Kristin Hannah's Strong Women

     

Since I am now on summer break, I have been reading nearly a book a day to catch up on my reading challenge and soothe my soul. Recently, I have been enamored with the work of Kristin Hannah, a lawyer-turned-writer from the Pacific Northwest. Her books feature strong women, but not always in the sense that one would expect - that is, she writes about women navigating the struggles of daily life and being extraordinary people in ordinary, sometimes awful, circumstances. Her books fall under my favorite genre, historical fiction, and I am always enamored with her use of language. Plus, she tends to write satisfying endings, which I prefer to cliff hangers or tragedies.

Here are three Kristin Hannah novels I recommend:

1. Published in 2015, The Nightingale quickly became a #1 New York Times Bestseller, and rightfully so. My mom and I read this book back in 2016, and it left us both in tears. The story follows two sisters in their struggles throughout WWII, and the sacrifices they make for the people they love. The most haunting aspect is that you do not know which sister lives to tell the story until the very end. Its heartbreaking climax and moving falling action brought a torrential downpour of my tears. Even though the book is so sad, the true meaning of the story lies within the power of forgiveness and the power to see good in evil. Hannah's writing emphasizes the resilience and durability of women as they fulfilled different roles in the Nazi era.
2. I picked up Winter Garden at a bookstore somewhere (possibly in LA or Seattle?), and I read the whole book before I realized it was by Kristin Hannah. Similar to The Nightingale, Winter Garden traces two sisters who are very different women. After the death of their father, the sisters try to uncover the story of their cold mother, a tight-lipped Russian. Told through many points of view, the story slowly unravels the truth, leading to a touching ending.
3. My mom gave me The Great Alone as an Easter gift, and I left it at home as a treat for when I finished school. Last week, I devoured the book in less than 24 hours. Following a daughter as she follows her parents into Alaska in the hopes that the wilderness will cure her alcoholic father, the book describes the brink of isolation, and the crazy antics that can occur in the middle of nowhere with 23 hours of darkness in the winter. Harrowing until the very end, the book highlights the need for women to support each other and to encourage healthy relationships. 

Kristin Hannah has a bunch of other books, so if you are interested, check out her website: kristinhannah.com. In the mean time, happy summer and happy reading!