Name: The Four Winds
Rating: 4.228737113402062 (388 reviews)
ISBN: 9781643588230

Kristin Hannah

The Four Winds

Taneil Casey

An epic, sweeping tale of love and loss set in the midst of the Great Depression in 1930s America, by the multi-million-copy global bestseller Kristin Hannah.

Joana Mae

This one hit close to home in a way I didn’t expect. I may not be a farmer, but I grew up in a family that is—and reading this felt so familiar. The long days, the uncertainty, the quiet strength it takes to keep going… it all felt real. The Four Winds is heavy, emotional, and at times heartbreaking—but also incredibly beautiful. It tells a story of survival, resilience, and a mother’s love in the hardest of times. Elsa’s journey stayed with me long after the last page. The kind of character you don’t just read about—you carry her with you. This is one of my favorite books from one of my favorite authors. 💛

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.

By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.

In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.

A Novel

Kristin Hannah is incredible. She writes historical fiction like no one else. 

What a beautiful story of perseverance and love in the Great Depression. A mother’s love is a powerful force, and this book so eloquently shows that a woman will battle all odds to provide for her children. 

Kristen Aiuppa

Laura Walden

Oh man. I was warned, but still wasn’t fully prepared for how SAD this book is. Seriously, from start to freaking finish. 

In typical Kristin Hannah fashion though, closed this book feeling like I have more knowledge, empathy, and insight into the struggles of the Great Depression, specifically in the Great Plains. 

Kaitlyn Wendler

Oh man. I was warned, but still wasn’t fully prepared for how SAD this book is. Seriously, from start to freaking finish. 

In typical Kristin Hannah fashion though, closed this book feeling like I have more knowledge, empathy, and insight into the struggles of the Great Depression, specifically in the Great Plains. 

I really love Kristin Hannah’s writing. She crafted a beautiful scene setting, a tough but loving familial character set, and an u underdog protagonist that Id imagine any mother daughter pair could align with. 

Hannah highlights the abilities of humans to withstand, to persist in the face of great…depression?? The story was compelling, the development of the mother and daughter bond was beautiful, but overall this book was simply painful to read. Like…kristin, my girl….throw the reader one bone at least. A small win here or there would be nice to pull the metaphorical gun out of my mouth.  Cause damn this was depressing. 

Depressive beauty is it what it is. Would I recommend it? Idk, do you like being sad? But there are some very poignant moments of power and love that come through the dry cracked depression era earth, read it for those. Read it for the explorative youthful energy that we’ve lost, read it to remember that there is fierce love at play in this world. 

I will say I think this is the first time i’ve identified more with the responsible adult rather than the optimistic youth in a story. Who knows, maybe i’m finally wising up. 

connor arnette

I really love Kristin Hannah’s writing. She crafted a beautiful scene setting, a tough but loving familial character set, and an u underdog protagonist that Id imagine any mother daughter pair could align with. 

Hannah highlights the abilities of humans to withstand, to persist in the face of great…depression?? The story was compelling, the development of the mother and daughter bond was beautiful, but overall this book was simply painful to read. Like…kristin, my girl….throw the reader one bone at least. A small win here or there would be nice to pull the metaphorical gun out of my mouth.  Cause damn this was depressing. 

Depressive beauty is it what it is. Would I recommend it? Idk, do you like being sad? But there are some very poignant moments of power and love that come through the dry cracked depression era earth, read it for those. Read it for the explorative youthful energy that we’ve lost, read it to remember that there is fierce love at play in this world. 

I will say I think this is the first time i’ve identified more with the responsible adult rather than the optimistic youth in a story. Who knows, maybe i’m finally wising up. 



elizabeth

What's great about it:
- This feels like a well-researched portrayal of the Dust Bowl era, and I appreciated the focus on labor organizing in California. 
- While individual characters aren't the most complex, the relationships between them are well-drawn. The mother-daughter relationship, in particular, is nuanced and complex enough to take its place at center stage in the back half of the novel. 
- The focus on land--what it gives us and what we owe it--during a profound shift in climate feels prescient.

What's holding me back:
- I don't totally understand why, by the end of the novel, our younger protagonist becomes so dead-set on calling Elsa a "warrior." I don't know where the allusion to war or violence comes from or why the focus on this word was so necessary. I don't get it, and it feels too important not to get.
- "Communist or a rabble-rouser. This was about fighting for the rights of every American." Hannah makes some watered-down political statements via her characters. She seems to step back from the boldness of labor organizing and the ideology that empowered it by assigning the fullness of this ideology to a secondary character. 
- Some scenes--and sometimes the novel itself--felt rushed and packed, without enough space or pace to let anything sink in or feel important to me as a reader. 

