starts out lovely and ends up a complete nutjob. Neighbors are godsends or Doomsdayers, with no countervailing good or bad characteristics. The plot goes out of control - endless awful and ENTIRELY PREVENTABLE things happen. As Hannah reminds endlessly, Alaska is dangerous! But hey, fall in that ice, run your car off the road, fall down that ravine, take that punch to the face, have unprotected sex, make it as bad as you possibly can so your implausible redemption is all that schlockier. So many idiotic plot holes arise in the last 1/2 of the book and the love story is just so saccharine and unlikely. I rolled my eyes so often, I can't even believe I finished the book. Also, it is at least 150 pages too long. I know I enjoyed The Nightingale, so I was heartily disappointed by this one. SKIP!
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Reading Progress
December 30, 2017
– Shelved
December 30, 2017
– Shelved as:
to-read
February 19, 2018
–
Started Reading
February 21, 2018
–
Finished Reading
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Lisa
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Feb 26, 2018 10:22AM
Great review!
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you said what it! thank u. it was ridiculous!
Thank you. I'm 54 pages in and I've already had difficulty in some way, with almost a dozen passages.
And with the exception of some off-putting cliches in the beginning of The Nightingale, I basically loved that book. I wanted to keep giving this book a chance, but I just can't buy it already. It's not convincing to me. It feels someone writing simultaneously about several subjects with which they are unfamiliar.
I definitely enjoyed your review more than the book! Thank you.
Totally agree. I stopped reading 150 pages in. I wasn't enjoying the book at all.
I wondered if it was because I listened to the audio version. But I totally agree. Lots of eye rolling and "oh brother". Could hardly finish.
I with I remembered who recommended this book. What a waste of time! Just utterly ridiculous. It was like reading pain porn. No thanks.
It was horrible...I’m shocked at the number of 5 star reviews and overall rating. It was incredibly long and I don’t think I’m stupid enough to be able to enjoy one endless cliche!
Completely agree about the YA feel if the book. How could this end up on adult shelves? I like the outlines of the story, but I am shocked at how highly rated this is.
I honestly wish she would go back to her old style of books instead of these vast novels trying to change the world.
Ha! I totally agree on all points; I'm glad I bailed at 46% :)
This is the review i would have written. I was driven half-mad by the storylines. Tom Walker should have called the police on Ernt. And for heavens sake would the police really give a damn that violent miserable crazy Ernt disappeared??? The irksome secrecy of Cora and Leni was infuriating. They deserved a medal. Arghhhh!!!!!!
Do not read Night Road if you found the lovey dovey plotline cringe worthy! That novel was also 150 pages too long.
I agree with your view on Night Road, Kathleen A Fischer. I read it after The Nightingale and found the writing immature. I hated almost all the characters too. Next I tried Winter Garden and I was mad I wasted my money because that book was boring and the characters were uninteresting. After reading these reviews for The Great Alone, I'll skip it and any other Kristin Hannah books. In my opinion, she's a one hit wonder
Mimi wrote: "I agree with your view on Night Road, Kathleen A Fischer. I read it after The Nightingale and found the writing immature. I hated almost all the characters too. Next I tried Winter Garden and I was..."Good decision. The Nightingale was great - The Great Alone was awful. She's a good writer - it's too bad she is such a terrible plotter and so sappy to boot!
Thanks for the review. I am a third of the way through and looking for a reason to continue on and understand all the 5 star ratings. I hate to put down a book but I feel myself falling into a depression. I LOVE WWII books so I don’t mind sad but This is a different level. Maybe bc at some point you know the war will come to an end and for at least some there will be a light at the end but this just feels like a downward spiral. Thanks to the spoilers it sounds like even after she finds happiness that’s ripped from her too. Need to move on to something else.
Agree with every word!
Excellent review...cliche waiting for a movie deal... sad
100% agree. It was ridiculous. Lifetime movie.
The writing is good, especially the descriptions of Alaska. The story is bad in that the angst is over the top. Yes, sad families like this do exist, but, the constant tension and sadness and occasional violence was very tiring to listen to. The parents were awful. I felt very badly for the character of Matthew.
“Hallmark movie”, exactly the words I used to describe it! It was entertaining but had no depth.
