I think I will be thinking about this book for the rest of my life. It was as brutal as the Alaskan winter but as beautiful as the Alaskan summer, which are both things I knew nothing about until I read this book.
I cared so much about Leni and Cora. I felt like they were real people that I know. I just wanted them to be ok. I kept hoping that each struggle they faced would be their last and it never was. 😢
This book is definitely about struggle. Although it is a work of fiction, it feels so true to life in that humans are capable of overcoming (or at least getting through) extreme hardship and loss. We are capable of coming out on the other side stronger. And often times there are really good things on the other side of struggles, although there is still grief and pain.
Kristin Hannah’s writing style is so balanced. She moves the plot forward, describes the setting and the characters thoughts and feelings at the perfect pace. I’ve never been a historical fiction girlie, but for her? I think I am.