Een handvol hemel

by Kristin Hannah

Limousines rijden af en aan. Het gegil van de horde fans is oorverdovend. De sexy Hollywoodster Angel DeMarco laat de bewondering van het publiek als een hartverwarmende golf over zich heen spoelen. Een paar uur later ligt Angel in het ziekenhuis. Drank en drugs hebben hun tol geëist. Alleen een transplantatie kan zijn leven nog redden.
De beroemde hartchirurge Madelaine Hillyard zal zich over hem ontfermen. Wanneer Angel haar naam hoort is hij diep geschokt. Madelaine is zijn jeugdliefde die hij zeventien jaar geleden zomaar in de steek heeft gelaten. En Madelaine heeft nóg een verrassing voor hem: een bijzonder opstandige verrassing van zestien lentes jong. Met de dood voor ogen zet Angel alles op alles om de prachtige vrouw die zijn hart letterlijk in haar handen zal nemen, terug te winnen.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Audiobook

347 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1996

About the author

Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People's Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week. In 2018,

The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.

The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore's bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.

Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke and Season Two is currently set to conclude the series on April 27, 2023.

Her new novel, The Women, about a young woman coming of age during the turbulent 1960's in America, who joins the Army Nurse Corps and serves in Vietnam will be published February 6th, 2024.

A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[Beccalarge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uggg....Kristin Hannah. I thought I would give her another chance. I have read books by her that have drawn me in, that have been well written and beautiful (Firefly Lane, Winter Garden), books that made me think she could really write.

And then I read books written by her that made me cringe a little and think of a bad, overly sappy Lifetime movie. But this one? This book? I couldn't even finish it. And I NEVER stop reading a book once I start (unless it gets so vulgar I can't keep reading). But I physically cannot make myself continue reading this ridiculous story. I can't even write a summary....just imagine the most ridiculous story possible involving a spoiled rich girl, a bad boy, and a priest...ha ha ha (it makes me laugh just to write it).

The characters are completely fake, given so many different personality characteristics it is ridiculous, and then at the same time they form this perfection of a person (the saintly priest who is also gorgeous, the brilliant Dr. who put herself through school, selfless and giving, firm and tough when a Dr. and yet dependent and childlike as a mother...I won't even go into the gorgeous bad boy with a horrible family turned famous movie star with millions of dollars....). And then comes the emotion; the manipulated scenes, those moments written to tear at your heart strings and make you weep. It is writing at its worst. The story is predictable and painful. I made it half way through the book and then laughed at loud at the scene that was written to shock and break my heart. Awful. Horrible. I can't finish it (I mean, I know EXACTLY how it ends, know how each tear filled scene will go....blah). I am stopping.

Don't read it.

Although even as I type this I realize how many wonderful reviews this book has received and I have to wonder if I am the one at fault? I am obviously not the type of reader who should be reading Kristin Hannah books. I happened to really love a couple of her books, but I am now thinking I am judging her too harshly based upon what I thought of those books? If you love Kristin Hannah, disregard my reviews....you will probably love this one too. Although I cannot possibly understand how.

[Annika · Rating 1 out of 5]

About 1/3 of the way into this book, I predicted it. I stuck with it, because it's not a terrible story (I've read waaaay worse), but it's so fluffy and cheesy that it's almost painful to read. And I was right, the author didn't surprise me with some snappy twist ala Jodi Picoult. She just finished her merry little story. I'm glad I don't cry easily.

Angel Demarco is this world famous actor, nominated for an Oscar, but he keeps saying he's not that great of an actor. He causes mass riots and press stampedes everywhere he goes. He's a drug user, an alcoholic, and a womanizer, and he sees no reason to change his ways.

Francis Demarco, Angel's older brother, is a priest, and for the last 16 years he has stepped in to fill a "father" or "uncle" role the best he can for Lina Hillyard, the 16 year old love child of Angel and Dr. Madeleine Hillyard. Only...Angel doesn't know his daughter ever existed, and the author gives hints that Lina is Angel's daughter, only it isn't confirmed until halfway through the book.

Madeleine Hillyard has become a cardiologist, raised her daughter with a priest who is her ex-lover's brother from their teenage years(ugh) and is the best of the best of heart transplant surgeons in the Seattle area. Lina is troubled, bratty, and has spent 16 years with a mother who wants to be a friend and a father role filled by a priest. A very young, handsome priest (of course) but he is also HER best friend and her mother's best friend. Are we weirded out yet?

