A review by ktpickles
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

adventurous challenging emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

i was REALLY excited to read this book because i had read numerous shining reviews. unfortunately, i found myself (quite often) hoping to just be close to the end. the story ideas, the plot, is amazing, but the writing is sort of fan-fiction-y to me and i couldn’t get over that. it seemed dragged out towards the end- like Kristin Hannah got another book idea and just needed to get through the pre-planned ending. i found myself re-reading sentences like “Leni thought…” “Leni once thought ___ but now knew ___…” and i really hated the lack of SHOWING her discoveries instead of just telling us as the audience she knew her mother would forever be with her. if this was revised, edited down to less of the filler scenes and more of descriptions on Leni’s emotions (versus the many paragraphs stating what she’s thinking) i would’ve loved this book so much more. i did cry, so it’s not completely awful. 
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