Glad I'm not the only person who had that reaction to this book. I thought the same thing: is this a YA book? The writing is so simplistic and one-dimensional. The story idea was good, but I wish someone else would've written it!
This is the funniest review and so spot on. I was so disappointed. Loved the Nightingale but MAN how many descriptions of the Alaskan landscape can I take in 450 pages?!!
I think the book was a screenplay for a lifetime movie. Hallmark would never have that much drama!
I completely agree and had many of the same thoughts as I skimmed my way through just to see how it all would go and hoping it might get better. Clearly we’re in the minority, but at least we’re not Greatly Alone.
I rolled my eyes many time and cried out, “really?!” too many times to keep track.
Thank you!! Completely agree!!! I ended up listening to it on audible at 2x speed to just get to the end. And haha as the above soul sister commented, at least we’re not “greatly alone” 😆
So glad I’m not greatly alone and in my frustrations with this book! So repetitive, implausible and one dimensional. The poor decision making went on and on and on! Okay be if the biggest plot holes I couldn’t get over was why Leni wouldn’t have simply kept in touch with Large Marge to keep track of the live of her life’s progress after she moved away? Really? Arg!
When I read “She was thin and small, with a nose sharp enough to slice bread” I knew I was in trouble. Good thing I was able to skim pages and still get the gist of the story without reading every painful page.
I agree. The book started out ok but I got sick of the continued domestic violence. Kristin Hannah made her point but beat it to death. (pun intended) Then once Mama kills Ernt there is no remorse, no horror over the horrible scene. Mama and Leni are as sick as he was. Blowing his head off and casually cleaning up and covering up the ordeal. Then they magically catch a private plane, fly off and start a new life. Yes, shmaltzy. Way too Nicholas Sparks for me (not the violence just the happy, sappy resolution). I have not finished reading but I'm assuming Matthew will have a miraculous recovery and rejoin Leni. Beloved Mama is portrayed as a sleazy, stupid, love struck hippie, totally surprised when she gets lung cancer, after her answer to her miserable life is alway to have a cigarette and harp on about how addicted to Ernt and his abuse she is.They are so in love!
The whole book rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know what the point was. I am so glad others felt it was a waste of time. I have a thing about having to finish books that I start but not sure I will finish this one.
Amen! You've said it all. I absolutely loved this book to start, but once the utter implausibility set in, the unrealistic "great love", the tragedies, the no way would that ever happen ever plot lines, I began to suffer my own PTSD which I got from reading Where the Crawdads Sing. However, I do plan to read The Nightingale, once my eyes return from being rolled to the back of my head.
Yes I felt like I had ptsd after reading this book!
Great review. Nailed my thoughts. Did you catch that Ernst was 10 years older than Cora and she was pregnant at 15. Disturbing. Her law y er grandfather doesn't accompany her to AK?
Yes, thank you for putting all my thoughts into words! 👍🏼
And why did Cora keep touching men’s arms when she knew it made her husband crazy???
Totally agree. I feel like this 450 page book could have been about 150. I kept reading thinking there’d be a reward at the end but there never really was.
Nicely said! She had me until the fall in the ravine and unnecessary plot spiral from there. Felt like a good movie that all of a sudden painfully goes south with explosions and car chases and you need to stop watching. An amazing writer but this one got away on her.
This. All of this including the other comments. After the fall in the ravine I almost DNF’d. I probably should’ve. This was just a bad plot, too long, and flat on character description. I have other books by Hannah and I hope they’re better.
How disappointing- DV is supposed to be horrible, and it should be tough to read tbh
I gave it 2 stars…my thoughts were the same as yours. I was surprised to see so many 4/5 stars! I also did a lot of eye rolling…so many things just weren’t realistic to this story. So disappointing.
I tried to read this one but only after 20 pages I can completely agree with your review. I disliked The Nightengale, but I thought I’d give this one a go but alas, the writing is still the same.
Agree with everything you said. Second half reads like a young adults romance novel. Such a waste of a good idea.
Oh my goodness! My thoughts EXACTLYYYYYY
I agree. It just went on and on with one drama (trauma) after another. Not sure why I bothered to finish it-- wish I hadn't.
Agree, it was so over the top melodramatic. The nightingale and The Women are the best KH novels.