Angel Demarco, at 34 years of age, has had enough heart attacks to finally land him in a Seattle hospital awaiting a heart transplant. He's spoiled, angry, and bitter, but somehow Madeleine thinks he deserves a new heart. Oh, and of COURSE his ex-lover is the head surgeon for his transplant. He hasn't seen her for 16 years, has no idea he has a daughter, and thinks his brother has married her. He doesn't even know his brother is a priest.

Since he's SO famous, the hospital is under strict security. Lina doesn't even meet her father until about halfway through the book. If she had shut up and stopped storming out of every scene the first half of the book, she may have let her mother or Francis the Priest talk to her and she could've met her father sooner than that.

I won't spoil it with my prediction.

I'll say none of the characters are believable. I refuse to believe this handsome young priest who has stepped in at 18 to take care of his little brother's brokenhearted teenage thrill has spent 16 years being her "best friend" and she is clueless, and he is pining over her. Please. I'm also not buying that Angel will change his ways as quickly as he does after his transplant. I'm also not buying that he has such a recovery from his cocaine and alcohol days. I'm also not buying that Madeleine the cardiologist suddenly resurrects her feelings for Angel after 16 years, never saw his movies or his face anywhere and he's soooo famous?

Skip it. This review was more of a rant, a vent. I think Kristen Hannah has wrote better things than this one. A good heart transplant book? "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult or even "Charade" by Sandra Brown.

[Gwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot believe this is from the same author who wrote The Nightingale and The Great Alone. I also really enjoyed some of her earlier work, such as The Winter Garden and True Colors. This book was predictable, unrealistic, and poorly written. I had to double check to make sure it was not a different author with the same name. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Leave this one on the shelf! 1/10.

[Dana Ilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Every time I pick up one of her books, I am reminded why I enjoy them. Fantastic characters and story line. Hannah's characters are wonderful - not the usual "perfect" romance characters, but have their flaws, problems and troubles - just like real people!
Home Again was no different! My heart ached reading about the mother/daughter struggles and the struggles of the heart.

[Janine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Cheesy, cliche, predictable, characters that are caricature dripping with over-wrought writing. This was like a bad Hallmark/Lifetime movie of the week. I actually laughed out loud (not in a good way) at sections of the dialogue that were so absurd. If I had a nickle for every time a character touched another character's face (because THAT happens all the time in real life!) or was "suddenly" transported back to a past memory....sheesh!

Normally I save 1-star ratings for books that are so bad I can't make it to the end. This one I did get all the way through, but only because it was an audio book and I was captive in my car. The best thing I can say about this book is it's inspiring to know that an author can mature and grow in their craft to move from this drivel to absolutely brilliant writing like "The Nightingale" and "Winter Garden." There were some plot devices in "Home Again" that the author revisited in "Night Road" with much more success and conviction. I'd say start there and skip this earlier work.

[Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I needed to read. Little did I know when I started it that I would devour it in under 24 hours, and at times my face would be damp from tears that unwittingly fell onto the screen of my ebook.

By page 20 I knew what was going to happen, but the foreshadowing didn’t lessen the impact of what came next. The characters were so rich that I felt genuine warmth for them all and loved their character development. The one upset for me, and it’s very minor, is that I didn’t really like the character as Angel but I suspect we weren’t meant to – it was all about the extreme of emotions in the female characters and the different forms of love that exist in the world. It warmed my heart, warmed my soul.

Every Hannah book that I have read has turned out to be a delight. She’s rapidly becoming one of my ‘go to’ authors right up there with Picoult and Chamberlain. For much the same reason I guess, but yes, highly recommended. If you’re stuck in a reading hole, read one of these books. It will put you back on your road to recovery!

[Jellynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm usually a big fan of Kristin Hannah, but Home Again just didn't do it for me. The idea of the book seemed promising, but Kristin Hannah just didn't deliver. The whole story of the heart surgery and the family dramas just didn't seem real to me. How am I supposed to believe that you would still fall in love with the same man who broke your heart so many years ago? Sure, people should be allowed second chances, but forgiving someone for running out of your life without as much saying goodbye would take a hell of a long time, not just a month or two.
The characters were difficult to connect to, especially Lina. Lots of teens would sometimes feel lost when one of their parents isn't a part of their life, and Lina was extremely lost (drugs, drinking, tantrums). But Lina was just too emotional, sometimes to the point where it gets annoying. If she would just stop, listen, and think for a moment, her "daddy" problems wouldn't that big of an issue. Angel and Madelaine's relationship wasn't that much believable either. There was no way to connect on how much they loved each other. All you get to know is that they just fell in love when they were teenagers, Angel ran away and broke Madelaine's heart, then they fall in love again after so many years. That's it. Nothing much to go on there.
Home Again definitely isn't one of my favorites. It wasn't good, yet it wasn't bad either, just bland.

