Home Front

By: Kristin Hannah

Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed

Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins

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

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. :)

Beautifully written and narrated.

Absolutely loved this book. For me, this is one of Kristin Hannah’s best. It gave me a glimpse of what our military go through while at war and when they return home broken and damaged. The range of emotions I felt while reading this book will stay with me for a long time.

Good story ruined by narration

I generally love Hannah’s books so when I bought this one and started listening I was incredibly disappointed. When you have a narrator who insists on emphasizing every second or third word for “dramatic effect” the entire way through a 41 chapter book it is nothing but irritating. I barely could finish it.

Great Story but Ruined by Obnoxious Kid

Wonderful story line and characters with depth. I found the 12-year daughter’s constant tantrums and selfishness really tough to take and it impacted by enjoyment of the story.

Amazing!

Kristen has done it again! This book was absolutely amazing! I never wanted it to end!

Fantastic Read

Loved this book. So relevant to current times. Always a great read when families find their way back to each other! Kristen has become one of my favorite authors!

A soldiers heart

If you have the courage to read this book I believe it will deepen your perspective about what it means to be a soldier. I am a civilian psychologist who just completed four years working exclusively with Army recruiters. This book speaks so clearly to the “heart of the soldier” and how much they sacrifice for us. PTSD is real. It is literally a breaking of the heart because to make it through the emotional intensity of war the soldier must “turn off the emotions”. Chronic turning emotions off works on the battlefield however there is no switch provided to turn the healthy expression of emotions back “on” when the soldier returns home. The battle deployment eventually ends but adjusting to the “home front” never does. Our soldiers sacrifice geographic stability, their bodies, their innocence, often their families and their emotional health for us. How often do we just take these sacrifices for granted? Everyday. How often do we engage in intellectual discourse and political debates but fail to embrace and appreciate how much these women and men give to us every day? Too often. I thank the soldiers who touched my heart and raised my awareness about just how much they give. I encourage everyone to read this book and when you thank a soldier for his or her sacrifice be specific ... but don’t be surprised when they shy away from the attention. They willingly gave their heart. We must do a better job of taking care of them when they return. Thank you Kristin-Hannah for this insightful book.

Kristen Hannah did a wonderful job on this book!!

Any additional comments?

She did a lot of research for this book on the war. It really touched my heart knowing what Jolene and her family went through to bring herself back from all the pain she endured. More people need to know how the war effects our men and woman who fight for our country. Bless them all. Thanks Kristen Hannah for writing this book. It opened my eyes wider then they were before.

Read this book for sure

I have always liked Christian and his writing, and probably have read all of her books. Prior to homefront, the Nightingale was her best work, in my opinion no, it has been matched by Home French.

Very Moving

Moving story I had a hard time not listening to the book in one sitting.