Best Kristin Hannah Audiobooks

Kristin Hannah is a prolific writer who has written more than 20 novels. There are also more than 20 available on the popular Amazon audio book listening app, Audible, including two Spanish translations. Most of these audiobooks have 4.5 or 5 stars, leaving just a few of them at 4 stars. One novel, Firefly Lane has been made into a very popular Netflix series starring Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke. It’s safe to say Kristin Hannah is a beloved author whose many books can provide hours of listening pleasure. Don’t know where to start? This article will outline some of the most popular audiobooks by author Kristin Hannah.

About Kristin Hannah

Biography

Bestselling author Kristin Hannah was born in California on September 25th, 1960. She attended the University of Washington to study communication and later, attended the University of Puget Sound Law School. Prior to writing novels, Kristin worked in advertising and law. Kristin wrote her first novel with her mother while her mother had cancer, but that novel was never published. Her first published novel, entitled A Handful of Heaven, was released in 1991. She wrote this novel when during pregnancy, she was placed on bedrest. It was published when her son was just two years old. Her most recent novel, The Four Winds, was published in 2021. Kristin Hannah currently resides in Bainbridge Island, Washington with her husband Benjamin and their son, Tucker.

Genre of writing

Kristin Hannah writes fiction novels that fall into the categories of romance, historical fiction and even some that contain a magical twist. She is known for her strong female leads, her emotional depth and her high-quality writing.

Brief overview of awards

Kristin Hannah’s book, A Handful of Heaven has been awarded the Maggie Award by the Georgia Romance Writers for excellence within the genre of romance. A Handful of Heaven was also awarded a Golden Heart Award and a RITA Award by the Romance Writers of America.

For her book Home Again, Kristin Hannah was given a National Readers’ Choice Award. Home Again also won Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1996 and Booklist Best Book of 1996.

Top 5 Kristin Hannah audiobooks

The Four Winds

Publication details

The Four Winds is Kristin Hannah’s newest book. The genre is historical fiction. It was published in 2021 by St. Martin’s Press. It has been deemed “The Best-Selling Hardcover Novel of the Year” by Publishers Weekly. The book is 36 chapters and 464 pages long.

The audio book was published in 2021 by Macmillan Audio. It is narrated by Julia Whelan. The listening length is 15 hours and 2 minutes.

Synopsis

The book starts in Texas, 1921. A time after World War I, The Great War, when everyone is feeling hopeful and relieved to be done with war. Everyone except the book’s main character Elsa Wolcott, that is. Elsa is considered too old for marriage and is feeling hopeless until she meets a stranger named Rafe Martinelli. Knowing how limited her choices are, she decides to marry Rafe and live on his farm. In 1929, the Great Depression will sweep America and by 1934, severe drought, dust storms and a lack of available work have shifted their plentiful post war existence of the Great Plains into a time of extreme struggle known as the Dust Bowl. Everything is at risk, from the farm to the very lives of Elsa’s children. Now she must face a choice. Will Elsa stay and fight for her beloved home or will she go west, to California, in hopes of a fresh start for her and her family.

Elsa is a wonderful, strong female lead. In a time many of us can’t even imagine, she will persevere. The Four Winds is an inspiring look into one of the most influential and important times of American history. Check out this book if you want to get a glimpse into America’s past and be inspired by the power of the human spirit.

Overall reviews

On Amazon’s Audible, The Four Winds audiobook has received 4.7 out of 5 stars with over 31,267 reviews.

This book has been named in various 2021 best book lists including Amazon’s Best Books of the Year, Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, Washington Post Best Books of the Year, and USA Today Best Books of the Year.

The Nightingale

Publication details

The Nightingale was published in 2015 by St. Martin’s Press. This book is a romantic historical fiction. There are 10 chapters and 564 pages.

The audio book was published by Macmillan Audio in 2015. It is narrated by Polly Stone. The listening length is 17 hours and 19 minutes.

Synopsis

The Nightingale is a story of love and war that takes place in France in 1939, around the start of World War II. The book’s main character, Vianne Mauriac, has to watch her husband, Antoine, leave for the front lines. She then survives the invasion of France by the Nazis only to have a German captain demand use of her home. Now Vianne and her young daughter must live tensely with the enemy, clinging to their survival and navigating their newly war-torn world.

Vianne’s 18-year-old sister Isabelle, the other leading lady of this novel, falls in love with a man named Gäetan but he betrays her. In her agony, Isabelle joins the Resistance, facing dangers abound but also saving countless lives.

The Nightingale provides both a broad look at World War II and a more intimate one as she follows these two very different sisters on their journeys, allowing the reader to ponder what life must have been like for the women who endured this particularly trying piece of history.

Overall reviews

The Nightingale audiobook has 4.8 stars on Amazon’s Audible out of 83,420 reviews.

