A tale of two Hannahs
This week we take a look at a book by Kristin Hannah and another by Hannah Bent
Do you ever get that feeling when you pick up a book and have a feeling of déjà vu? That happened to me when I picked up my online book club book for January 2023 – A Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. It didn’t take me long (I think it was only 3 pages or so) before I realised it was all sounding very familiar. I then typed into my phone “Winter Garden” and there it was – I had read it in 2021. I must need a better record keeping system! Ha! I should’ve known – Kristin Hannah is one of my favourite authors and I was excited to have one of her books on the list. I loved seeing all of the comments come in from those in my book club – I hope they don’t mind me sharing some of these. I was slightly jealous that they were experiencing this book for the first time. “I really got hooked into the storytelling chapters and couldn’t put it down. Some parts were tough to read.. especially as a mother” The general consensus was that it was an emotional book – one of our members was found crying while reading (we all know I love a crying book!) “Kristin Hannah has a lovely way of building the story and what a great ending!” “I loved this story so much. It swept me up and carried me through”. I think my book club members need to start writing reviews!
A Winter Garden is a story of two sisters who make very different life choices, but come together when their father is on his deathbed. It is one of those books that goes back and forth in time, with a story being told from war-torn Leningrad in the 1940s, and tells the fairytale story of the girls’ mother, Anya, while coming back to present day Alaska. The story unravels some family history and secrets that the girls didn’t know about their mother. It is a really beautiful and descriptive book. I have read a few of Kristin Hannah’s books over the years and they are all very good! My favourite of hers (if I had to pick one) is The Great Alone, which I read in 2019. If you add any of Hannah’s books to your list, you are unlikely to be disappointed.
My second Hannah is Hannah Bent – the author of When Things Are Alive They Hum. Now don’t judge, but last year I read around 140 books (you are judging!), and when people ask me which was my favourite this is the one that instantly springs to mind – there are others, I can assure you (there are 53 of the 143 I made notes on)… but this one made a lasting impression and is top of mind. This book is also a story about two sisters – Marlowe and Harper, and the special bond they share. Harper is living with what she refers to as the Up syndrome (she has Down Syndrome), and she is a beautiful soul with the most beautiful outlook on life. Marlowe is living her grown up life abroad as a 25-year-old in college when they receive the news that Harper’s heart is failing. She needs a heart transplant but is declined one because she is living with a disability. The chapters switch between telling the story from each of the sisters’ perspective – the contrast between the two perspectives of people experiencing similar things at the same time is very well done, and develops both the story and the characters. Some of the themes explored – ableism, the value we put on life, the power of love, are very deep and hard hitting at times. If you read this, you will absolutely fall in love with Harper. The ending wasn’t quite as I expected, and it did leave a lasting impression on me. I really love a book that stays with you in this way and makes you look at life through a different lens. This is a debut novel from Hannah Bent, and is heavily autobiographical – I don’t think it would be very easy to turn a story based on your life into something so beautiful and heartfelt. I am really excited to see what’s next.
Both of these books will be coming to www.matildasroom.nz sometime in the near future – my website selling second hand books which launches tonight at 7pm! So keep a look out for those, because life is too short to read bad books!