[Noella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 sterren.
Madelaine Hillyard is een beroemde hartchirurge. Angel DeMarco is een gevierde acteur, die een heel losbandig leven leidt. Op hun zeventiende hadden Madelaine en Angel een relatie, die eindigde toen Madelaine zwanger werd, en Angel, mede onder druk van Madelaines vader, vertrok en nooit meer terugkeerde.
Madelaine kreeg een dochter, Angelina, Lina genoemd, en had een zwaar leven als alleenstaande moeder die probeerde iets van haar leven te maken. Angel daarentegen waagde zijn kans in de filmwereld, en meer door zijn knappe uiterlijk dan door zijn acteertalent, werd een beroemde en rijke acteur, die enkel leefde om plezier te maken.
De broer van Angel, Francis, werd priester, en heeft al die tijd Madelaine en Lina bijgestaan, als een familielid.
Dan volgen er rampzalige gebeurtenissen: Angel krijgt een zeer ernstige hartaanval, op zijn 34ste, en krijgt te horen dat hij een harttransplantatie nodig heeft en snel ook, of hij zal het niet overleven. Angel is opstandig, maar beseft al gauw dat hij toch nog genoeg om het leven geeft om met een transplantatie in te stemmen.
En-een wel heel onwaarschijnlijk toeval-net in die tijd krijgt zijn broer Francis een auto-ongeluk en hij is hersendood....
De rest van het verhaal laat zich raden....eind goed, al goed, en iedereen gelukkig, zowel de levenden als de dode...
Alhoewel het verhaal heel onwaarschijnlijk is, en eigenlijk melig, worden de emoties van de verschillende personages zo levensecht beschreven, dat ik als lezer er door geraakt werd, meer dan ik had verwacht.

[Maria João (A Biblioteca da João) · Rating 4 out of 5]

8,5 de 10*

De facto, Kristin Hannah não desilude. Este livro foi agora editado em Portugal, mas não é obra recente da autora, já que foi escrito em 1996. Mas a qualidade da escrita e a forma como desenvolve os temas estão lá. A leitura avança sem demoras e sem vontade de poisar o livro…

Comentário completo em:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...

[Kristin Bateman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first time Kristin Hannah ever disappointed me so much I almost gave up on the book.

It's blatant that the book was one of her earlier novels because the characters were so thinly veiled, the plot was so see-through that it was liking reading a slice of Swiss cheese, and I was groaning at the constant cliches. It was like reading a Hallmark movie.

If you fell in love with Kristin Hannah's later works like "Firefly Lane," "Winter Garden," or "The Nightingale" and are trying on catching up on her full repertoire, do yourself a favor and pass on this one.

[Dora Santos Marques · Rating 4 out of 5]

A minha opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYnvz...

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kristin Hannah has been my reading obsession this year and I'm sure will continue into 2024. Her contemporary writing pulls at my heart and makes me glued to each one of her books. But this one, it took a much more personal hit and made me cry. I really wish books had a trigger warning for "you will bawl your eyes out and not be able to read books for a solid week because of how much this book will hurt you" sticker somewhere, but hey, that's what I get for enjoying these books.

This book is heartfelt with a pinch of religion in there, so reader beware. It is a beautiful book with a great story to tell, but can hit too close to home if you have issues with medical procedures and loss (which I do).

Regardless, incredible book by Kristin Hannah but I am rating it lower because of how it triggered me. Others will adore this book, but I rank for my own system. Also, the daughter was quite the jerk most of this book. Just me?

Three out of five stars.

[Pfeni Flicker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

“It was so precious, time. Why was it you never realized that until it slipped through your fingers and lay forgotten at your feet?” pg.204

I 🫶 Kristin Hannah . Different from others I’ve read, and not her typical historical fiction genre. I really loved this. Classic beautiful writing and great messages. I realized early on what was going to happen but that didn’t spoil it for me. I also think she should’ve swapped the last two chapters before the epilogue.