Miscellany:
- "She wished she’d never read The Age of Innocence. What good came from all this unexpressed longing? She would never fall in love, never have a child of her own." The Age of Innocence is not a book that should make anyone believe in love or long for it. Does Elsa know that? Does Kristin Hannah know that?

Very emotional ending, but in general this story was too hard for me.  Poor characters could never catch a break.

Jenny Engel

Texas, 1934. Elsa Martinelli had finally found the life she'd yearned for. A family, a home and a livelihood on a farm on the Great Plains. But when drought threatens all she and her community hold dear, Elsa's world is shattered to the winds. Fearful of the future, when Elsa wakes to find her husband has fled, she is forced to make the most agonizing decision of her life. Fight for the land she loves or take her beloved children, Loreda and Ant, west to California in search of a better life. Will it be the land of milk and honey? Or will their experience challenge every ounce of strength they possess?

Suyash Goylit

Hope Is A Coin I Carry

There are a lot of books out there that have compelling writing or a really solid story, but once in a while, you come across a book that transcends all its flaws and delivers a story that you know will remain with you for a long time. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is one of those stories. In the past few months, Hannah has emerged as one of my favorite authors. Her books deal with the struggles faced during the tough times, hence, it was no surprise that they drew my attention. Hannah’s stories not only take you through a tale in time but let you live through those times, and The Four Winds is a paragon of that philosophy. It’s not her most popular book. That would be the critically acclaimed and fan-favorite The Nightingale. Neither is it her best-written book yet. In a small subset of what I’ve read by Kristin Hannah so far, I believe that would be Winter Garden. Despite not being either of those things, I would rank this solemn tale of the great depression above both those books, which are masterpieces in their own rights.

Tatiana

The Four Winds: 4.5/5

“A warrior believes in an end she can’t see and fights for it. A warrior never gives up. A warrior fights for those weaker than herself. It sounds like motherhood to me.”

Once again, I have cried so much that I have no more tears. 

Premise:
The Four Winds is set during the 1930s Great Depression and Dustbowl era. It follows Elsa Martinelli, a Texas woman, and her family as they struggle to survive the trying times by moving to California in search of a better life. The two perspectives we follow are Elsa and her daughter Loreda as we see this tragedy from very different points of view.

This is 100% a book about survival and one that is too scarcely told. I thought I knew about the Dustbowl, but I was wrong. The horror of dust storms that overtook Oklahoma, Texas, etc., struck me. A story of a woman facing the world's harshest while dreaming only for love. 

“Courage is fear you ignore.”

Writing:
I always seem to forget how great of a writer Kristin Hannah is. She is so captivating and a beautiful storyteller. This book is not short, but I read it all in one day. I could not put it down. This is one of those books where you get completely lost in and forget all time.

“Elsa knew that a library card—a thing they’d taken for granted all of their lives—meant there was still a future.”

Characters:
I feel like my words can't really describe these characters. You have to read about them. I see so many people reflected in the eyes of the characters presented in this book. They are crafted beautifully, and with the utmost care, it is breathtaking. Their stories are one for all American's and yet deeply personal to their own. Please just read it.

"Mothers and daughters. We save each other, si?"

Conclusion:
Ultimately, this book is phenomenal and will rip your heart out. If you feel like you've read every story historical fiction has to offer, I beg to differ. Read this one. Some pieces of this story didn't quite fit, and there were bits that I felt that stretched on for too long, but overall deserve the highest praise. 

Even if you don't like historical fiction, I think you should give this book a try. 

I'll be crying for days :')

Melissa Palmer

At times, a heartbreaking read but it lives up to all the hype. Set during the Dust Bowl, it tells the story of Elsa and her children and in-laws. I recommend it.

Julia

I’m not a fan of Kristin Hannah’s writing style, but I do appreciate how she wrote the characters and their development later on. The second half of the story is the saving grace for this book, even though it was fairly predictable.

Q&D review: Historical fiction novel that follows a family that's living through the Great Depression and Dust Bowl in Texas. The Four Winds looks at these events with a perspective not typically used that I found refreshing. The characters were relatable and I loved them. Aspects of the story were eerily similar to life during the pandemic which made the story more interesting for me. Kristen Hannah has become an instant read for me as I really enjoy her authorial voice. Definitely recommend, even for those who aren't really historical fiction fans since I'm not myself. 

Abigail F

sofyan

wow. i did indeed ugly cry while reading this. loved it.

The Four Winds

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