Uggg....Kristin Hannah. I thought I would give her another chance. I have read books by her that have drawn me in, that have been well written and beautiful (Firefly Lane, Winter Garden), books that made me think she could really write.And then I read books written by her that made me cringe a little and think of a bad, overly sappy Lifetime movie. But this one? This book? I couldn't even finish it. And I NEVER stop reading a book once I start (unless it gets so vulgar I can't keep reading). But I physically cannot make myself continue reading this ridiculous story. I can't even write a summary....just imagine the most ridiculous story possible involving a spoiled rich girl, a bad boy, and a priest...ha ha ha (it makes me laugh just to write it).The characters are completely fake, given so many different personality characteristics it is ridiculous, and then at the same time they form this perfection of a person (the saintly priest who is also gorgeous, the brilliant Dr. who put herself through school, selfless and giving, firm and tough when a Dr. and yet dependent and childlike as a mother...I won't even go into the gorgeous bad boy with a horrible family turned famous movie star with millions of dollars....). And then comes the emotion; the manipulated scenes, those moments written to tear at your heart strings and make you weep. It is writing at its worst. The story is predictable and painful. I made it half way through the book and then laughed at loud at the scene that was written to shock and break my heart. Awful. Horrible. I can't finish it (I mean, I know EXACTLY how it ends, know how each tear filled scene will go....blah). I am stopping.Don't read it. Although even as I type this I realize how many wonderful reviews this book has received and I have to wonder if I am the one at fault? I am obviously not the type of reader who should be reading Kristin Hannah books. I happened to really love a couple of her books, but I am now thinking I am judging her too harshly based upon what I thought of those books? If you love Kristin Hannah, disregard my reviews....you will probably love this one too. Although I cannot possibly understand how.
I'm usually a big fan of Kristin Hannah, but Home Again just didn't do it for me. The idea of the book seemed promising, but Kristin Hannah just didn't deliver. The whole story of the heart surgery and the family dramas just didn't seem real to me. How am I supposed to believe that you would still fall in love with the same man who broke your heart so many years ago? Sure, people should be allowed second chances, but forgiving someone for running out of your life without as much saying goodbye would take a hell of a long time, not just a month or two.The characters were difficult to connect to, especially Lina. Lots of teens would sometimes feel lost when one of their parents isn't a part of their life, and Lina was extremely lost (drugs, drinking, tantrums). But Lina was just too emotional, sometimes to the point where it gets annoying. If she would just stop, listen, and think for a moment, her "daddy" problems wouldn't that big of an issue. Angel and Madelaine's relationship wasn't that much believable either. There was no way to connect on how much they loved each other. All you get to know is that they just fell in love when they were teenagers, Angel ran away and broke Madelaine's heart, then they fall in love again after so many years. That's it. Nothing much to go on there.Home Again definitely isn't one of my favorites. It wasn't good, yet it wasn't bad either, just bland.
What do You think about Home Again (1996)?
To read this story to the end, I had to keep in mind it is a work of fiction. Once I accepted that, it was easier to read and accept the many situations and confluences of relationships that don't happen in real life all to the same people. It is a story of relationships: broken loves coming back together under strenuous circumstances; mother-teenage daughter relationship; mother-best friend relationship. It is also a story which provides the reader with opportunity to look into their own spiritual beliefs (can the soul of a person exist at a cellular level); question their own priorities in life (work vs family), and define 'love' for themselves. The characters were believable, individual situations acceptable, but the coming together of the tragedies and resolutions didn't work for me. Until I reminded myself it's a work of fiction.
—Alison
This book was too predictable and overly emotional. I have read most of Kristen Hannah's books, and was looking forward to this. I then realized it was one of her older ones and she hadn't perfected her suspense and her nuance in dealing with human interactions. The premise was ok but the characters overwritten. I predicted every single twist and turn in this book. It was also very unrealistic. I understand she had a storyline to fit into the timeline, however they just didn't match up despite all her attempts to explain the out of sync events. I am glad she had matured as a writer and too some of these same elements, developing them better for the book "Night Road."
—Christy
This is one of those books I read time and time again.Madeline, at first, struck me as an older... well... me. I won't get into that. She was the sort of typical person, while being so much more. I sympathized with her pain, loneliness, and seemingly clueless and hopeless attitude towards the world, all while somehow managing to maintain something that she could keep perfect. Work. Because work doesn't require you to be social and perfect. Lina was such a typical teenager with a troubled family, but she was also quite a deep character. There was a sort of perpetual pain that you could feel through most of the book. She was constantly frustrated because to her, she was alone. Constantly frustrated because to her, the only people that cared about her were meaningless drug addicts. I loved watching her grow throughout the book. Francis. Oh gosh, this character. I just fell in love after about a sentence. He was so pure, so perfect, so angelic, I was simply smitten. Everything he did just made you swoon - and smile. Something about the way he was portrayed too, with a crooked smile and big blue eyes, was just frankly perfect. Angel was of course, a jerk. I found it hard to think about him as more for a good long while. But he is more. He was a scared teenager in love. He was a coward. Then he grew up. And in between all that, he was a jerk. The whole book was written well, poetically, and with more meaning than anything I've read. I loved it.
—Mac van Leeuwen
