Another Read by Angie 's Reviews > The Great Alone

My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Resilient Stars

The Great Alone reminded me of why I read and why I’m so passionate about it 🙏

It took me a minute to compose myself because I was not ok, the little empath in me got too attached .

Hannah is a master at character building and writing characters we slowly fall in love with and steals our hearts 🩷

The Great Alone is a coming of age masterpiece which is heavily weighted on mental illness, but particularly for the people that are affected by a loved one who is mentally ill .

Ernt is a POW survivor and he struggles with his demons and can’t keep a steady job moving from to town to town with his wife Cora and daughter Lenora “Leni” until we are brought to Alaska .

It is here in Alaska where Cora and Leni are not only trying to survive the harsh cold long winters and wild terrain off grid with no power or running water , but also just trying to survive the physical & verbal abuse of Ernt .

Hannah takes us down a slippery slope into the volatile world of mental illness from untreated PTSD , where I was often holding my breath and walking on eggshells trying to keep the “bomb” from going off.

Leni is the most resilient, bravest and most kindred spirit I have learned to love from a book and you will love her too. I truly connected with her on so many levels . I wanted to be her friend and pick her up and tell her everything was going to be ok and to come with me, but I know she wouldn’t have listened to me , there is no way she would ever leave her mother 🩷

This book made me angry , made me cry and smile at times and also humbled me , when I think things are bad , others have it much worse.

If your looking for a coming of age historical fiction set in the 70’s that is unpredictable and will steal your heart , then The Great Alone is one you should pick up 💕

Fun Fact- The story mentions The Cowichan Sweater several times throughout the book, I grew up in the Cowichan Valley and still reside here today In this beautiful valley with its beautiful People and know many locals that still knit these today 🧡