2019 Book 4: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Format:  Kindle

Date Started:  January 23, 2019

Date Finished: January 26, 2019

I discovered Kristin Hannah by accident in 2016.  I needed a new audio book for my commute, and her book, The Nightingale, popped up in the “You Might Like” section of my library’s app and was helpfully also available.  I had to wait about 2 months for The Great Alone to be available, but, boy, it was worth it! 

What I loved about The Nightingale is also what I loved about The Great Alone – Hannah’s prose.  Without a lot of flowery detail, she describes both people and places so that you can picture them perfectly as well as understand their inner workings.  She also write about the lives of women maybe as only a woman can – about the nuances of relationships and the thousands of choices that shape our lives.  

I also liked learning about all of the skills and work that are necessary to live in a climate like Alaska, and the discussion questions at the end of the book were really fun to think through.  No spoilers, though.  

What aspects of the Alaska/homesteader lifestyle would you find the most challenging in the wild? How would you handle the isolation, the interdependence among neighbors, the climate? Would you have what it takes to survive?

For me, I think that the vulnerability of the wild would be the most challenging part of homesteading life.  Not only is the climate harsh enough to kill, but predators – both animal and human – abound.  Several of the characters state something like, “You can make one mistake in Alaska, but not two.”  Having to be on constant guard and to ensure that you’ve thought of every possible danger would be extremely mentally challenging.  I think the isolation, especially during winter, would be extremely difficult, especially when you are cooped up for so long in so much darkness.  I love my family very much – they are the joy of my heart – but there are times when I just need a little break.  I don’t imagine that you can really take a little break from people in Alaska since the book illustrated how the Allbright family was thrust together through the long winter as well as how much the community pulled together to take care of each other. 

And then the cold.  It’s currently 50 degrees outside, and I’m uncomfortable and thinking of putting a shawl over my jacket.  Suffice it to say that I am not built for serious winters.  That, I think, is the major reason why I’m not cut out for the life of an Alaska homesteader.  However, it was wonderful to visit Leni’s Alaska in this book.