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Home Front  By  cover art

Home Front

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed
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Publisher's summary

"Home Front is Hannah's crowning achievement."—The Huffington Post

In this powerhouse of a novel, Kristin Hannah explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war.


All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . .

Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then a deployment sends Jolene deep into harm's way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider, she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own—for everything that matters to his family.

At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope.

"Hannah has written a remarkable tale of duty, love, strength, and hope that is at times poignant and always thoroughly captivating and relevant." —Library Journal (starred review)

©2012 Kristin Hannah (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Kristin Hannah's Home Front, read with fine emotional nuance by Maggi-Meg Reed, is the kind of novel that grabs your heart as it draws you in…Keep the Kleenex close, and breathe through the lumps in your throat.” —Booklist

“The novel's second half, a moving exploration of the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on an already shaky family dynamic, is especially well read by Maggi-Meg Reed, who inhabits all the voices and characters with skill and heartfelt emotion. A timely book that is highly recommended for all audiences.” —Library Journal, Starred Review

What listeners say about Home Front

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Very Disappointed

I wanted to like this book, but I didn't. I have listened to other Kristin Hannah novels before and enjoyed them. I almost "quit" a few times but I had made an investment. I didn't care for any of the characters. The main character was out of touch with reality and her "I have to be perfect" attitude drove me crazy. Her children did not act their ages. The 12 year old was beyond obnoxious and totally self centered. All the youngest child did was whine.

The narration really is was ruined it for me. A good narrator allows me to interpret the writing. Ms. Reed tried to force emotions down my throat. Too melodramatic. The childrens' voices were terrible, so over done and loud.

I will try Kristin Hannah again, but I will avoid Maggi-Meg Reed, the narrator.

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46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The Bickersons

Evidently I don't share the same feeling about this novel as the editorial staff at audible. While the research involved - into recovery from traumatic war injuries - is thorough and detailed, the narration is too loud, too exaggerated and there is just too much crying. I have a very hard time listening to narrators crying, as the decibels are turned way up and the pitch reaches a dissonance that I can't tolerate. It is perfectly easy to portray crying in a softer voice.

The sullen daughter is overdone and nothing comes out of her mouth that isn't whiney, angry, shrieking and narcissistic. Granted, many kids her age are exactly like this, but the narrator made it much worse. I had to turn the iPod off several times just to get a break from this completely unlikeable person.

The story is a good one, just ruined for me by an overzealous narrator showcasing all the negative emotions in HD.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

A wonderful story. The only thing that I did not enjoy was the readers voice of the childern. It was grating and over kill.

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25 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

NOT my favorite Kristin Hannah book

I have listened to (and loved, and recommended) every single book that Kristin Hannah has written. That being said, I couldn't even get through this one to the end. I appreciate very much (especially since I lost a family member in Afghanistan) that she's trying to enlighten her readers to the horrors of war and how PTSD affects a family -- especially one that's already a bit broken to begin with. But this book was just... I don't know. Heavy. Dark. Depressing. Frustrating! I hated the characters -- Betsy the teen was not like any 12 year old I've ever known, thank God. I wanted to strangle her. The husband wasn't much better, and the four year old was an odd mix of very grown-up talk and patty-cake.

The book had great reviews on Amazon, so I really, really wanted to like it. But I couldn't do it. I stopped listening with about three hours left. I couldn't take hearing one of the kids "bump into" Jolene again, hurting her and causing her to curse while the father just stood there. Hello? Wouldn't any REAL father chastise or even yell at those kids and tell them to be careful? But no. It keeps happening over and over. Anyway, if you listen, you'll see what I mean. There were some flaws in the narration (although maybe it was the book?) where a girl named Sierra is called "Sienna" a few times. The narrator did a great job otherwise. Overall the writing style was superb -- typical Kristin Hannah. But the story was one endless stream of anger and crying. It made me feel depressed.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫

This book was very emotional with a bittersweet happy ending which is exactly what I expect from Kristin Hannah. This is not my normal type of book but since I've loved all the books I've listened to by this author i knew I had to give it a try. Its not an easy book to listen to and had my emotions going up and down so many times but could I really expect anything else when listening to a book about a female soldier who leaves her 2 daughter and a rocky marriage behind to fight for her country. My only complaint about the story was the 12 year old daughter. I understand she is hormonal and upset but seriously most of the time she was just a BRAT! The way she spoke to her parents and treated her little sister most of the time really made me dislike her and I found it hard to feel for her. Besides her, I loved the growth of the other characters in this story so much. The husband who had to change his world around to become a "single" parent while his wife was away really was my favorite character in this book. He started off a bit of a jerk but he found his way and in the end he was everything he needed to be for his entire family.

The narration was not for me. She over acted in my opinion. Every thing was so dramatic and her kids voices where way over the top and almost ear piercing!

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Home Front is a truly eye-opening read.

What made the experience of listening to Home Front the most enjoyable?

Home Front is so well-written and read so realistically. I could see the story as I listened to every word. Everyone should listen to this book. It made me more appreciative of everything our service women and men go through and what they sacrifice for us.

What did you like best about this story?

The portrayal of the characters and what they experience as the story evolves.

Which scene was your favorite?

Courtroom

Who was the most memorable character of Home Front and why?

Jonelle

Any additional comments?

My father was a disabled veteran and an amputee. The experiences that were written about are so true and relevant to the whole story. What Jonelle experienced is really what they go through and so many people have no idea what they have lived through and are trying to do as they put their lives back together.

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8 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too whiney and too much yelling

This book could have been very good. I read Firefly Lane and liked it; so I expected to enjoy this book as well. The story line was interesting, war stories are not usually told with female military personnel in the lead character.
But I did not enjoy this listen very much. I did not like the narrator. Everything sounded whiney or loud. When Joleen constantly yells at Michael to "go away" I would have imagined it to be a soulful, and very sad "go away," not screams. Betsy's whiney voice got very annoying. And Betsy's behavior would not have been tolerated by the type of mother I envisioned Joleen to be.
Not my favorite.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Most emotional read ever

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I cried several times throughout the book and will never look at soldiers in the same way again. It's an incredible read and well worth the box of tissues it requires. :)

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Details, Details,Details

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I love Kristen Hannah. I have listened to many of her books and will search them out when I have a long trip. This book, however, was rather tedious and predictible. There was so much detail that i found myself drifting and having to back up the recording.

If you’ve listened to books by Kristin Hannah before, how does this one compare?

I would say it was way below the norm for her books. The attempt to make the female lead into this gung ho soldier did not work for me.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Everything

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Untold story of an American Soldier-Wife & Mother!

This book pulled me into the world of Jolien and I couldnt it out of my mind. I couldn't wait to listen to this book. Be careful as this is a tear jerker. One of my favorites!!!!!

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3 people found this helpful