Get a good book and a free hat.

Join now for $5.

We’ll make this quick.

First, enter your email. Then choose your move.

By pressing "Pick a book now" or "Pick a book later", you agree to Book of the Month’s Terms of use and Privacy policy.

Get a good book and a free hat.

Join now for $5.
undefined

You did it!

Your account is now up to date.

get the appget the app

Our app is where it’s at.

Unlock our Reading Challenge, earn prizes, and get notified of new books on our app.

Our app is where it’s at.

Unlock our Reading Challenge, earn prizes, and get notified of new books on our app.

Download on the App Store
Get it on Google Play

Already have the app? Explore here.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Historical fiction

The Great Alone

BOTY FINALIST

Each year thousands of members vote for our Book of the Year award—congrats to The Great Alone!

by Kristin Hannah

Excellent choice

Just enter your email to add this book to your box.

By pressing "Add to box", you agree to Book of the Month’s Terms of use and Privacy policy.

Ear-nings rewards

Ear-nings rewards

0/5

You’re 5 audiobooks away from a free credit!

Quick Take

Following a shattering tour in the Vietnam War, Ernt Allbright attempts a fresh start by moving his family to Alaska, where they encounter old demons and new challenges on the last American frontier.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Romance

    Romance

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Well_Known

    Famous author

  • Illustrated icon, Inspirational

    Inspirational

Synopsis

Alaska, 1974.

Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.

For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America's last true frontier.

Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents' passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown.

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights' lack of preparation and dwindling resources.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt's fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: They are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves. In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska—a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.

Other books by Kristin Hannah

400+ pages
The Courting of Bristol Keats
Pictures of You
Intermezzo
The Dagger and the Flame
The Wild Huntress
The Pairing
The Wives
A Short Walk Through a Wide World
Just for the Summer
The Familiar
The Book of Doors
The Fox Wife
The Women
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
Family Family
Ruthless Vows
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
The Future
What the River Knows
What We Kept to Ourselves
The Fragile Threads of Power
The River We Remember
Shark Heart
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Warrior Girl Unearthed
The True Love Experiment
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
Yours Truly
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Hell Bent
A Wilderness of Stars
A Fire Endless
Babel
Before I Let Go
Bloodmarked
Foul Lady Fortune
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
The Attic Child
The It Girl
The Change
Part of Your World
Kaikeyi
The Cartographers
Peach Blossom Spring
A River Enchanted
The Postmistress of Paris
The Book of Magic
Apples Never Fall
The Night She Disappeared
Damnation Spring
Sisters in Arms
One Last Stop
Firekeeper's Daughter
The Four Winds
Black Buck
The City We Became
Legendborn
Pretty Little Wife
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Magic Lessons
Star Daughter
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes
Notes on a Silencing
A Good Marriage
The Library of Legends
The Sound of Stars
Yes No Maybe So
Anna K
American Dirt
Not So Pure and Simple
Dangerous Alliance
The Glittering Hour
Red, White & Royal Blue
When the Stars Lead to You
The Great Pretender
Ninth House
Imaginary Friend
The Goldfinch
Permanent Record
The Chestnut Man
This Time Will Be Different
The Rest of the Story
Storm and Fury
Free Food for Millionaires
The Golden Hour
A Nearly Normal Family
Summer of '69
Ask Again, Yes
All the Light We Cannot See
With the Fire on High
We Hunt the Flame
Wicked Saints
Sky Without Stars
Beyond the Point
Opposite of Always
Enchantée
The Gilded Wolves
Kingdom of Copper
On the Come Up
Unsheltered
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
The Oracle Year
Circe
The Astonishing Color of After
The Philosopher's Flight
The Great Alone
The Woman in the Window
Pachinko
The Nightingale
400+ pages
View all
The Courting of Bristol Keats
Pictures of You
Intermezzo
The Dagger and the Flame
The Wild Huntress
The Pairing
The Wives
A Short Walk Through a Wide World
Just for the Summer
The Familiar
The Book of Doors
The Fox Wife
The Women
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
Family Family
Ruthless Vows
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
The Future
What the River Knows
What We Kept to Ourselves
The Fragile Threads of Power
The River We Remember
Shark Heart
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Warrior Girl Unearthed
The True Love Experiment
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
Yours Truly
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Hell Bent
A Wilderness of Stars
A Fire Endless
Babel
Before I Let Go
Bloodmarked
Foul Lady Fortune
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
The Attic Child
The It Girl
The Change
Part of Your World
Kaikeyi
The Cartographers
Peach Blossom Spring
A River Enchanted
The Postmistress of Paris
The Book of Magic
Apples Never Fall
The Night She Disappeared
Damnation Spring
Sisters in Arms
One Last Stop
Firekeeper's Daughter
The Four Winds
Black Buck
The City We Became
Legendborn
Pretty Little Wife
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Magic Lessons
Star Daughter
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes
Notes on a Silencing
A Good Marriage
The Library of Legends
The Sound of Stars
Yes No Maybe So
Anna K
American Dirt
Not So Pure and Simple
Dangerous Alliance
The Glittering Hour
Red, White & Royal Blue
When the Stars Lead to You
The Great Pretender
Ninth House
Imaginary Friend
The Goldfinch
Permanent Record
The Chestnut Man
This Time Will Be Different
The Rest of the Story
Storm and Fury
Free Food for Millionaires
The Golden Hour
A Nearly Normal Family
Summer of '69
Ask Again, Yes
All the Light We Cannot See
With the Fire on High
We Hunt the Flame
Wicked Saints
Sky Without Stars
Beyond the Point
Opposite of Always
Enchantée
The Gilded Wolves
Kingdom of Copper
On the Come Up
Unsheltered
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
The Oracle Year
Circe
The Astonishing Color of After
The Philosopher's Flight
The Great Alone
The Woman in the Window
Pachinko
The Nightingale