The Four Winds

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Hannah, Kristin, Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Hannah, Kristin
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

"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."--Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Must read! submitted by erksnerks on July 1, 2021, 2:29pm I couldn’t put this book down. It was fast paced and really created a connection to the characters. I highly recommend it.

Heart wrenching, but amazing submitted by anisaisap on July 7, 2021, 4:07pm Set in the Depression Era so you know to not to expect a happy storyline, but I flew through this book and really rooted for Elsa. I’m new to Kristin Hannah, but will be picking up more of her books after reading this one!

Deep submitted by cldaniels on July 11, 2021, 10:07am A moving story that helps the reader understand that most people want to work and take pride in earning,yet circumstances make that difficult for immigrants and migrants.

Strong contemporary parallels submitted by lizzhuntley on July 26, 2021, 9:37am This was a fantastic book. I think that Kristen Hannah is a very compelling story teller with excellent plot lines (although her particular prose style is a bit bare bones for my own tastes). Reading this book, set during the Dust Bowl when the earth has revolted against its inhabitants and economic migrants are struggling to make ends meet, I was struck by the contemporary parallels to climate change and to debates over immigration and treatment of migrants at the border. This book provides excellent food for thought as well as strong female role models!

Great depiction of mother/daughter relationship submitted by bradleystetz on June 25, 2022, 11:35pm Elsa and Loreda’s relationship and its shifting dynamics is one of the best parts of the book. That makes this fact interesting: It wasn’t until one of the final drafts that Elsa and Loreda became mom and daughter and not sisters.

Worth the rave submitted by bjkoch on July 10, 2022, 9:03pm Recommend for all who enjoy this author

Descriptive and heart breaking submitted by Bethybeth07 on July 29, 2022, 1:58pm Beautifully written. One of those books you feel like you are a part of

Worth the waitlist! submitted by leah karr on August 11, 2022, 10:37pm I waited for a very long time on the waitlist for this book and thoroughly enjoyed it when it was my turn! Great Alone was my favorite book and I loved this too

Educational and fun submitted by Brownize on August 28, 2022, 10:29pm I actually wound up learning a lot about the Depression Era and specifically about the Dust Bowl. The scenes and descriptive language was very good to follow and imagine.

There are much better books submitted by 21621031390949 on August 28, 2022, 10:46pm I'm a little more than halfway through this book, and I’m done. There are much better books about the Dust Bowl and the Depression, etc., both fiction and non-fiction. Read The Grapes of Wrath, or The Worst Hard Time for more truth and depth in the lives lived through that hell.

Why don’t I like this book? Because it’s a story written in monotone. The characters are flat, two-dimensional, and so predictable. Big events happen, but no tension is built, and it’s over almost immediately. Because the dialogue is flat and unrealistic. Because there are anachronistic elements such as a woman shaving her legs, when no one in rural America did that. Sometimes it feel like the author did a lot of research about the era and then searched for ways to string it together.

Skip this book and read a better one. That’s what I’m doing.