Some goodies 🤗:

“All Madelaine knew about, was hiding, pretending smiling when the ache was so strong and deep that sometimes you couldn’t breathe.” pg.65

“They wanted to protect her with their silence, but it had only hurt her more.” pg.104

“He wanted to ask if love was a safe harbor or a stormy sea.” pg.163

“He’d always seen his own frayed edges and known that he couldn’t change them. Change was too hard and the outcome too uncertain. Instead, he accepted himself, accepted and went on. It was what he’d always done. Seen the truth and tucked his regrets so deeply in the pocket of his soul that after a while, he’d forgotten they existed. Until a day like today when his shortcomings were exposed.” pg.166

“He held her close in that swaying seat, clinging to her, wanting her with all the pent up desperation of a seventeen year old boy in love for the first time in his life. His hand had slid down her arm, feeling the softness of her skin and the sudden goosebumps his touch caused.” pg.167

“Her lungs ached from the cigarettes she’d smoked, and her eyes stung from crying. She felt rubbery and hollow and sad… oh, God, how could there be such sadness?” pg.215

“How could you learn to live without the sunshine on your face?” pg.244

“He was beginning to understand that running didn’t always get you anywhere, that sometimes you ended up right where you’d started” pg.259

“Perhaps that’s what life is, getting it wrong and going on, and still believing, always believing.” pg.393

[Chana Snyder · Rating 1 out of 5]

OMG, no. Full stop. I got through about a third of this book before I lost my patience and dropped it to the floor. A few things I'm glad for: 1) that I didn't pay for the book; 2) that I don't live (or know anyone who does) in the emotionally warped world that the author's constructed here. What a train wreck!

Has any of these characters matured at all during the course of their adult lives? Why does that seem like such an unreasonable request? What really dropped my jaw was when another reviewer used the word 'empowering.' What's empowering about undermining all you've worked for and earned with the idea that 'true love cures all' ?!?!?!?!? A world-class cardio surgeon pining away like a teenager? Ugh. I mean, yes, life can be more satisfying with a partner, but why are romance and love and marriage and babies always the ONLY reward? Awwwwww, they all got together in the end, happily ever after.

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it was easy to figure out what was going to happen in this book. I had read extensively about personality changes after a major organ transplant and wanted to find out if this would take place in the book. It did somewhat - taste in music and food preference (milk). I believe that memory exists throughout the body and that when organs are taken out and put in another body the memory goes with them. It seems to be true in 40-50 percent of major organ transplants. This book has some of that.
Once again we see in her novels a woman who won't speak out, keeps things to herself which leads to problems - a theme in many of her books.

[Inês | Livros e Papel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opinião no blog: https://livrosepapel.blogspot.com/201...

[heather | booksbyheath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, 2.5 stars. This was not it

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of this authors books. This story goes way beyond being a good read! Its really a page turner and you defo need your hankies

[Charlotte Turtle · Rating 3 out of 5]

So cheesy and a little predictable… but I have never disliked a book for those things 😜.

[Ieva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starp 2 un 3, bet laikam man ir slikts garastāvoklis un dubulta vilšanās sajūta, jo man ir ļoti patikušas citas autores grāmatas un citi autores tulkojumi. Abām šis ir agrīns darbs un prieks, ka pēc tam izaugušas (un ļoti).
Ja jūs domājat, ka jau esat lasījuši (vai noskatījušies filmu), kurā pasaules klases zvaigznis atgriežas dzimtajā pilsētā, kur satiek savu pirmo mīlestību un atklāj, ka viņiem toreiz piedzima bērns, un tagad zvaigznis piedzīvo sevis atklāsmi un to, cik visa viņa dzīve bijusi patiesībā nevērtīga - jums droši vien ir taisnība un neko jaunu šī grāmata nedos. Un ja neesat, tad visticamāk romantiskas blēņas nav jūsu repertuārā un ar šo neieteiktu sākt. Nebrīnītos, ka līdz Lakstīgalai Kristīni Hannu biju palaidusi garām - nav ne jausmas, vai grāmatu tomēr nebiju jau lasījusi, jo šī ir no tām, kas pilnībā izzūd no atmiņas jau pēc pāris mēnešiem.
Tulkojums, diemžēl, ir Kontinentam tipisks, ar tik daudz drukas kļūdām, ka pamanu pat es (un es tiešām bieži esmu nesaprašanā, kur citi kritiskie lasītāji tās pamana) un dažiem burtiski tulkotajiem "nezinu kas tas ir, atstās kā ir un būs OK" - spilgts piemērs ir joks, ka, ejot pie dusmīgā pacienta, jāpabrīdina kolēģi uzvilkt kevlara vesti. Nevis bruņvesti. Vai arī dekorāciju līmēšanā izmanto "maskēšanās lentu". Nevis krāsotāju līmlenti, vienkārši līmlenti vai galu galā skoču. Bet aizkustinoši, ka zemsvītras piezīmi izpelnījās vārds "mols", kas esot dažādu veikalu un izklaides vietu apkopojums, kurā amerikāņu jauniešiem patīk pavadīt laiku (citēts aptuveni pēc atmiņas).

