Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

22 reviews

deagaric's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

"A lot of folks come here with cameras and dreams of a simpler life. But five out of every thousand Alaskans go missing every year. Just disappear. And most of the dreamers... well, they don't make it past the first winter."

Like other Kristin Hannah books I've read, this one found a hundred different ways to break my heart. It follows Lenora Allbright, a 13-year-old who moves from Seattle to a small town in Alaska in the 1970s when her father spontaneously inherits a property there. Her father is a Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war, who's severe PTSD makes it difficult for him to keep his temper or hold down a job, and her mother who is madly in love with him regardless of those faults.

Lenora and her parents are entirely unprepared for the Alaskan wilderness, and the first third of the book is beautifully written tale of survival and personal growth. That quickly changes as Lenora and her mother find that the long, dark Alaskan winter means that they are trapped in a small cabin with a patriarch who's stress response is violence. With a police station a boat ride away and neighbors acres apart, the book follows the Allbrights across 5 years of struggles with mental health, paranoia, domestic violence, and a star-crossed teen relationship. 

Overall, I give the book a 4.75, rounded to 5. Would have been a 5+ read if it wasn't for the last few chapters that follow Lenora into her 20s. That part felt a bit soapy to me and some events felt avoidable and frustrating (seriously,

Lenora is a college graduate by this point and really should know that a written confession to a police officer is more than just a "formality"

) Regardless, the first 430 pages are more than enough to have me round up even given the slightly shaky ending.

Some of the domestic violence in the book is explicit and hard to read, but the story is impactful and will stick with me. Beautiful, descriptive portrayal of the wonders and dangers of Alaska and the strength of the human spirit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Murder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Alcoholism

Minor: Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, and War

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

braelynm_22's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was super emotional and tugged at your heartstrings. Definitely a lot of abuse involved though but there were some cute romantic moments. It seems to really depict the life of a person in Alaska and it absorbs you into the story as if you were actually there. 

"Alaska isn't about who you were when you headed this way. It's about who you become."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Medical content and Sexual content

Minor: Animal death

Lots of abuse is involved in this book, but it contributes to the plot and to the way that they story ends.

rachael_jo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content

mkzach's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Car accident, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Murder

Moderate: War

Minor: Medical content, Vomit, and Sexual content

amandalorianxo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I don’t know if tragedy porn is the appropriate phrase for Kristen Hannah’s books but so far, they seem to have a theme that involves pure tragedy and these characters not being able to catch a break! The trauma Leni and Cora go through in Alaska was startling and sometimes painfully trigger inducing (particularly with the domestic violence.) Yet, the fact that the women end up surviving was what made my rating round up from 3.5 to 4. Did I like the cycle that continues ? No, not particularly. But I think there’s a saying that says those who don’t know history will repeat itself (I think?) so maybe that was the point? I just know this left me feeling the exact opposite of happy, very melancholic.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Alcoholism

Minor: Cancer, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely phenomenal. First Kristin Hannah read and I will for sure be reading more if they're as well done as this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Animal death, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Blood

Moderate: War and Cancer

Minor: Sexual content and Vomit

natreadstheworld's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book carried far more depth to it than I anticipated. Through the eyes of Leni Allbright, we experience the full range of human emotion, from rage to love, as well as the contradiction that is human nature. When Leni's father moves her family to Alaska, she becomes drawn into a world far beyond anything she expected. As the dark and cold winter draws near, it becomes clear that the untamed wilds outside are a pale danger compared to what's inside - for Leni's father is a veteran with a deeply scarred soul. One thing quickly becomes clear: Ernt Allbright never left the war behind him. Between her father's tormented rages and the hazardous Alaskan frontier, Leni quickly learns to build a strength and resilience that will carry her through the trials ahead - because just like an Alaskan winter, life's struggles are never to be underestimated.

I found this book a powerful reflection of the human heart. Leni's complex relationship with both her parents, and her struggle to understand her own self as a separate individual, demonstrates the author's deep understanding of the human psyche, a rare skill that I always appreciate when I find it. The slow pace of the story belies its intense nature, keeping the reader riveted to the end. The book is an adult read with a coming-of-age feel - too intense for true coming-of-age, lacking the youthful approach that comes with that genre, but the way Leni grows throughout the book represents that important transition into adulthood. It's a very worthy read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood

Minor: War, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Gun violence, and Cancer

ridgewife's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Holy toledo. I am wrecked. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Torture, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Confinement, Child abuse, and Blood

mitsubachigirl's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Blood, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Stalking, War, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, Gun violence, Cancer, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail