A Handful of Heaven

Just when I thought I would never find [a:Kristin Hannah 54493 Kristin Hannah https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517255843p2/54493.jpg]'s first book, I found it. [b:A Handful of Heaven 297131 A Handful of Heaven Kristin Hannah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1215891073l/297131.SY75.jpg 1098533] is a remarkable first book for a now accomplished and beloved author. As a writer, it's great to see her evolution (she's much better) and yet discover that she always had the magical quality of being a great, emotional storyteller.Sure it's easy for me to say she wasn't as slick in her writing as she is today. Still, she knew the importance of getting under her characters' skins and keep us wondering (and turning pages) about how they would work out their issues, if they would get together both emotionally and intellectually, and if they would even survive. How can a reader stop reading when it's all on the line for Devon, the gutsy protagonist, and the big obstruction in her life, Stone Man MacKenna?And what a great nickname. Stone Man! It says it all. A man forced to harden his heart to keep going in life. It's only fair he should run smack dab into Devon, whose life has taught her to never, never give up. Hannah returns to the frozen north in another book, [b:The Great Alone 34912895 The Great Alone Kristin Hannah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501852423l/34912895.SY75.jpg 56275107] where we learn more about how to survive in that harsh environment. Still, we definitely get the picture in this book too. Devon has to wait months for the river to thaw to have a way to leave Dawson City, Alaska. By then, she's become a Yukonite, not something most women from St. Louis, MO achieve.A fun romp of a read if you can get your hands on a copy. No, you can't borrow mine.