Kristin Hannah

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

The Four Winds

'Powerful and compelling, I loved it' Delia Owens, bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing The Four Winds is a deeply moving, powerful story about the strength and resilience of women and the bond between mother and daughter, by the multi-million copy number one bestselling author Kristin Hannah. She will discover the best of herself in the worst of times . . . 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? From the overriding love of a mother for her child, the value of female friendship, and the ability to love again - against all odds, Elsa's incredible journey is a story of survival, hope and what we do for the ones we love. PRAISE FOR THE FOUR WINDS 'Its message is galvanizing and hopeful' The New York Times 'Through one woman's survival during the harsh and haunting Dust Bowl, master storyteller, Kristin Hannah, reminds us that the human heart and our Earth are as tough, yet as fragile, as a change in the wind.' Delia Owens, bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing 'Brutally beautiful.' Newsweek 'Epic and transporting, a stirring story of hardship and love...Majestic and absorbing.' USA Today 'Hannah brings Dust Bowl migration to life in this riveting story of love, courage, and sacrifice...combines gritty realism with emotionally rich characters and lyrical prose that rings brightly and true from the first line.' Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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.

Ryan 

also i find it coincidental i finished this book but happy international women's day!

i do think it is a structurally astounding book. the end really did grab me hard but it also left a softly transformative and inspiring tone. maybe it's just not for me.

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.

Barbara Williford

The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl were “hard times in America: the worst environmental disaster in our history; the collapse of the economy; the effect of massive unemployment.” Kristen Hannah unravels the hardships of American families, especially those in the great plans through the story of Elsa Martinelli. Elsa was always the invisible, unloved and under appreciated daughter and sister. Through her struggle with abandonment, the Great depression and all the challenges that she faced trying to provide for her family as a single mother, she finally finds her voice. This is an very enlightening book about these dark days in American history. A moving, must read novel.

While this book was slow paced for 3/4 of it, the last 50 or so pages made up for it. There is a great story of a mother-daughter relationship and much needed character development in them both. Historical fiction brings the spectrum of emotions with it and I think Hannah captured that in this book.

Ariel Correa

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.

Claire Cantlon

3.9/5. pretty slow and boring for the first 3/4ths of the book but has a great ending.

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.

Starts sad and just gets sadder. Everything that can go wrong does. Hard to get through - extremely repetitive and not enough time for main character growth. 

Paige Paul

Maddy Adams

Out of the Kristin Hannah books I’ve read this has been my least favorite. Full of struggle and heartbreak and strife, it definitely got at themes of betrayal and survival and what it means to be brave. I wish there was more background as to why Elsa’s family treated her so badly besides her heart condition and her not being pretty — they seemed so harsh for those to be the only reasons.

AnnRea Fowler

Three years ago, I read the Nightingale and it is in my top five books in the WWII fiction category, one in which I read a lot. I read a friend’s review on Goodreads which rated it less than the Nightingale, however, a third of the way through until the end, I thought that friend was wrong. 

If you haven’t read the book, don’t put too much faith in negative reviews. This book needs to be read carefully with the mindset that this is historical fiction. These events really happened to people. It may be overwhelming that they all happen to the main character of this book, but many people did flee the Dust Bowl just to end up living in a ditch bank and being prejudiced against because they are outsiders. Look at any documentary from the time period. Death ran amok. Desperation compelled people to leave, steal, and kill. This story is so much more than the depressing events and I would in no way label it as “depressing.”

Kristin Hannah’s books always feel well researched and The Four Winds was no exception. It drove me to go watch a documentary about the Dust Bowl because it was described so uniquely, I wanted to compare the image in my mind to what images existed of the time. The storyline twists and turns a tale of tragedy—of people in search for a better life, for the American dream, just to be worked to the bone, yet still remain impoverished. Yet, each character living below their means was significantly filled with love and friendship. 

Elsa, Rose, and Loreda are some of the strongest female characters written of all time. Each stands their ground when it matters most, a characteristic that reminded me of just how strong, faithful, loyal, and extraordinary mothers are. The characters felt real as did the setting. Kristin Hannah transports readers to the Texas Panhandle to taste the same grit that infects the town and breaks their hearts as they watch the scenes unfold in their minds. Elsa’s strength is found in little moments until the end. Her strength is rooted in the strongest force of all, love. 

The Four Winds are the four ways that an individual can be loved: by a mother, as a mother to a child, as a significant other, and then, to find the courage inside yourself all along and love yourself. 

I look forward to reading Kristin Hannah’s next work and also exploring the titles in her backlist.

echo

this isn’t normally the book i would gravitate towards. i enjoyed it, but it wasn’t my favorite.

Shaylee Knecht

This book is probably the best book I've ever read. I experienced every emotion known to man sometimes at the same time. Kristin Hannah displays the Great Depression beautifully by way of a family who is hit so hard by the economic failure and Dust Bowl. The multi-POV of Elsa and Loreda showed me how much a family can love each other and hide it behind anger caused by external conflicts. Overall, I fell in love with this book and the messages hidden within it.

Suzy Dean

It was beautiful, as Hannah’s books are. It was very slow, which I should have expected. I admire how Hannah can develop her characters through multiple settings and life stages, but I just didn’t find myself turning the pages like I did with some of her other books. Still beautiful and educational.

Abby Byers

This book was amazing and deserve every ounce of hype. Kristin Hannah develops characters better than anyone!

Amanda

The Four Winds is an epic, American tale of a woman and her family navigating life during the Great Depression and in the Dust Bowl. After barely surviving life in the Texas Panhandle/Great Plains, Elsa makes the life-changing decision to go west. To California, the supposed land of milk and honey. 

This novel certainly had a few twists and turns that I didn't expect. I thought the entire plot would focus on the Dust Bowl and didn't expect the characters to leave their home. From there, they find life is not any better in California, at least not for migrants. Outsiders. This novel parallels how some Americans still view 'outsiders' today. 

I really wasn't expecting a heavy focus, at least during the last third of the book, on communism, or workers rights. But it was extremely insightful and I enjoyed reading it. It's always nice to be surprised and swept away when you're reading.

The character of Loreda, Elsa's daughter, took a long while for me to warm up to. She was so needlessly mean and cruel to her mother the first part of the book. I didn't understand her irritation with her mother and don't think the author set it up well. Thankfully, Elsa and Loreda's relationship improves throughout the novel, but not without quite a few more spats and outbursts, which got a little tiring because nothing new was ever said between them. 

Also, some of the dialogue felt a little hokey and unnatural. Not enough to distract from the book, but enough to make me question whether the author spoke any of it aloud while writing. 

Elsa was a strongly written character, and I enjoyed seeing her grow and find her confidence. Her life was tragic growing up, but she really became a warrior. I also really loved how Elsa's faith played a role in the book; though not overly devout, Elsa put her trust in God. She prayed often, and her faith felt personal. It was nice seeing a little bit of positive Christian representation. 

The ending made me sad, but I think it's justifiable. There was one loose end I wish had been tied, and that has to do with a character we never see again. I'd love to know their fate. 

This is my first Kristin Hannah book, and it was a little outside of what I normally read, but I've always been interested in this time period and the resiliency of the American people. I would definitely recommend The Four Winds. It's a great piece of 20th century histfic not centering around WW2.

Jessica Guht

I am such a mess right now because of this book. Kristin Hannah always manages to weave historical tragedies with heartbreaking family bonding moments, and I love it so much.

The Four Winds A Novel

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