Stories & Reflection

READ: Review, Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Marti

Categories: Read

Take the classic story (boy meets girl, boy marries girl, boy goes to war, tough times ensue, all live happily ever after) and turn it on its head. Take its passion and drive and twist until it hurts—again and again. Include bold-but-believable characters and enough plot twists to keep the pages turning on their own. Put together an ending that redeems without negating the pain, and there you have it: the recipe for an amazing novel.

Kristin Hannah’s new release, Home Front (St. Martin's Press) is anything but formulaic. Her protagonist, Jolene, rises from a background of brokenness to create what she considers the perfect life: a husband, two children, and a successful career as a military helicopter pilot. But is the secure wall she builds around herself and her loved ones as impenetrable as it seems? 

When Jolene’s husband, Michael, reveals his dissatisfaction with their marriage, it shakes. And when an unexpected deployment sends her to the Persian Gulf, it crumbles.

Or does it?

The best books inspire personal change. I already had a certain level of insight and compassion for military families. Home Front gave me more. The author’s extensive research allowed her to write this book with accuracy in place, event, and technical detail. More important than that, however, is the accuracy with which she brings her characters—and their challenges—to life.

Read it. Love it. And find yourself giving honor to those who defend the Home Front. They’re worthy. And so is this heart-breaking, inspiring novel.  


My grandfather served in the Marines, and my husband's father was a career Marine. During our California pastorate, we served a church that contained many military families. I don't think I'll ever take these defenders of the home front for granted. 

How has military service — yours or someone else's — affected your life? Does this sound like a book you'd enjoy? I'd love to have your response. 



Watch the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1YD8xFTjr0

Find this book on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble

(FTC disclaimer: I received an electronic advance reading copy of this book free from the publisher. I was not required to post a review or a positive response).


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