What I Read: Another Life by Kristin Hannah

Another Life is a heartwarming and poignant novel that explores the themes of family, love, loss, and redemption. Kristin Hannah skillfully portrays the complex emotions and struggles of two women who are connected by fate and circumstance. Angie DeSaria is a woman who has given up on her dreams of having a child and a happy marriage. She returns to her hometown to help her family’s failing restaurant, hoping to find some solace and purpose. Lauren Ribido is a bright and ambitious teenager who wants to escape her abusive mother and pursue a better education. She works at Angie’s restaurant and forms a close bond with her, finding in her the maternal figure she never had. When Angie offers Lauren a place to stay, she sets in motion a series of events that will change both of their lives forever.

Another Life is a captivating and emotional read that will make you laugh, cry, and root for the characters. Kristin Hannah has a gift for creating realistic and relatable characters that you can empathize with and care about. She also paints a vivid picture of the small-town setting, the Italian culture, and the restaurant business. The story is told from both Angie’s and Lauren’s perspectives, giving the reader insight into their thoughts and feelings. The plot is well-paced and engaging, with twists and turns that keep you hooked until the end. The novel also explores some important issues such as infertility, adoption, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, and social class.

What I enjoyed:

• Heartwarming
• Importance of friendship and family
• Tearjerker
• Emotional rollercoaster
• Good character development

Some of my favourite quotes from the book are:

• “You can’t control everything, Angie. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and jump.”
• “Sometimes, when you’re feeling you’re lowest, the real you is summoned. And you understand, maybe for the first time ever, how grand you are, because you discover that vulnerable doesn’t mean powerless, scared doesn’t mean lacking in beauty, and uncertainty doesn’t mean that you’re lost.”
• “The truth is, the longer you live, the more you lose. The more people you love, the more you have to lose. But there’s a kind of comfort in that. In knowing that losing someone is the natural order of things. That it’s the way life is supposed to work.”
• “You don’t have to be perfect to be loved. You just have to be yourself.”
• “Life is a series of moments. Moments that define us and change us and test us and make us laugh and make us cry. We need to appreciate each one of them–the good and the bad–because they all lead us to where we’re supposed to be.”

Another Life is a beautiful and uplifting novel that celebrates the power of love and the bonds that we form with others. It shows how sometimes the most unexpected people can become our family, and how we can overcome our past and find happiness in our present. It is a novel that will touch your heart and stay with you long after you finish reading it. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction, romance, or women’s fiction.

With thanks to Pan MacMillan SA for the opportunity to read this book.

About this book

Another Life by Kristin Hannah – Pan Macmillan

About the author

Kristin Hannah is an American author born on September 25, 1960. She has written more than 20 novels, including “Winter Garden”, “The Nightingale”, “Firefly Lane”, “The Great Alone”, and “The Four Winds” . Kristin Hannah is a #1 New York Times bestselling author . Her novel “The Nightingale” was named Goodreads Best Historical Fiction Novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year .