Get the best Kristin Hannah books ranked in order of popularity and overall quality. This post shares a numbered list, reviews, awards, sale numbers, book recommendations, tips, and a printable PDF checklist to track your reading. You’ll learn exactly which Kristin Hannah novel you should start with or read next. Let’s get literary!
Quick List of the Best Kristin Hannah Books Ranked
1. Start Here: The Nightingale. A New York Times bestseller with 4.5+ million copies sold, The Nightingale is Kristin Hannah’s most popular book. It’s a compelling World War II drama about two sisters in France, beloved for its emotional portrayal of resilience and courage
- The Nightingale: ★★★★★
- The Great Alone: ★★★★★
- The Women: ★★★★★
- Firefly Lane: ★★★★☆
- The Four Winds: ★★★★☆
- Comfort & Joy: ★★★★☆
- Winter Garden: ★★★☆☆
- Fly Away: ★★★☆☆
Ranking Kristin Hannah’s Most Popular Books
Methodology: My methodology for ranking historical fiction author Kristin Hannah’s best books is a blend of my ratings, New York Times bestseller statuses, accolades, GoodReads reader reviews, and more.
Reviews of Kristin Hannah’s Best Historical Fiction Books
1. The Nightingale (2015)
Plot: The Nightingale is the story of two adult sisters during World War II in France. First, in a quaint town, teacher Vianne and her daughter bid farewell to their patriarch as he goes to battle. The Nazis invade, and a soldier shelters in Vianne’s home, putting her life at risk as rations dwindle.
Meanwhile, Isabelle, a rebel and spitfire, quickly falls in love with the partisan Gaetan. But after Gaetan betrays her, she joins the underground resistance, continually facing dangerous decisions.
Review: What happens as this novel progresses will touch your heart and shock your conscience as you turn the pages. It’s both gripping and unforgettable. Beloved by millions of readers all Kristin Hannah fans should read this five-star read.
Reading Tip: I recommend the print or digital. I found the audio narration to be dry and switched formats.
2. The Great Alone (2018)
Plot: In The Great Alone, Ernt Allbright is a former Prisoner of War who returns home from the Vietnam War with PTSD. He impulsively moves to Alaska, where he, his wife Cora, and his teen daughter Leni live in America’s last frontier. There, they fight for survival– literally and figuratively.
Leni befriends a local boy, and as a brutal winter approaches, these characters face a string of traumatic events as dark as the Alaskan Winter itself.
Review: This winter-themed book is a harrowing story of resilience, which is both beautiful and devastating. It has stayed with me since I read it years ago. I still think about the picturesque but harsh realities of Alaska, which I Googled so many times while reading it. Its riveting words also kept me up all night, turning the pages.
Related Post: Review of The Great Alone
3. The Women (Kristin Hannah’s New Book 2024)
Plot: In The Women, Hannah covers nearly every major issue surrounding the Vietnam War. She does this in a very realistic way, all through the eyes of Frankie, a duty-driven young American woman who follows her brother to the War by enlisting as a nurse.
There, the realities of war are more horrific than she could have imagined. She copes by entertaining a few male suitors while saving lives.
Back in America, however, not only is she not deemed a hero but she’s also discarded and mistreated as a veteran. This affects her physical, mental, and emotional health and demands a reckoning.
Review: It’s one of her best works to date. Readers can expect the same blend of excellent historical fiction, strong female leads, and emotionally charged events she so often gives us in her books. But, this time, it’s all just a bit more impactful.
The reader walks away with a comprehensive understanding of the controversial nature of this War and a profound respect for the women (and men) who served in it.
Reading Tip: I recommend the audiobook version, which is exceptionally narrated by Julia Whelan. Her emotional reading makes you feel close to the action.
Related Post: The Women Book Club Questions
4. Firefly Lane (2008)
Plot: In Firefly Lane, a nerdy teenager named Kate meets and befriends Tully, the “coolest girl in the world,” and they become inseparable best friends.
Over the next three decades, their friendship plays out across their journalistic careers, life, love, and a lot of cultural references. Kate ultimately chooses a quiet family life, and Tully chooses a fame-filled professional life.
Their friendship weathers jealousy, anger, hurt, and resentment. Then, an act of betrayal puts their friendship to the ultimate test of forgiveness.