The Nightingale is a #1 New York Times Bestseller, Goodreads Best Historical Novel of the Year, People’s Choice Favorite Fiction Winner, and A Buzzfeed, #1 Indie Next Selection, Wall Street Journal’s Best Books of 2015, and The Week Best Book of the Year. There are even plans for a major motion picture that is expected to release in 2023.

The Great Alone

Publication details

The Great Alone was published in 2018 by St. Martin’s Press. The audiobook, published by Macmillan Audio, is narrated by Julia Whelan and is 15 hours and 3 minutes long.

Synopsis

The Great Alone follows a family through a story of emotional turmoil, as they try to find better for themselves but end up facing the dangers of the wilderness. Ernt Allbright returns from Vietnam haunted and changed. His wife Cora loves him deeply. She will do anything for the man she loves, even if she doesn’t recognize this new version of him. Ent and Cora’s daughter Leni is maturing, with all the struggles of being 13, while her parents’ relationship becomes heated and chaotic.

With the hopes of bettering their lives, the family moves to Alaska, into a remote community of people. The people in the community are tight-knit and independent survivalists who are used to the wild that surrounds them.

With the harshness of winter comes a decline in Ernt’s mental health and family life becomes even harder. When they become snowed in during one of Alaska’s 18 hour nights, Cora and Leni are forced to face the ultimate test of survival with no help from the outside world. They quickly realize how truly alone they really are.

Overall Reviews

The Great Alone has 4.7 stars out of 44,680 reviews on Audible. It is a #1 New York Times Fiction Best Seller, remaining at the top of the chart for four weeks in a row. It spent two weeks at the top of the Los Angeles Times hardcover fiction best seller list. It won Best Historical Fiction 2018 at the Goodreads Choice Award.

Firefly Lane

Publication details

Firefly Lane was published in 2008 by St. Martin’s Press. The audiobook was published by Brilliance Audio. It is narrated by Susan Ericksen and has a total run time of 17 hours and 54 minutes.

A ten episode Netflix series based on Firefly Lane was released in 2021. Kristin Hannah herself was the co-executive producer. The series was very popular and well-received. The main difference between the series and the book was simply that the book went in chronological order while the series jumped around.

Synopsis

In the Pacific Northwest, in 1974, two 8th grade girls form an unexpected friendship that becomes a seemingly unbreakable bond. The reader will see, over the span of about 30 years, whether that bond is as deep and unending as it appears.

Kate Mularkey is as nerdy as it gets. Tully Hart moves in across the street and she is so cool, pretty, smart and driven. Kate has a healthy, loving family but Tully has a tumultuous home life. Tully’s single mother struggles with mental health and addiction. She is drawn to the security of Kate and they bond quickly.

Tully’s ambitions are career oriented and Kate’s are family oriented. Neither path holds what either friend expected but throughout it all,they have each other for support. They become inextricably entwined, weathering the ups and downs of life and their friendship like true kindred souls. That is, until one day, one of them betrays the other. Does something so bad, it cleaves their bond in two. Will they ever reconcile or will the friendship and all of its history be lost forever?

Overall reviews

The audiobook for Firefly Lane has 4.6 stars out of 18,670 reviews on Audible. The book itself spent a whopping 28 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller paperback fiction list and the Netflix adaptation also made it to number one on Netflix shortly after its release.

Night Road

Publication details

Night Road’s release date was in 2011 by St. Martin’s Press. The unabridged audiobook was published by Brilliance Audio. It is narrated by Kathleen McInerney. The listening time is 14 hours and 47 minutes.

Synopsis

Jude Farraday is a devoted mother to her 18 year old twins, Mia and Zach. The twins are smart, well-rounded, happy kids. One day, a teenager named Lexi Ball moves into their town and Jude welcomes her with open arms. Lexi has been in foster homes and had many troubles in her past but perhaps she is getting a fresh start. Lexi, Mia, and Zach bond until they are an inseparable trio. Lexi and Mia are best friends. Lexi and Zach are in love.

Everything is going well until the kids’ senior year of high school. Jude is becoming uneasy every time her kids leave to do anything. Her concerns build until eventually, one of her biggest fears becomes a reality. Everything changes for both Lexi and the Farraday family as they are haunted for years by the consequences of one decision. Can they ever forget? Can they ever forgive? This heartbreaking novel is poignant and unforgettable.

Overall reviews

Night Road has 4.5 stars on Audible out of 8,283 reviews.

Honorable Mentions

Interested in some more Kristin Hannah books for your book club? Here are a few more titles with diverse storylines that could be your next new book; Home Again (October 1996), On Mystic Lake (February 1999), Distant Shores (July 2002), The Things We Do for Love (June 2004), True Colors (2009), Winter Garden (2010), Home Front (2012), or Fly Away (2013).