#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER #1 USA TODAY BESTSELLER#1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER#1 INDIE BESTSELLER”The Four Winds seems eerily prescient in 2021 . . . Its message is galvanizing and hopeful: We are a nation of scrappy survivors. We’ve been in dire straits before; we will be again. Hold your people close.”—The New York Times“A spectacular tour de force that shines a spotlight on the … close.”—The New York Times
“A spectacular tour de force that shines a spotlight on the indispensable but often overlooked role of Greatest Generation women.”—People
“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, author of Where the Crawdads Sing
From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them.
“My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.”
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.
The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.
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Excellent story about a devestating situation I knew very little about.
I enjoyed the history of this book – and a subject that I’ve known really nothing about. It didn’t have a particularly happy ending, but it was based on things that really happened, which I appreciated. It was a different read than her regular books – so if you’re looking for a page turning romantic, thriller, feel good, read – this is not it. It’s a little harsher than the usual. I’ve loved all of her latest – and all of her books in general. I did still love this book.
What an interesting book this was, so moving, so gritty (pun intended) so grim.
It is 1920s America in the Texas Panhandle. Protagonist Elsa lives with abusive parents who demean everything she does. One day, she goes for a walk (late at night) and meets a young man…
Of course, her life changes forever. Elsa finds a home in a kind family of Italian-Americans. She brings her children up on a farm, learning to make delicious Italian food. Everything goes well for 14 years, until the dust storms arise.
In compelling prose, Ms. Hannah delineates the shame and humiliation of being dirt poor, so poor that it is indeed very difficult to get clean, especially in the midst of a storm when all the topsoil from the middle west gusts into your back yard.
If you have not yet read this novel, you are in for a treat. Five stars.
Never underestimate the strength of the human spirit. This heart-felt story follows Elsa through some of the most devastating experiences, including the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Yet, she demonstrates the bravery of her spirit and determination to leave a better world for her children. Sad, yet inspiring.
Exceptional characters in a historical setting one can hardly believe!
I have to admit I didn’t want to give this book five stars. It made me cry, over and over again. And–spoiler alert!–this did not have what I call a happy ending. Some may say it was satisfying. Not me. Anyway, there’s no denying that Kristin Hannah can write a book that puts you right in a setting. I was spitting out dirt in the Dust Bowl. I kept reaching for my drink. And the pain that heroine Elsa went through. I cried for her. Yes, there’s an emotional roller coaster. Brilliant writing, not denying that. I came away with a tremendous respect for the women of my grandmother and great-grandmother’s generations. Such strength. This is a haunting book. That has to be a sign of greatness. But this is not a happy book. In a time when I was already depressed by the death of a close friend, I am sorry I read it. Why did I? A freaking book club in my new community. If they don’t pick something more positive for next month, I won’t be back. Guard your own mental health, friends. If you are already depressed, stay away from this truly well written and haunting book.
I enjoy reading books about strong women who go through hard times. The main character in this book went through a lot of hard times but always stayed true to herself and children.
This novel is breathtaking, a beautifully written story that I find myself at a loss for words to adequately explain. I finished reading it only minutes ago and find myself still living within the world between the pages. Kristin Hannah is a favorite author of mine. Her books are carefully researched and exquisitely written. The Four Winds is now among one of my most treasured of hers. Historical fiction is not a sought after genre for me to read, again see above that this author is among my favorites, so… That being said, I found myself immediately and thoroughly immersed in the time period and everything about the history of our country during these times. Knowing that this author writes fiction that is based in a time and location that she has meticulously researched, I know that in addition to having completed an extraordinary novel, I have also learned a lot about my country, some good and some enormously disheartening. Along the way, I was reminded that strong people can still be afraid, they take action despite it. And that true families, whether or not biological, always welcome you home, always believe in your strength and always, always stay in your heart. This book and these lessons will stay in my heart.
She built the characters with such depth and unforgettable characters. I felt like I was there . The subject line in a part of our history .
Kristin Hannah’s novel about the dustbowl era in the US is a tough and gritty read. There’s little mercy for these wonderful characters. Life was tough. And to think everything changed for the main character, Elsa, the evening she decided to wear that red dress.
I did not know very much about the Dust Bowl migration to California. This was an eye opener and made me feel ashamed about how people who migrated to California were treated by other Californians. It is a book that has stayed with me.
Excellent fiction set in the Great Depression’s Dust Bowl Era. Warning: it is a chronically sad read.
I love most of Kristin Hannah’s book, but this one was terrible. I didn’t care about or like any of the characters. I quit reading about 1/3 of the way through. Very disappointed!!
Ms. Hannah’s books are ALWAYS worth the wait! She never fails her readers.
Its a good page turner- not her best but still a good one!
One of the best books I’ve read. Wonderful!
Historical fiction that kept me turning quickly on every page! Beautifully written, but a very sad time in the history of our country.
Wow…I thought The Great Alone by this author was amazing but this was too. She certainly does her research. It’s the story of the devastating dust bowl that hit the farmers in the Midwest during the Depression. She came from a wealthy family but was shunned because the family didn’t think she was pretty and would be a spinster. She meets a younger Italian and she ends up pregnant and disowned. He is forced to marry even tho he was supposed to leave for college. He never really loved her the way she loved him. She moves in with his family and they grow to love her and their two children but the drought and poverty is too much for a dreamer like him and he leaves his family. She ventures with her kids out to California to escape and finds it’s worse there. An amazing story
Brilliant!
Kristin Hannah has written a story so evocative of an era long gone, that I found myself transported back in time to the Great Depression as experienced in the dust bowl of America. At once heartbreaking and inspiring, it describes a history only 80 to 90 years ago – within the memories of a handful of people still alive. And yet, the people of the time, fighting for the most basic of human rights – the absolute necessity of food, shelter, water – are the hardships of people we can still find around the world today.
Elsa, the fictional protagonist, represents a large number of people in the 1930s dust bowl. The struggles, the destitution, starvation and unremitting injustice were a shocking everyday experience. Even escaping to California brought no relief, only more grinding poverty, cruelty and the greed of rich landowners.
Utterly fascinating, this book was not an easy read. I would give it more than five stars if I could, because the author’s writing skills conjure up the desperation, the bleakness of a struggle to survive that is echoed in today’s world, not only in third and fourth world countries, but in our own western nations, and not only because of our current pandemic, but also through the greed of the rich and powerful.
Everyone needs to read this exceptional , important historical fiction book. The story is real, characters unforgettable.