I think this is one of my all time favorite books. The author writes with such feeling and depth that I felt as though I were there and living the characters. The characters were very human and had flaws, but in the end, it gave hope that people really can grow and change. It is a tear jerker, but had a wonderful, wonderful story. I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading. I highly recommend it.

This is the third book by Kristen Hannah that I have read and it was wonderful. It was a tearjerker but it was also very romatic. The last chapter of the book was probably the most romatic ending I have ever read and I have read a ton of romance novels. These characters aren't perfect and I think that is why I could relate to them. I would highly recommend this novel as well as Angel Falls and On Mystic Lake by Ms. Hannah. I am going to try to find some of her older novels and I am sure that I won't be disappointed if the three I have read are any indication.

Home Again is another mesmerizing love story by Kristin Hannah. This story is a true tearjerker - a 2 Kleenex box story! Hannah weaves her story with amazing true to life characters, catching the reader up in the drama, pulling them into the core of their lives. As with all of her other books, you want a sequel to the book. The dramas portrayed are so true to life, that you have to remind yourself, "this is just a story . . .!!!!"

This is a book of hope and faith and love. This book will have you weeping at the loss, the hurt and the self-destruction of lives and yet you will be cheering at the turn around. We learn about the power of forgiveness and the power of love and wishing we all had a friend like Francis in our lives. This love story is also a story of inspiration.

Hannah once again does a tremendous job of painting characters so realistically while skillfully imparting to her readers another uplifting message of love and hope.

This is my third book by Kristin Hannah and I have cried through every one of them and I cannot read them fast enough!! She is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I am not a big romance reader, but I find that her books tug at your heart while depicting life as it is and not some fantasy.

I could easily give this book more than 5 stars - I guarantee you won't be disappointed in this book or in any of her other books.

This was the first book that I've read by this author and I was very pleasantly surprised. I am going to have to read more by her now. Normally I read Danielle Steel, Lavyrle Spencer, Barbara Delinsky, Eileen Goudge, and Sandra Brown. I am definitely adding Kristin Hannah to my list of must reads. It is rare that a book can make me cry but this one did! Gread story about sisters and the thin line between love and hate that they sometimes walk.

Kristin Hannah always delivers. Between Sisters has all the things I love in a book - rich, believable characters, individuals who must face their fears and weaknesses in order to grow, external challenges, friends, romance, and a great plot. I had to pace my reading so I wouldn't finish it too quickly!

Living in the Seattle area, I enjoy reading books written by the Northwest authors. It's always fun being able to "picture" all the places the author talks about---having been there in person. With that said, I also love this author's style of writing, the development of her characters and the story's plot as well. She didn't disappoint in this novel, "Between Sisters".
This was her best work thus far and each book seems to be the best---a trademark of a great author. I haven't cried so much since "The Bridges of Madison County". It had much humor, sensitivity, sadness,happiness, love,and the dysfunctional families. It had it all!! I didn't want the story to end. I also hope she might continue the characters in a future novel. The story of Joe and Meg could be a book in itself.
I could not put this book down--became very involved with the story and people and felt that I "knew" them as friends. I lost a child to cancer--so I could also relate to the pain of that disease, the agony of the survivors.
I hope Kristin Hannah continues to wow me with her books. I look forward to the next one.

I truly enjoyed the story of Mariah and Mad Dog, as they find that love is not always where we seek to find it. They each overcome private conflicts, as well as with each other...finding freedom and courage to continue to live, and love. Looking forward to reading another book by Kristin Hannah.

I encountered Kristin Hannah a couple of months ago when I read the book, ANGEL FALLS: a nice book with a somewhat ... plot. I thought ANGLE FALLS was well-written with some beautiful prose, so I gave Kristin another shot with ON MYSTIC LAKE; it blew me away. ON MYSTIC LAKE is her best by far, but IF YOU BELIEVE comes mighty close. For those of you who are not familiar with Kristin Hannah, IF YOU BELIEVE is one of her earlier novels, and I can tell why she has been a productive writer and storyteller for the last ten years. IF YOU BELIEVE is a simple story about a woman, Mariah Throckmorton, who is hiding from a past that's filled with hurt, and her colorful, intelligent father. They live on a beautiful, secluded farm that happens to be graced with few visitors. Mad Dog Stone is a drifter who wanders by to find a meal and a place to sleep. Mad Dog becomes enthralled with Mariah, and wants to find out more about this simple, but beautiful woman. Lonely people are thrust together and the emotions fester until they become a full-blown hurricane. The plot works, the chemistry between the characters is wonderful, and couple that with the mystery of the landscape; you've got yourself an excellent book. Kristin Hannah will be a mainstay on my bookshelf for a long time. I only regret that I didn't discover this wonderful writer earlier. Blow the dust off your favorite book list, get your best pen out, and slowly write IF YOU BELIEVE at the top of the list; you won't be dissapointed.