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Întoarcerea acasă, Kristin Hannah este imaginea unui trecut plin de răni, de frustrări, de repetări ale unor situații în care suferința a fost mereu vie. Este și un verdict pentru cel care a greșit nu și mai vrea să trăiască cu amintirea. Este neacceptarea și auto-pedepsirea – căi prin care Angel lasă totul în trecut, începe o viață nouă. Așa refuză orice gând despre tot cea fost înainte de succesul răsunător. Noul Angel nu mai are nicio treabă cu familia lui, cu femeia pe care a iubit-o sau cu amintirile despre Francis.

În cartea Întoarcerea acasă, Kristin Hannah personajele au legături de sânge, dar sunt extrem de diferite, sunt opuse chiar. Au parte de cele mai furtunoase experiențe, abia se acceptă, abia își vorbesc, dar există mereu ceva nevăzut care le unește. Atunci când dialogul dintre ele este o ceartă, o forță le apropie, deși vor să stea cât mai la distanță.

https://bookcaffe.wordpress.com/2019/...

[Monica Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Kristin Hannah’s later books and I keep hoping to like her earlier works. Sadly, this book felt like a very cheesy Lifetime movie. This book was set in 1996 and I am pretty sure that was also when it originally came out. It was fun to read all the references from that time and considering when this book came out I was close in age to Lina.

The story is about Madeline, a heart surgeon and her troubled daughter. She can’t seem to make things right with Lina. Her best friend and he is also a priest, Francis, tries to do what he can to be like a father but they are all struggling. The other half of the story is about Angelo who is a partying rock star who abused his body to the point where he now needs a new heart. He just happens to end up in Seattle where he is awaiting his heart transplant. Seattle is his home and also where his brother, Francis lives. I’m sure you will be able to connect the dots.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was too cheesy for me! I actually want to rate it 0/5 😂

[Maria Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 estrelinhas ✨

Primeiro quero dizer que este livro me chegou a casa de surpresa, enviado pela Helena da Bertrand Editora.
Nunca tinha ouvido falar dele e assim que li a sinopse fiquei curiosa, comecei logo a ler 🙃

E posso-vos dizer que adorei!!
Adorei conhecer o Angel e a Lina com os seus feitios tão iguais e o quanto cresceram ao logo da história. O quão a Mad foi corajosa ao longo dos anos, especialmente na época depois do Angel a deixar. E o querido Franco (que me irritava as vezes :’))

Se tiverem o mínimo de curiosidade aconselho a arriscarem e comprarem!!
Pegou-me desde as primeiras páginas!

A única coisa que tenho a apontar são alguns capítulos que tinham narrações desnecessárias, a meu ver, e tornavam essa parte secante (mas felizmente era por pouco tempo).

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was too predictable and overly emotional. I have read most of Kristen Hannah's books, and was looking forward to this. I then realized it was one of her older ones and she hadn't perfected her suspense and her nuance in dealing with human interactions. The premise was ok but the characters overwritten. I predicted every single twist and turn in this book. It was also very unrealistic. I understand she had a storyline to fit into the timeline, however they just didn't match up despite all her attempts to explain the out of sync events. I am glad she had matured as a writer and took some of these same elements, developing them better for the book "Night Road."

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by this author and although this one doesn’t have the complexity to the plot that her more recent books have, I still enjoyed the characters and the emotions that are always amazing. The story line: a long ago affair between a woman who is now a renowned heart surgeon and a man who has become a famous actor is revisited when he needs a heart transplant. To add to the awkwardness of the situation, she has remained good friends with his brother (a priest) and has a 16 year old child with the former lover that he walked away from. There are no real surprises with the story line, but the characters are amazing and I loved all the emotions. 4.25/5 stars.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first Kristin Hannah book that really let me down. I think this could have been a much better book than it was, the story arch was great, but the characters were flat and transparent. i also found myself disliking the whiny nature of every character in this book. is it possible for every character in a story to be this boring and irritating?
i've read worse, but i have also read better. this book gets 3 stars for the mediocrity of everything between the front and back covers. some stories really resonate and make you remember them. this is NOT one of those stories.

[Natalie | novelswithnat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🌟 (at best lol)

Man, I loveeee KH so much but this book was kinda a drag! Loved the inspo for the story (a real event she saw on TV 😭) but the story didn’t flow super well. I think I would have liked it more if I was a mother to a teenager daughter LOL. It’s actually pretty amazing to read this (published in the 90s) & see how far her work has come now 🤯 still wanna read all of her backlist! 😊

[Maria Ionela Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte frumoasa!💙

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt predictable. First book I’ve read in awhile so I enjoyed it! It wasn’t anything crazy enticing but I love a good appreciate your mother theme