Thursday, January 19, 2012

Home Front; Kristin Hannah


Title:  Home Front
Author:  Kristin Hannah
Publication Year: 2011
Publisher: MacMillian Audio
Edition: audio
Reader: Maggi - Meg Reed (very good)
Source: Amazon Vine
Date Completed: 1/18/2012
Rating: 3/5
Recommend: no


Kristin Hannah's latest novel, Home Front, explores how war affects families.

Jolene Zarkades, is a wife, a mother of two young daughters and a Black Hawk Pilot with the National Guards. She has been deployed to Iraq. Their marriage of 12 years is on shaky grounds, and to make matters worst on the day before she learns that she must go to Iraq, her husband, Michael, tells her he doesn't love her anymore.

Michael is a successful defense lawyer, who works long hours. He is not happy is not happy, nor is he support of what his wife is doing. Fortunately, Michael's mother, Mila is supportive of Jolene and is there for her grandchildren as well. The 12 year-old daughter is angry and is having issues at school, and the youngest child, only 4 years-old is a child who wants her mama around all the time.  It isn't until Michael is put in the position of defending a client who murdered his wife while suffering from PTSD, that he begins to realize what fighting for one's country does to a person and what war is really like.

The story gives readers an eye-opening account of how war affects military personnel and their families. Without going into what happens to Jolene, of course what happens is the wars changes her. The picture it paints is not pretty.

Did I like this book? Not really,  for a few reasons. While I felt it was an important story, the writing seemed overly sentimental, predictable and often very repetitive. Although the audio book reader, Maggi - Meg Reed did a good job, at times I just really got tired of listening to this story.

27 comments:

  1. Well, I've been wanting to try this author but I don't think I'll start with this one.

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    1. I use to read ALL of her novels, but I haven't really been happy with anything she has written in about 5 years. Think my taste in books has changed. She does have the prettiest covers though.

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  2. This is disappointing to hear. Maybe reading it in print will be better. I'm on the wait list for it.

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    1. Shonda, it really wasn't anything to do with the reader. Just the writing didn't work for me.

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  3. That's too bad! I just read one of hers and I really liked it but yes, it did have a tendency to kind of beat you over the head with the point (Night Road).

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  4. I'd like to read it as the subject is absolutely new to me.

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    1. It is a realistic portrait of the affect of war on families.

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  5. I'm glad I read your review. Not sure if I will read this one but it's a powerful theme and one that makes you think about what our service people have to go through and the sacrifices they make. Thanks for stopping by. Your comment about my bug post made me laugh. If you'd have said to me 20 years ago, "You're going to be fascinated by the bug world when you reach 60" I would probably have laughed harder.

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  6. Well that's too bad, the story had potential!

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  7. I hate when an author takes a potential deep topic and doesn't explore it fully. Sentimentality and barely scratching the surface put this one in the Women's Fiction category, a category I am not overly fond of. Too bad.

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    1. Yes, I am no longer a fan of Womens Fiction apparently. This sort of demonstrated that.

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  8. Overly sentimental and schmaltzy stories also bother me, so I can't imagine that I would like this one either. Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts on it with us.

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  9. Well I sure hope I like this one more than you. I'll be starting it soon. I often like books for the reasons you said you weren't fond of this one so hopefully I'll be lucky and enjoy it. Lol. Sorry it was a dud for you - can't win them all. I hope your next read is better.

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  10. So sad to hear that. I have a hard time with overly sentimental books and especially those that are repetitive.

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  11. Sorry this one didn't work for you. I read Hannah for the first time last year -- Night Road -- and I really enjoyed it. Not sure that I would like this one, though. I appreciate your honest thoughts.

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  12. As a fan of the author's books, I will give this one a read.

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    1. I can see some readers liking this book, bu it is really women's fiction and I think I just no longer have an interest in that genre. Hope you enjoy this one.

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  13. 3 ways you don't want your writing to be:

    predictable. sentimental, and repetitive.

    Thanks for your honest review, Diane.

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    1. Totally agree, as it's a good way to have readers jump ship before finishing the book.

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  14. It is a realistic portrait of the affect of war on families.

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  15. I have yet to read one of her books....I think I have 2 on my shelves. Over sentimental can drive a person nuts for sure! Thanks for the heads up!

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  16. I had similar problems with this book. The story had a lot of potential but this was overly drawn out and too sentimental. It became unrealistic and that's too bad because it could have been written in a more believable way. I wanted to be sympathetic to the characters but frequently ended up annoyed with them.

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  17. I've only read one or two books by Hannah and don't much care for her. She reminds me of David Baldacci, James Patterson and Nicholas Sparks. Trite, predictable and not terribly well-written.

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  18. I know a good author makes you feel the emotions, and I keep reading Kristen Hannah because I do love the way she writes, but Home Front and her last release were just entirely too sad for me to read. I need feel good books, but if you don't mind sobbing through a story, then you seriously will love Kristen Hannah. I believe she's a great author, just not necessarily for me.

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