If You Believe is one great love story by Kristin Hannah. This is the fourth book of hers that I have read and I simply cannot read her books fast enough! This book is incredibly emotional and it pulls you right into the character's world with such intensity, that you will definitely need a box of Kleenex handy!

Hannah has the talent of making her characters come alive with such depth and emotion. You feel their struggles, their losses and their loves. You feel their fear and you understand it all. Hannah writes with such emotion that you cannot but help becoming lost in the story line. She once again has you so connected to the characters, that you feel that you know them and this what endears readers to her. Hannah does not write your typical mush and gush romance novel - the love and romance is more real, down-earth and believable. Her heroines all seem to face reality-based challenges, which anyone can relate to, as well as to overcoming those challenges.

Hannah's writing is laced not only with depth filled emotions, but also with a unique sensitivity that touches the reader at a level most other authors never come close to. She manages to weave her magic from the very beginning and the reader is gently released from that magic web at the very end, with a very deep sigh! But her story will linger with you for days. As with all of her books - you want a sequel!

What more can I say? Kristin Hannah has fast become one of my favorite authors and her stories will leave you thinking, pondering and wondering as well as feeling good! This book is definitely a keeper and wish I could rate it with more than 5 stars! Angel Falls, On Mystic Lake and Home Again are others by Hannah, which I have read and fell in love with!

This is a story of love and hope eternal which I could not put down until I finished it. On to the next Hannah book!

Living in the Pacific Northwest, Kristen Hannah's On Mystic Lake truly made me appreciate the beauty of the northwest. Sure, it rains cats and dogs, but on a beautiful sunny day it can't be beat.

On the day that her daughter leaves for London Annie's husband of 20 years tells her he loves another woman and wants a divorce. Annie is devestated. After spending the past 20 years being "the perfect wife" and "the perfect mother" she doesn't know what to do with her life. So she goes home to Mystic, Washington, a small logging community near the Olympic penninsula.

When Annie returns she meets up again with her old friend (who married her best friend from high school). His wife commited suicide 8 months earlier and he and his 6 year old daughter are having a hard time coping. With nothing else to do, Annie offers to help him with his daughter.

Slowly Annie and Nick fall in love, but Annie is still married. After a few months Annie's husband decides he made a mistake and wants her back, but Annie isn't ready to go back.

This is a wonderful book about love, friendship, motherhood and finding yourself. This book is highly recommended and next time you find yourself in the beautiful Pacific Northwest remember that it doesn't rain every day, only 300 days a year.

You don't know what you're missing if you've never read a book by Kristin Hannah, and _On Mystic Lake_ is one of the absolute best books ever written. The characters come alive and endear themselves to your heart. Annie is down to earth and easy to read about. Izzie, the little girl who needs to find her way into the world again is precious and Nick is the type of character whom you wish you could jump into the book and give a hug to. _On Mystic Lake_ is by no means "lite reading". The main character, Annie, is getting a divorce from her husband who claims to love another woman. Trying to come to grips with her failing marriage, Annie returns home to Mystic to spend some time with her father. There she meets up with her first love, Nick, who chose her best friend over her, breaking Annie's heart. It turns out that Nick's wife (Annie's old best friend) has died leaving Nick and his daughter Izzie devestated. When the three first get together, it's sort of like the blind leading the blind. They are all so hurt that it is hard to see who needs more help. But, Annie brings healing to Izzie's soul, the little girl mends Annie's heart, and a love rekindles between Nick and Annie. Still, things are not that easy, and a conflict makes the world harder in Mystic. Kristin Hannah is an amazingly gifted author and her talent shines in _On Mystic Lake_. Her descriptive writing will take you to another place- a little logging town in Washington where mist floats above the ground and life moves at a slower pace. This is a beautiful book about three healing souls who learn that bad things do happen but you can get around them. I'd recomend _On Mystic Lake_ to anyone who enjoys putting down a book with a sense that the world is a wonderful place and they can do something to make it better.

On Mystic Lake is the first book I've read by Kristin Hannah and I cannot wait to read another. It is not a typical love story, but contains trials and tribulations that its readers can relate to. Hannah creates a story about love and heartache that grips the heart of the reader.

Annie Coldwater is forced to face reality when her husband of 20 years tells her he is in love with someone else. She was in the process of dealing with the fact that her only daughter had just left for Europe. Her husband, Blake, moves out and leaves Annie alone in their extravagant home in California.

But Annie can't stay there alone. She heads home to Mystic Lake where her father still resides. It is here that Annie runs into an old friend from high school, Nick.

Nick, like Annie, is dealing with tragedy. His wife recently committed suicide and he has turned to alcohol to help him cope. He is trying to cope with his daughter, though, not his wife's death. His six-year-old daughter has retreated inside herself since her mother's death and Nick doesn't know what to do with her.

Annie comes to stay with Izzie, Nick's daughter. It is during her time with Izzie that Nick and Annie realize their love for each other. Annie helps Nick deal with his drinking problem and helps Izzie come out of herself. They become a family, so to speak.

That is until Annie realizes she is pregnant with her husband's baby. Annie is forced to return to California and face her husband and tell him about their child. She must also choose whehter her newfound love with Nick is worth giving up her husband.

On Mystic Lake is a love story that makes its readers evaluate their life. It grips the reader and holds them to the very end. I can hardly wait to read another book by Hannah.

After reading "On Mystic Lake" and "Angel Falls" I became an instant fan of Ms. Hannah's books, thus prompting me to read her earlier works, of which "Handful of Heaven" is her first.

This is a classic example of the old cliche, "never judge a book by it's cover". When I see a book cover showing a semi-clad man and woman in a moment of passion, it gives the implication of a hot, passionate romance from beginning to end. This is indeed a story of romance and passion, but it is also the story of two lonely people, Stone Man and Devon, who have suppressed their respective painful pasts, while co-existing in the adverse elements of a brutal winter in the Yukon, in the late 19th century. As the story evolves we come to know these two people's inner thoughts and desires through how they relate to one another.

This a book to be read by the fireside or snuggled in a warm blanket, lest you get chills (literally) while reading Ms. Hannah's vivid descriptions of the Yukon wilderness in winter.

A Handful of Heaven is Kristin Hannah's first book, which won several awards. Since I have read all but 2 of her books, I can say that I enjoy her later novels so much better than her earlier works! Hannah's writing embodies that magic which draws readers into the heart and soul of the characters and this can be seen in her earlier novels, but it is more explosive in her later works! Everything about her later novels cries "believable"! I found this book to be not as believable as her other novels and became bored reading it during several parts of it. It was an OK book, but then again I am not much of a reader of historical romance.

Hannah writes of strong heroines who seem to overcome adversity resiliently and are very much in control. Still, I just could not get into this story. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a Harlequin romance, which is not what I was seeking to read - oh well. I felt that Ms. Devon was not quite the believable character I had come to expect from Ms. Hannah.

I have quickly become a die-hard Hannah fan and eagerly await her next book due out early next spring. Hannah's books will not disappoint you and it just depends what kind of "love-story" one is seeking to read. But nonetheless, Hannah remains a true hopeless romantic and this shines in all of her books!

This was a good book, easy to read, and very entertaining . ..Good job. If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.

I love this author and have read most of her books, but this one just bothered the heck out of me. She has written a book about a woman who has let a man rule her life because he was once a football star and who (poor baby) hurt himself and now just can't find the glory again. She is a doormat for her husband, children and friends. I only wanted her to tell them all to go away and to reclaim her life , if she can remember when she had one! More "brand names" of products used in this book, than in a catalog, what does it add to the story? So what did we learn? Be a doormat for years, give all to everyone in your life, let your husband come back time and time again after affairs to "help him cope" have a co-dependent relationship with your children. I don't think so! Nothing to cheer about, very predictable ending, Can she work Columbia into her life? I don't think so. She will quit as soon as someone has a problem in their life.
Come on Kristin, you can do better than this and have. Write about strong women. There are so many out there and they deserve for you to tell their stories.

This is the first book that I've read by this author. Normally, I read Danielle Steel; however, this book caught (and held) my attention. I couldn't put it down--I think I read it in about 4 days. Kristin Hannah explores the life of a middle-age woman who has over the years lost herself and her talent. After a tragic accident, Birdie must learn to put her wants and needs above those of her husband and chilren. After years of dedicating her life to others, this wife and mother must find her wings and learn to fly again. Great book! A must read! I can't wait to read another of her books! :)

How many of us spend out lives taking care of everyone else and letting our own needs fall by the wayside? Kristin Hannah takes us into the life of Elizabeth (Birdie) Shore who is doing this very thing. A death in the family at a time in her life when she has so many questions helps her to break away to try and find the answers. Along the way she learns to no longer take herself for granted and to accept that she is a person with her own needs and wants. She resurrects her dreams and takes those first frightening steps to make those dreams come true. In the end she finds that she can be her own person as well as a loving wife and mother. A wonderful book for all of us needing inspiration to take that very first scary step to make our dreams come true and to learn to appeciate ourselves in whatever relationships we have in our lives.

Waiting for the Moon is like waiting for grass to grow. The plot centers around a sexy beautiful young woman who is infantilized by a head injury. Naturally there is a handsome narcissist doctor who is obsessed with recreating helpless, childlike Salena into an image to suit his fantasy. Under the confused speech and little girt innocence...there beats the heart and sexuality of a woman.............UGH! I didn't think they wrote books like this anymore. The story is replete with obvious cliche's designed to highten sexual tension...why there is even a ripped bodice in there somewhere! Please if you appreciate quality writing and good fiction...save your money. This book is not for the discerning reader.

Couldn't put this book down. Ian has to be one of my all-time favorite romantic characters: Tortured, flawed, alternatingly obsessive and despairing/hopeful and ardent - the only aspect of his character which I found disappointing was that he was likened to a blond Adonis (he should have been as dark and mysterious, like his tortured soul!)

Ian, a once successful doctor, developed a sort of "sixth sense" after an accident, which caused him to experience often upsetting visual images when touching his patients. Unable to cope with this so-called "gift," coupled with the fact that he is labeled a "mad doctor" and shunned by the community, he shuts himself away in Lethe, a sort of mini-mental institution, his mother being among the residents. Here Ian closes himself off physically and emotionally...until the day Selena, a "Jane Doe" nearly dead from an unsuccessful suicide attempt, is brought to his door. Selena first revives Ian's passion for medicine, then his ability to feel and to love.

I was disappointed that Ian never got any words/images when touching Selena which would have revealed something of her past life - didn't feel it was satisfactorily explained as to why he didn't. I also would have liked to have seen some sort of happiness or peace for Johann in the end.

Though peripheral characters sometimes clutter a story, I found the residents of Lethe intriguing.

The whole Shaker Bretheren bit with Elliot was rather anticlimatic - and I felt that Ian and Selena fell into bed with one another a little too easily. Overall, though, I found myself struggling to put the book down.

Waiting For The Moon is another tearjerker from Kristin Hannah in which the reader becomes totally absorbed into the characters and the story. Hannah's writing portrays true-to-life characters, which anyone can relate to due to the emotional depth of every single one of her characters. We suffer with them through the good and the bad and our box of Kleenex is never far from us!!!!

Hannah's books always portray a hidden message to the reader, yet all of her subtle messages are woven with hope and love. Despite the hurt and tragedies in all of our lives, love seems to always prevail and the sun does shine!! No exception with this story!

After an attempted suicide, Selena wakes up a completely different person from what she was, without any memories of her past. She weaves her innocent child-like magic of love with the other residents of Lethe House in Maine where she was brought to be healed. She affects every single life for the better in that house and rays of sunshine emerge for all, who are living in pain and misery.

With all of Hannah's books, you want a sequel and this book is no exception!! Wonderful love story without all of the mush and gush!!

This is the first time travel novel that actually has made me feel as if I am in the shoes of the main character. You feel the pain, longing, tears, and joy of each person in this story. I have read this book eight times and I share it with my friends, old and new. I absolutely love Kristin Hannah and the wonderful stories that she creates. I don't hesitate to pick up one of her new releases and head straight to the check-out before I've even read what the story is about.

Kristin Hannah does a marvelous job of maintaining the main character's (Tess') modern sensibilities when she suddenly finds herself on a rural island off the coast of Washington State in the 1870's. Suddenly, she needs to accustom herself to a new identity,and to life without microwaves and washing machines.

Kristin Hannah does a wonderful job (always) of showing us the psychological scars of the characters, and showing how gentleness, honesty, and caring can overcome them. In this case, Tess' (Amarylis') husband and daughters need to overcome extreme psychological trauma, and Tess needs to work hard for the love she's always done without.

Romances are usually only good for one read, but I've reread this book several times (whenever I need a good cry).

Tess Gregory's death brings her reincarnation as wife to Civil War veteran Jack Rafferty. Jack, victim to post-traumatic shock from bloody death of brother, thinks he is insane. 1873 San Juan Island, Washington state is far cry from 1993 for Tess to begin life anew with husband, family and farm. This was the first book by Kristin Hannah I had read. A very good story. Marilyn, The Regency Lover's Cafe

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed "On Mystic Lake" & "Angel Falls", both of which I would rate with 5 stars, I had high expectations of "Summer Island". Instead, I found this book to be rather schmaltzy with a predictable ending.

Mother and Daughter are estranged for several years. Mother is a high-profile radio personality. Daughter is down in her luck. Mother gets injured in a car accident soon after her career goes down the tubes. Mother and Daughter spend a week together at the family's summer home breaking the ice and revealing their true colors and feelings to one another. In the mean time, Daughter's first love is nearby at his summer home spending the last few days with his dying brother. The outcome of Daughter's & estranged boyfriend's relationship is predictable, too.

I gave this book 2 stars because of the heartfelt storyline between the two brothers. But overall, I felt the characters were right out of Soap Opera Digest.

Nora Bridge is a radio talk show host that espouses the morals of a nation. People trust and love her. When pornographic pictures of her are released to the press, her carefully constructed world comes tumbling down around her and she is faced with the skeletons in her closet that have left her estranged from the two daughters she has loved from a distance for the past 11 years.

The Journey back is a tumultuous one when Nora finds herself injured in a car accident and her daughter Ruby, who has nurtured her hatred since the day her mother left them, comes to care for her at the family home on Summer Island. The memories flood back and secrets are revealed that paint an entirely different picture of a time that Ruby was so sure of. Suffice it to say, things are not what she expected.

This was a very good book with much more to the story than I have let on here. It is a tear-jerker and I spent the last few chapters with a box of tissues, so readers beware. I would give this book 4.5 stars if that option was available to me. Another book by this author that you will thoroughly enjoy is On Mystic Lake. Kelsana 4/26/01

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors, and she once again delivers the kind of book I expect from her. Summer Island is the story of Nora Bridge, and her decision to leave her husband and children. The repercussions of that action are the basis for this book. Nora has become a radio personality, famous for her advice on love and family relationships. But her world come crumbling down when her past is revealed.
Kristin Hannah obviously loves the Pacific North West and her descriptions of the San Juan Islands is beautiful. She has a way of making you empathize with her characters even when you don't agree with what they are doing. Her depiction of the two Bridge daughters, Ruby and Caroline, and their very different reaction to their mother's betrayal rings true. I enjoyed the way she portrays sibling love in the two sister's, and the two Sloan brother's, whose lives are central to the Bridge family.
This book made me laugh, made me cry and made me think about my own family and their place in my life. I recommend it to all Kristin Hannah fans.

After my reaction to "On Mystic Lake," a wonderful piece of women's fiction, I picked up a few of Kristin Hannah's earlier romance paperbacks. While they were page turners, they also tended to be quite far-fetched - verging upon ridiculous. It was obvious that "On Mystic Lake" showcased Hannah's growth as a writer admirably, so when "Angel Falls" came out I immediately ordered it. I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. Sure, it's a great poolside read and a definite page turner. After the opening, it's hard not to like Mikaela, an obviously warm & giving woman, and her husband, Liam, a man of uncommon love. Where this all gets murky and a bit ludicrous is Julian True's arrival on the scene. Aside from the ridiculous name, there are self-serving allusions to characters who have appeared in previous Hannah novels and even a reference to the new "On Mystic Lake" movie being filmed with Annette Benning and Richard Gere! Hannah should perhaps stick with what she knows and leave Hollowood out of her novels. Too, after quite a build up, the book ends on a happy note, but rather sharply. But what the heck - it's summer & if you need a book for the beach, this is it!

Wow. What a wonderful book. I read Kristin Hannah's "On Mystic Lake" and fell in love with her writing style. I had to read more of her books. The next book i found of hers was "angel falls" This is a powerful story with characters who seem to come to life. Liam becomes the "perfect" husband in the way he shows how much he cares for Mike. Julian is a guy that ever girl has in her life. A man that you love because of passion and obsession. Julian is every girls dream and he knows that. He isn't able to love the way Mike (aka Kayla) needed him to. THis is a wonderful story with many exciting parts. The only bad thing about it is that it ended.

Angel Falls was a brillant and heart warming story. It demonstrates a husband's true love for his wife and how he will do anything to save her life. Liam was such an awesome example of what a husband should be, loving his wife despite her shortcomings. He was such a strong character and loved his wife so deeply. This book was so brilliant and definately a tear-jerker. I cried throughout the entire book because of its warmth and love. If you have not read this book and need a bounce to lift your spirits please read this love story because it will warm your heart.