About the AudioBook: The blockbuster bestselling author of Night Road and Firefly Lane delivers a masterful novel that explores the sacrifices of one American family and illuminates the true cost of honor, duty, and love.
From a distance, Michael and Joleen Zarkades seem to have it all: a solid marriage, two exciting careers, and children they adore. But after twelve years together, the couple has lost their way; they are unhappy and edging toward divorce. Then the Iraq war starts. An unexpected deployment will tear their already fragile family apart, sending one of them deep into harm’s way and leaving the other at home, waiting for news. When the worst happens, each must face their darkest fear and fight for the future of their family. An intimate look at the inner landscape of a disintegrating marriage and a dramatic exploration of the price of war on a single American family, Kristin Hannah's HOME FRONT is a provocative and timely portrait of hope, honor, loss, forgiveness, and the elusive nature of love.
From a distance, Michael and Joleen Zarkades seem to have it all: a solid marriage, two exciting careers, and children they adore. But after twelve years together, the couple has lost their way; they are unhappy and edging toward divorce. Then the Iraq war starts. An unexpected deployment will tear their already fragile family apart, sending one of them deep into harm’s way and leaving the other at home, waiting for news. When the worst happens, each must face their darkest fear and fight for the future of their family. An intimate look at the inner landscape of a disintegrating marriage and a dramatic exploration of the price of war on a single American family, Kristin Hannah's HOME FRONT is a provocative and timely portrait of hope, honor, loss, forgiveness, and the elusive nature of love.
After working in a trendy advertising agency, Kristin decided to go to law school. "But you're going to be a writer" are the prophetic words she would never forget from her mother. Kristin was in her third-and final-year of law school and her mom was in the hospital, facing the end of her long battle with cancer. Kristin was shocked to discover that her mother believed she would become a writer. For the next few months, they collaborated on the worst, most clichéd historical romance ever written.
After her mom's death, she packed up all those bits and pieces of paper they'd collected and put them in a box in the back of her closet. Kristin got married and continued practicing law.
Then Kristin found out she was pregnant and was on bed rest for five months. By the time she'd read every book in the house and started asking her husband for cereal boxes to read, she knew she was a goner. That's when her husband reminded her of the book she'd started with her mom. Kristin pulled out the boxes of research material, dusted them off and began writing. By the time their son was born, she'd finished a first draft and found an obsession.
The rejections came, of course, and they stung for a while, but each one really just spurred her to try harder, work more. In 1990, Kristin got "the call," and in that moment, she went from a young mother with a cooler-than-average hobby to a professional writer, and has never looked back. In all the years between then and now, she have never lost her love of, or her enthusiasm for, telling stories. Kristin feels truly blessed to be a wife, a mother, and a writer.
This is a very well written book, telling us the story of soldier girl named Joleen. She had a very difficult childhood with alcoholic parents that were killed in an accident. She was alone in the world and she enlisted herself in the army and received training as an helicopter pilot. She ended working for the National Guard and marry a guy named Michael Zarkades, a workaholic lawyer. They have two daughters, Betsy (twelve years old) and Lulu (four years old). The marriage is starting deteriorating when she is deployed to Iraq, with her best friend Tami, also an helicopter pilot. This book touches many delicate issues about the support our government is giving to our soldiers when they return. The author does a superb job describing situations that some of us would prefer to close our eyes to them and ignore. Cheers to Mrs. Kristin Hannah for a magnificent work! I definitely will read other books from her.
The narration of Maggi - Meg Reed makes this listening very entertaining. Excellent option for a long commuting.
This is a great addition to the permanent library of any fiction lover.
This audiobook was published by Macmillan Audio in January 2012 and Amazon.com was kind enough to provide this audiobook for me through their Vine Program for reviewing and I was not request to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
If you read this review, fell free to leave a comment!
This book however touched me in so many ways i cannot describe them. The facets of Jolene and Michael were amazing. While the story had a warm happy ending, i can only imagine the not so happy endings for the majority if our soldiers returning. Hannah has grasped the angst and brattiness of Betsy.the baby in lulu, and a once in a lifetime friendship in Tami. This will stay with me a long time to come. Immerse yourself in it. It is real.
ReplyDelete