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The Great Alone


Title : The Great Alone

Author : Kristin Hannah Pages : 438 Rating : ★★ Recommended : For people inspired to live in the wild​​!


Summary


“That spring, rain fell in great sweeping gusts that rattled the rooftops.”

That summer, sun rays fell so strong that everyone was edgy. In such a weather, reading about Alaska, the last frontier, seemed a good choice to forget about the sun and get lost in the cold, the snow and the northern lights.

Where the author successfully captures my interest with Alaskan life (though I am sure the place is not meant for me), the characters themselves fall short. Somehow the characters felt weak to me and some might say, that it makes the characters more real, I will strongly disagree as to me they just seemed fools and that made me a fool to be reading about them. Large Marge was the only character which I admired but she had a relatively small role to play.

This book deals with domestic violence and tries to sweep it under the rug in the name of love which I didn’t buy at all. The story starts well about a family which is broken and needs a fresh start to forget what’s in the past and become one happy family again but then the story headed in completely different direction which didn’t resonate with me at all. The “Nam screwed him up” excuse Ernt’s wife invariably gave, wasn’t cutting it. Numerous times the wife would say to their daughter ”I wish you remembered him from before.” . And all the time I was thinking, I wish you forget him from before and just leave him and move on with your life.

I will just stop here and not rant further but I think I have made my views quite clear.

Someone said to me once that Alaska didn’t create character; it revealed it.


“Do you like me, Leni? Do you want to be friends?” She nodded. The moment felt solemn. Serious. A pact being made. “And I like you. So there. It’s done. We’re friends. There’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

In Alaska, you can make one mistake. One. The second will kill you…


A good read for those who have a dream of living in the wild. This book will certainly inspire them with breathtaking landscape descriptions, but don’t go for love part in the book. If this is love, I am happy being alone in the Great Alone!


Till then, Happy Reading :)

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