Scan barcode
A review by jessthebookworm
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
3.0
2.5 stars.
This is a coming of age story, following Leni, from 13 years old and throughout her teenage years. Leni's father, Ernt, fought in the Vietnam war and was held and tortured as a prisoner of war. When he returns to his wife, Cora and his daughter, he is much changed, suffering from terrible nightmares, and he becomes violent.
One day Ernt receives correspondence from the father of one of the soldiers that Ernt had befriended, to say that he had left his piece of land in Alaska to Ernt. Ernt sees this as the chance for a fresh start for his family, to leave civilisation and go and starta new life in America's last frontier.
The family arrive in Alaska and realise that they weren't prepared. It is wild and untamed, and danger seems to lurk around every corner. The danger that seems the worst to Leni though, is that her father's anger gets worse and worse, and they are stuck inside with him through the long dark winter, where the sun never rises.
In a very weird way this was kind of like the Shining without the ghosts. Stuck in the wilderness with a man who is getting more and more violent and out of hand.
I enjoyed the descriptions of Alaska, it really is a fascinating place. However, the story wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped. It was very slow (almost a little boring), and then all of a sudden sped up at the end and got more and more ridiculous.
This is a coming of age story, following Leni, from 13 years old and throughout her teenage years. Leni's father, Ernt, fought in the Vietnam war and was held and tortured as a prisoner of war. When he returns to his wife, Cora and his daughter, he is much changed, suffering from terrible nightmares, and he becomes violent.
One day Ernt receives correspondence from the father of one of the soldiers that Ernt had befriended, to say that he had left his piece of land in Alaska to Ernt. Ernt sees this as the chance for a fresh start for his family, to leave civilisation and go and starta new life in America's last frontier.
The family arrive in Alaska and realise that they weren't prepared. It is wild and untamed, and danger seems to lurk around every corner. The danger that seems the worst to Leni though, is that her father's anger gets worse and worse, and they are stuck inside with him through the long dark winter, where the sun never rises.
In a very weird way this was kind of like the Shining without the ghosts. Stuck in the wilderness with a man who is getting more and more violent and out of hand.
I enjoyed the descriptions of Alaska, it really is a fascinating place. However, the story wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped. It was very slow (almost a little boring), and then all of a sudden sped up at the end and got more and more ridiculous.