The Great Alone

The Great Alone is a semiautobiographical novel written by American author Kristin Hannah published by St. Martin's Press in 2018. The story follows the Allbright family's move to the Alaskan wilderness and the ensuing challenges they face there.

For the 1922 American silent northern drama film, see The Great Alone (film).
The Great Alone
First edition
AuthorKristin Hannah
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical fiction
Set inAlaska
PublisherSt. Martin's Press
Publication date
February 6, 2018
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book
Pages440
ISBN9780312577230

Development

The title The Great Alone is a reference to Robert W. Service's poem "The Shooting of Dan McGrew".[1] Hannah cites her family, 1970s politics, and Alaskan culture as inspirations for the novel.[2]

Hannah had initially written a whole draft of a thriller with the same characters trying to solve a crime that had taken place in the past,[3] but during revisions only kept the 1970s Alaska setting; then started writing a first-person point-of-view novel from a teenage narrator.[2]

Reception

The Great Alone spent four weeks at number one on The New York Times Fiction Best Seller list in 2018,[4] and two weeks at number one on the Los Angeles Times hardcover fiction bestsellers list.[5] It was 17th on USA Today's 2018 year-end top 100 best-selling books list.[6] The novel won Best Historical Fiction at the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards.[7] As of 2021, the novel has sold two million copies in the United States.[8]

Overall, the novel received positive feedback from critics.[9] The novel was featured in positive starred reviews by Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.[10][11] The Toronto Star praised its "compassionate, nuanced portrait of the “twisted love” that results from domestic violence, and of the ways in which women cope with such abuse."[12] The Star Tribune stated that Hannah "has created an atmosphere of brooding paranoia and simmering violence that can set your heart racing. Anticipated plot twists unravel unexpectedly."[13] However, Janet Maslin of The New York Times criticized the novel, calling it "a heart-tugger written in borderline young adult style, combining terrible troubles with notes of overripe romance."[14] Ron Charles of The Washington Post noted that "the weaknesses of The Great Alone are usually camouflaged by its dramatic and often emotional plot."[15]

Adaptation

Before the book's publication, Variety announced Sony’s TriStar Pictures had preemptively purchased movie rights to The Great Alone,[16] with Elizabeth Cantillon of the Cantillon Company and Laura Quicksilver as producers and Julia Cox as the screenwriter.[17]

References
  1. Newell, RJ (March 27, 2018). ""Out in the Middle of Nowhere": A Conversation with Kristin Hannah". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  2. Lewis, Andy (April 10, 2018). "'The Great Alone' Writer Kristin Hannah on What Turned a Failed Draft into a Hit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  3. Larsen, Peter (June 29, 2018). "Author Kristin Hannah tells a coming-of-age story set in the harsh yet beautiful landscape of Alaska in her new book 'The Great Alone'". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  4. "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction- March 18, 2018". The New York Times. March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  5. "The Great Alone". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  6. Cadden, Mary; Schnaars, Christopher (January 5, 2019). "Michelle Obama's 'Becoming' is USA TODAY's No. 1 book of 2018. See the others in top 100". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  7. Jean-Philippe, McKenzie (December 3, 2018). "More Than Half of This Year's Goodreads "Best Books" Are Written by Women". O, The Oprah Magazine. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  8. Egan, Elisabeth (January 29, 2021). "Kristin Hannah Reinvented Herself. She Thinks America Can Do the Same". The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  9. "Book Marks reviews of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah". Book Marks. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  10. "The Great Alone". Publishers Weekly. February 6, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  11. "THE GREAT ALONE". Kirkus Reviews. February 6, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  12. Henley, Tara (February 16, 2018). "Kristin Hannah's book The Great Alone explores living off-grid in Alaska". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  13. Ode, Kim (February 9, 2018). "Review: 'The Great Alone,' by Kristin Hannah". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  14. Maslin, Janet (February 1, 2018). "A Troubled Dad Takes His Family Into the Wild". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  15. Charles, Ron (February 6, 2018). "Kristin Hannah's next hit: A brave girl confronts her disturbed dad in the Alaskan wild". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  16. McNary, Dave (February 5, 2018). "Sony Buys 'Nightingale' Author's Alaska Novel 'The Great Alone' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  17. Gonzalez, Umberto (June 27, 2018). "Black List Writer Julia Cox to Adapt Kristin Hannah's 'The Great Alone' for TriStar (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
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