A Kristin Hannah Reading List

Her new book, plus ten more of her best novels

Kristin Hannah writes novels about women navigating turbulent times and the relationships that define their lives. The Women, coming out on February 6 is no different. The story follows Frankie, a young woman who decides to join the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam. It is, at once, an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

A prolific author, Hannah has published more than 25 novels over the course of three decades. Here are ten of our favorites.

The Nightingale

France 1939: After Vianne's husband leaves for the Front, Nazis invade their quiet village and even her home. Meanwhile her younger sister, Isabelle, a rebellious eighteen-year-old, joins the Resistance. This is the story of two sisters, divided by age and circumstance, finding their way during the chaos of war.

The Great Alone

Returning from Vietnam a changed man, Ernt moves his wife, Cora, and thirteen-year-old daughter, Leni, to a wild, remote corner of Alaska. Caught in the riptide of her parents' volatile relationship, Leni has little choice but to go along. As Ernt's mental state deteriorates, the family struggles to survive.

The Four Winds

This rich, sweeping novel brings to life the devastation of the Great Depression and the concurring Dust Bowl that devastated agricultural communities of the Great Plains. Elsa is a Texas woman facing an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.  

Firefly Lane

On the surface they are complete opposites, but when Tully meets Kate, they make a pact to be best friends forever. Spanning more than three decades, this novel set in the Pacific Northwest, tells the poignant story, now a hit Netflix series, of two women and the friendship that becomes the touchstone of their lives.

Winter Garden

As Anya nears the end of her life, she summons her estranged daughters to her bedside where Nina and Meredith finally hear their mother's story. Spanning more than sixty years from the terrors of war-torn Leningrad to modern-day Alaska, this is another powerful story of family love and strong women.

Night Road

Like most mothers, Jude would do anything to keep her children, teenage twins Mia and Zach, safe. When Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, moves to town, she and the twins become inseparable. Until one night when a devastating accident tears everything (and everyone) apart.   

Home Front

Like many couples, Michael and Jolene have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve-year marriage founders. Then a deployment sends Jolene, a BlackHawk pilot, to Iraq leaving Michael at home, struggling to parent their two girls.

Magic Hour

Julia was one of the country's preeminent child psychiatrists until a shocking tragedy ruined her career. Retreating to her small western Washington hometown, Julia begins working with an extraordinary six-year-old girl who has inexplicably emerged from the deep woods nearby.

True Colors

After their mother's death, the Grey sisters banded together, their relationship a counterbalance to the harsh criticism of their stern father. But when a stranger comes to town, everything changes in a matter of moments and the sisters are pitted against each other in ways none could have imagined.

Between Sisters

Meghann is a highly successful attorney who has dismissed all thoughts of love. Claire, in love for the first time in her life, reaches out to  her strong-willed older sister as her wedding day approaches. This is a story about two sisters finding their way back to one another after being sort of estranged.

As you can see, Kristin Hannah's books plumb the depths of complex relationships, navigating the highs and lows of love and loss. While you wait for her newest novel to hit the shelves, explore the many excellent choices available in her robust back catalog. Just be sure to have tissues on hand!

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon