Best Kristin Hannah Books Ranked (2024 Edition)

Book Summary

Frances “Frankie” McGrath is a 21-year-old nursing student who has been raised by her conservative parents to always do “the right thing.” But when her brother ships out for Vietnam in 1965, she begins to change her views of right and wrong.

Frankie impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps and follows her brother to Vietnam. As she tends to the green and inexperienced young men who have been sent to fight the war, she is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction. Returning home to a changed America doesn’t prove to be any easier.

Quotes from Our Readers About This Book

To me, this opened up a part of history I didn’t know much about and put me there with the characters. The story arc was tenderly heartbreaking yet powerful in character growth. -Jessica F.

I could relate to so much of the book. My dad was a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam, and my husband was a Marine on the ground there. The focus on what happened to veterans upon their return home was spot on, and a woman’s viewpoint was an original and timely structure in the book. -Kathy G.

Not enough has been written about the realities of the Viet Nam war. The main character, Frankie, and I would have been classmates at the San Diego College for Women while my father was serving in the US Navy in Viet Nam, so there was much for me to identify with. My book club had a wonderful discussion and our younger member, born 10 years after the war ended learned a lot. -Ursula D.

I was so invested in this story right from the get go and I found myself connecting so much with the main character. I don’t usually cry while reading books but this one had me sobbing at three different points in the book. This book achieved a rare 5 star review for me!

Book Summary

When a Vietnam POW returns home, he carries new anger and impulsiveness. Determined to stand by her husband, his wife agrees with his plan to move his family to Alaska to live off the grid. Soon after arriving, the harsh reality of rural Alaska sets in for 13-year-old Leni and her mom.

For a while, things were better with her dad as they spent the fall season preparing for their first Alaskan winter, but she feared his more balanced self was only temporary.

Why Our Readers Love This Book…
This book had it all, adventure, survival, mystery, thriller and love and connection. What’s not to like about a strong female lead in the Alaskan winter wilderness? -Jen M.

I can relate to so much of the mixed emotions, chaos, embarrassment, struggle and turmoil expressed in this book because I grew up with an abusive, alcoholic stepfather who was also a veteran – WWII. I took dreamed of escape. I loved her strong will and spirit. -Penny P.

I feel like the setting in this book was as important as the characters. It may have almost been a character in itself. Alaska can be brutal, and Hannah did an amazing job with the description to make this clear. The characters tore at the heart. This was the first book I read by her and I absolutely loved it! -Patty C.

Kristin Hannah writes complex characters and situations, and this book is no exception. It combines one of my favorite periods for historical fiction, the post-Vietnam War era, with the stunning setting of Alaska. It transported me completely to another time and place. -Jodi F.

I love this book. It’s one of top 5 favorite books of all time. This story pulls at your heartstrings and keeps you invested even after the story is done. -Becky L.

Notable Awards for The Great Alone:
2018 Goodreads Best Historical Novel of the Year
2018 Book of the Year Finalist – Book of the Month
2020 Longlist for Dublin Literary Award
#1 New York Times Bestseller

Book Summary

As the Dust Bowl drought gripped the Great Plains, millions were out of work, crops failed, water dried up, and farmers fought to keep their land. This is the story of Elsa Martinelli, who is forced to make an agonizing choice: fight for her land in Texas or move west to California in search of a better life. 

Like so many of her neighbors, Elsa courageously faces the hardships and sacrifices that came to define an entire generation during the Great Depression as they fought for the American Dream. We love books that truly transport you to another time and place, and few books do that quite as well as The Four Winds. You will feel the dirt and the direness that so many experienced.

Why Our Readers Love This Book…
I could visualize the Dust Bowl through the details. If I can play out a book like a movie in my mind as I read it, the author has done something special for me! My grandparents told stories of the Dust Bowl and it was hard to hear their survival stories and what they endured but I know I only got bits and pieces. The book was unputdownable but one I had to set aside when it became overwhelming. I love that era of historical fiction and the authors style of writing just brought this story together in a lovely way. -Tara M.

I learned a lot about why and how the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression started and the effects they had on families and on our country. It should be a “never again” moment in American history! -Diane

While very sad, it was a great story and I learned a lot about the Dust Bowl and how those people were treated after they got to California. -Louise F.

You could feel the desperation in those who lost everything in the Dust Bowl. I was cheering them on traveling to California but then felt their hope evaporate with those in charge of the labor camps. I could feel, smell, and see the story unfolding. – Deb K.

Notable Awards for The Four Winds:
Read with Jenna Book Club Pick – February 2021
2021 Book of the Year – Book of the Month
2021 USA Today Bestselling Hardcover Adult Fiction
2021 Goodreads Nominee for Best Historical Fiction
#1 New York Times Bestseller

Book Summary

From 8th grade, Kate and Tully cycle through the highs and lows of long-term friendships as they try to figure out what they want from the world and what they need from each other.