Review: This book is both heartwarming and tear-jerking. Every woman can relate in some way to this female friendship and is left feeling like she knows the characters. It’s an excellent coming-of-age novel for women.
Tip: While different, the Netflix adaptation starring Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke is also very good.
Related Post: Firefly Lane Books
5. The Four Winds (2021)
Plot: In The Four Winds, Elsa meets and quickly marries her husband. But, when the Great Depression hits, she’s left alone to either fight for the land she loves or head west to California with her children in search of a better life.
The choice comes with consequences. The land itself challenges them just as much as the state of the economy.
Review: This novel is a gripping tale of motherhood and the struggle to survive and thrive when everything is working against you. The Four Winds shares messages of resilience and survival amidst the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. It explores love, sacrifice, and the American dream through protagonist Elsa.
You’ll learn about the social and political climate of the time and anxiously await what becomes of the characters’ treacherous journey.
The Four Winds is worth reading if you like Great Depression and Dust Bowl era settings, themes of resilience and survival, and/or emotional stories about strong women.
6. Comfort & Joy (2005)
Plot: In Comfort & Joy, Joy is recently divorced and alone when she boards a plane to spend the holidays in the Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected event leaves her deep into the woods, she meets six-year-old Bobby, about to experience his first Christmas without a mother. He has closed himself off from all the world except Joy, with whom he forms a deeply powerful bond, as his father watches on.
But everything is not as it appears, and Joy is separated from this new life as quickly as she began it. Desperate to return, only the magic of Christmas may save Joy and Bobby.
Review: It’s a short and fanciful tale that keeps you wondering what’s “real” and what will happen next. It remains an excellent choice for the holiday season.
7. Winter Garden (2010)
Plot: In Winter Garden, Meredith and Nina are two adult sisters at odds. While Meredith works as a stay-at-home mother and manages the family apple orchard, Nina is a world-traveled photojournalist.
When their father becomes ill, Nina returns home, where they must cope with their cold and disapproving mother.
But, when their mother begins to retell the Russian fairy tale she often told them as children, they journey into the truth surrounding her past life in war-torn Leningrad decades earlier.
Review: This book is a slow burn that I enjoyed overall. The family drama and secrets are so intriguing, especially amidst a wartorn setting.
Reading Tip: Due to the slower pacing, I recommend the audio version. It can be listened to at higher speeds to maintain suspense.
8. Fly Away (2013)
Plot: Fly Away is the sequel to Firefly Lane, making them a historical fiction book series.
I don’t want to say too much about it, as that would spoil the ending of the first book. I will only note that Fly Away picks up a few years later. It primarily explores Tully’s relationship with her mother, Cloud. Kate’s family also plays a big role in the novel.
Review: I loved returning to beloved book characters and learning more about Cloud’s background. Read this one if you are a big fan of the first book or want to see how it differs from season 2 of the Netflix series.
Kristin Hannah’s Books: Track With This Printable PDF List
KRISTIN HANNAH BOOK LIST
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About Author Kristin Hannah and Her Writing Style
about
Kristin Hannah is a popular American fiction writer of over 20+ novels. A graduate of the University of Washington and the University of Puget Sound, she first worked in advertising and as a lawyer.
Her novels have sold millions of copies and earned many accolades and awards, highlighted above.
- Common Themes: Kristin Hannah writes contemporary and historical and fiction with strong female characters. She commonly explores themes like family, resilience, love, and loss. Her work features emotional stories, complex characters, and detailed settings, often in the Pacific Northwest.
- Historical Events: Great Depression, World War II, Vietnam War
- Related Authors: Authors like Kristin Hannah
Recap
TOP 3 PICKS
Get started with the best Kristin Hannah books ranked:
I think I have read every book Kristin Hannah has written. The only one I was not fond of was Four Winds. A few that I liked that didn’t make your list: Night Road, The Things We Do for Love, and Between Sisters. She is one of my favorite authors and I am always ready for a new release.
Loved both nightingale and great alone. Highly recommend both. Not so fond of firefly.
I just finished Kristin Hannah’sWinter Garden and loved it. I appreciate the strong women characters in Ms Hannah’s books.
Have you read Lisa Scottoline’s new book Eternal? If so, what do you think?
I have not!