The Great Alone

Author: Kristin Hannah
Publisher: MacMillan, 2018               
My Source: Land O Lakes library

     
                                                   


I haven't written a blog post in quite awhile, but this book inspired me to return to blogging, yes, it is that good! And I'm not too proud to admit that I experienced a wide variety of emotions and even shed a few tears.

Normally I would not be attracted to a book celebrating the great outdoors as I am more of a stay at home and curl up with a book and a blanket kind of gal, but I read this book because I loved the Nightingale also written by Kristin Hannah (and highly recommended by critics and myself.)

Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959. "North to the Future" is the official state motto, adopted in 1967 for the centennial of the Alaska Purchase. It was selected by a committee who sponsored a contest with a monetary prize for the best entry. Juneau journalist Richard Peter won the contest, stating that the motto "...is a reminder that beyond the horizon of urban clutter there is a Great Land beneath our flag that can provide a new tomorrow for this century's 'huddled masses yearning to be free'."

This story embodies that motto. The characters in the novel move to Alaska from the mainland to live off the grid, reinvent themselves, leave behind the hustle and bustle of the cities to the south, and experience true freedom. One character in the story, Large Marge tells newcomers that, "in Alaska, everyone is either running to something or running away from something." The author portrays her characters as brave and self-sufficient people knowledgeable in survival skills either innately or by necessity.

There are two main characters in the book, one is Leni, a teenage girl who moves to Alaska with her parents in the early 1970's. The family moves there because Leni's father's late Vietnam buddy left him a rustic cabin in remote Alaska. Leni forges new frontiers and new friendships all while hiding the secret of her parents' volatile relationship.

The other main character is the state of Alaska itself. There are numerous wonderfully written paragraphs describing the scenery and wildlife of Alaska. My mind was full with vibrant imagery. The story is also rich with foreshadowing in the form of repeated warnings about the dangers of Alaska and the many ways one can die there.

Alaska can be moody with its beautiful mild summers and harsh freezing winters which demand the respect of the people who call it home. The same can be said of Ernt, Leni's father, whom after being rescued from a POW camp in Vietnam suffers from horrible PTSD. PTSD was not well known or understood in the 1970's so Ernt receives no treatment for his illness. Ernt's moods change as quickly as the unpredictable seasons in Alaska, and like the seasons, his moods threaten the safety of those around him.

Leni attends a one room schoolhouse where she learns about friendship and the history of Alaska. One lesson she learns, and of which I was not aware, is that during WWII, two of the outer Aleutian Islands—Attu and Kiska—were invaded and occupied by Japanese troops. They were the only part of the continental territory of the United States to be occupied by the enemy during the war. Their recovery became a matter of national pride.

The Great Alone is a marvelous book packed with vibrant well-developed characters and exciting story lines. I don't want to give too much away because I want readers to discover the magic of the novel for themselves.


                                                               

                                                          Rating: 5 out of 5 high fives

Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading 2017

A few months ago my husband and I went to the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading on the campus of USF St. Pete. It was a full day of author talks and book signings as well as various book-related booths to purchase books and other merch. We went to see three authors in particular.

The first one was Michael Connelly, author of numerous popular books including the Harry Bosch series which has been adapted for the small screen and is available for streaming on Amazon. While he did not read from any of his works, he did participate in an hour long interview including Q&A. He introduced his newest series about an L.A. female detective named Renee Ballard who works the night shift and catches now retired Harry Bosh rifling around in the file cabinet to work on a cold case that won't let him sleep. The two team up to solve the case.

Next we attended a talk by Nathan Hill, author of The Nix. The Nix is Mr. Hill's first novel and it took him ten years to write. He joked that his next book will only take 9 years to write. Mr. Hill read from his book and discussed his writing process. Unlike most authors who start with an outline, Mr. Hill wrote "improvisationally" allowing his novel to come to life organically, drawing from influences affecting him during that ten year period. He only tied the themes together after most of the book was written, maybe that is why the book started out at a hefty 1,000 pages until it was cut down to a still sizeable book of 600 pages.

Mr. Hill told the audience that all the elements of the book connect together by two themes: the ways people wall off others and how people lose the ability to communicate with others. These themes seemed to resonate with readers as the book has become wildly popular and there are plans for The Nix to be turned into a limited series tv show with Meryl Streep and J.J. Abrams behind the scenes.


The final presentation we attended was by Sarah Gerard, a young female writer who grew up in St. Pete and now teaches creative writing in New York. She discussed her most recent book, Sunshine State. It is a collection of creative nonfiction essays that take place in Florida. They consist of deeply personal accounts of events that took place throughout her life. Ms. Gerard first read from an essay about the amusing and heart-breaking relationship with her childhood best friend. Then she read a poem about all of the animals she has ever seen in her thirty plus years.

You can follow Michael Connelly and Sarah Gerard on Twitter @ConnellyBooks and @SarahNumber4

Another About Me: Part Four

My husband and I have been living in Florida for almost 5 months now. It still surprises me to see palm trees and feel the warm weather in winter, but I'm not complaining.

We have been acting like tourists visiting many local attractions. We have been to a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game, a Tampa Bay Buccs football game, a Yankees spring training game, Clearwater Beach, the Dahli Museum, and the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts Star Wars costume exhibit, just to name a few activities.

We have frequented a Land O' Lakes (yes, that is the name of my town) craft beer bar called In The Loop which has an outdoor deck overlooking a lake and yoga and beer on Sunday mornings.

We have also met some of our neighbors.

I fell into a job at Ashley Homestore as a Customer Service Representative because I told a neighbor that I was looking for a job and he said he was the store manager at Ashley and was hiring. I started out part-time on December 4, 2017 and got promoted to full-time on February 18, 2018. It is a good job with low stress and great co-workers.

I have had a lot less time to read lately since starting my job, but I'm happy to say that the Connerton Book Club is going strong. We have met three times so far and read The Nix by Nathan Hill, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick, and Small Great Things by Jodi Piccoult. Our current book is The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion which I am enjoying reading for the second time.