Tully seems to have both beauty and brains while Kate feels doomed to be uncool forever. However, Tully doesn’t have it all. She longs to fill the void left when her mom abandoned her, and she funnels all her feelings into ambition at work. Kate is equally driven, but her life looks different as she becomes a wife and mother.

In Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah uses the descriptive talent you know from her historical fiction books to share the story of three decades between friends.

Why Our Readers Love This Book…
The relationship between the two friends was so beautiful and the loyalty so strong. -Diane H.

I listened to this while on a long road trip, and I would get so lost in the book that I just kept driving. I felt so invested in the friendship between these two that I sobbed at the end!! -Terry M.

This is an amazing story about friendship and what one could do for another person they love. This book explores not only the love two best friends have for each other, but the loathing as well. Friendship is complicated but this is a beautiful example of never giving up on a person and what someone could do for another person they love. -Stephanie M.

Book Summary

Sisters Meredith and Nina have little in common other than their love for their dear father. They’ve spent most of their life feeling like they didn’t really know their mother, but when their father falls ill, his final wish is for his daughters to get to know their mother better. In their younger years, Anya sometimes tells the girls a Russian fairy tale, and their father makes her promise that she will tell the story one last time – all the way to the end.

The story alternates between past and present as Meredith and Nina hear the fairy tale and learn the harrowing story of the mother’s life five decades earlier in war-torn Leningrad, Russia. They will ultimately learn something so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

Why Our Readers Love This Book…
This tugged at my mama heart strings. You do the best you can, but inevitably make mistakes along the way. The characters were so real. I’m not a huge mystery fan, but this felt like a mystery in disguise, and I loved trying to figure it out as I read. -Kristin R.

This memorable and well-told story evokes strong emotions and reminds readers that the pain of war is a burden suffered by people on both sides; there truly are no winners.

I was drawn in by reading about the life experiences of a survivor as a means to understand her present-day life. We, as outsiders, can never judge a person by who he/she is today without understanding the past. – Tammy W.

It seemed to be a very human story, a story that explains some of why we do what we do. I read it years ago when the split narrative wasn’t quite so popular, and I enjoyed being presented with the present day and a time long ago. -Nancy F.

Notable Awards for Winter Garden:
2010 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction

Book Summary

This book starts in 2005 on Jolene’s 41st birthday. She’s been married 12 years and a member of the National Guard for even longer as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. When she’s sent to Iraq, her husband, who doesn’t understand her dedication to her career and country, tells her he no longer loves her.

She’s heartbroken when she arrives in Iraq but thankfully has her best friend Tami by her side. The two encounter situations just as heartbreaking during their deployment. After reading about Jolene and Tami’s time deployed, some readers say they have a greater appreciation for our modern-day troops.

While many of us know Kristin Hannah for her fantastic and heart-wrenching historical fiction, she also has a gift for writing stories of friendship. Unfortunately, some reviewers do not enjoy the narration on this one, so it may be better in print or ebook form.

Why Our Readers Love This Book…
I really enjoyed reading about deployment from this different perspective (with the mom being the one to serve). Hannah did great research into this topic and others and did a great job of turning it I to a story. Loved it! -Diane

I could not put this book down. I liked how it was about so many different things, but it was really an exploration of family. I thought the characters were realistic and appreciated the growth and change they went through. -Rhonda C.

I have read 6 books by this author. I married a USAF service member over 30 years ago although he was never deployed to a conflict. I have worked as a DoD civilian and contractor for over 30 years and understand/emphasize with the families in this book. I gave it 5 stars (rare for me).

Notable Awards for Home Front:
2012 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction

Book Summary

Stay-at-home mom Jude has always put everyone else’s needs first, including those of her twins, Mia and Zach. When Lexi, a former foster child, becomes close to both Mia and Zach, Jude is supportive of the relationships, but also overprotective.

However, during senior year for the teens, a tragic accident changes everything. Jude’s perfect family is shattered, and their small town is torn apart. Lexi is blamed, and she gives up everything meaningful in her life to leave town.

However, when Lexi returns a few years later, she demands a reckoning. Will Jude be able to forgive Lexi, and herself?

Why Our Readers Love This Book…
The way Kristin Hannah writes just pulls you in, and you can’t let go until the book is finished. -Chrissy B.

This is a wonderful story about motherhood, love and forgiveness. This one made me cry. -Kathy E.

Often It is impossible to foresee the life-long effects of a decision made in one moment.

Every parent’s nightmare, told in breathtaking prose.

Notable Awards for Night Road:
2011 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction