Customer Reviews

Once in Every Life

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Once in Every Life is another winner from Kristin Hannah. Tess Gregory, a brilliant research scientist, is killed before "her time is up". She is given "another" chance to "go back to earth" to resume her life, but she is given a choice on where she will go back and to what time period. Tess is not pulled back to earth by her intellect, but instead by her heart. She chooses post civil war America in the 1870's and finds that she faces an incredible challenge in bringing love, warmth, and a sense of family to this fragmented family without much love.

Tess, now know as Lissa Rafferty, finds that she is also now longer deaf in her life and is also the mother of three, which includes a newborn. She longs for the closeness of family and love, things that she herself did not have growing up. Lissa's patience and determination lovingly bring the two older girls and her husband Jack back together as a family.

Once again, Kristin Hannah weaves her magic and draws her readers into the depths of her characters. You are able to feel Jack's isolation, loneliness, and his need for acceptance. You can feel the girls' hesitation and fright in response to their "old" mother's attitude, indifference and anger.

I have read all of Kristin Hannah's books and again, wish for sequels to each and every book!! The characters are true to life and the love story is easily related to. Her heroine's are all depicted as strong, confident and determined women! Hannah's inspiring love stories make believers of us all!

Kristin Hannah has easily become one of my favorite authors and I highly recommend this book!

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.

I just finished this book and fell in love with the characters and their story. It was so good I just couldn't put it down and read it in one night. The begining of the book was a bit unbelievable in the time travel aspect but once you get over that the story is captivating and heart warming. I highly recommend this book. it's a must read.

This is the best book I have ever picked up.I could not put it down.Kristin is an awsome Author she knows how to keep the reader hooked.I first thought it was going to be a boring fantasy (back to the future) kind of book and I was amazed at how well written it is.I've since picked up every book from this author and I haven't been dissapointed yet.I highly recommend it.

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).

This is a wonderful story. But it isn't the type of book that you know what is going to happen next. I was enthralled with the characters and couldn't wait to read the next page. It is a great book, you feel you are living with the people in the story. It is a must read.

Ms.Hannah uses time travel to build a wonderul tale.Within this book she gives the reader a love story with the reality of a person living with post traumatic stress syndrome. Each character finds their own power and with it the ability to love. I have passed this book along, reread my copy from time to time and still find it to be a treasure. Enjoy!

a writer puts together a "Once In Every Life."
This is a romance with powerful family drama, a dash of time travel and it is simply
gorgeous.
I cried a bucket and laughed out loud.
Kristin Hannah's novels so far have been
some of the most enjoyable, intelligent novels
I have ever read.
With Once In Every Life, taking the lead by just a heartbeat
of Mystic Lake.
Her prose is just so seamless.
Funny, too.
Very real.
The family drama in this book takes precedence to a certain degree over romance. Although all the different aspects just swirl beautifully together.
Tess Gregory circa 1993 ends up as Jackson Rafferty's wife
circa 1873 thanks to a spirit named Carol.
Jack is a terribly troubled man, who's marriage was a disaster.
His children, bright and loving, have had two remote parents raising them in a loveless home.
Enter Tess, given a second chance at life, and a chance to
help this unhappy family.
Her gentle tending of these damaged children is poignant and believable.
Jack's painful and slow healing from his torments is well done.
You'll love Tess's discovery of how things are done in 1873.
It is just very, very splendid reading.

5 stars are not enough for Once In Every Life, this book deserves 10

I was fascinated by the concept of returning to live another life, so I was really caught up in the beginning of the book. However, when Tess was ready to get out of bed there was a major timeline error--was she in bed for a month, a week, weeks?? The proofreaders missed that one. Still, I kept reading. Although the story seemed slow to me in the middle, the characters were likeable, and I had to find out how it would all turn out. About 2/3rds of the way through it got so good I couldn't put it down! It was worth sticking with : )

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