#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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Great characters and emotion building…..
Loved this book
A story of a young woman who is shunned by her unloving family finds herself with child and suddenly in the family of poor but a loving family. She has idea of what life is like in the early 20th century. A realistic picture of the depression in middle America.
I loved the time period and characters!
The Four Winds was one of those well-researched fictional accounts of American history that helped me understand what it must have been like living in the Dust Bowl during the 1930s. It was my first foray into this period, and appreciated the fact that it was told from the perspective of a woman/wife/mother. What a grueling experience for the characters in the novel. I can’t imagine surviving a dust storm or a migrant camp–I’m glad I was able to read the novel from the comfort of my sofa!
I wish I could give this book more then 5 stars. Kristin Hannah really knows how to capture your attention and keep it while you are reading and even when you are not. This was a fantastic book.
Great read. Interesting and complex characters. Hard to put down. Wonderful story describing a difficult time in history. Would recommend.
Not my favorite of her books, but it was worthwhile. It’s a honest look at the tribulations experienced during The Great Depression. Since my great grandmother lived in West Texas then, it was an eye-opening experience to think about what she might have gone through as a single mother with two children, much like Elsa. I found some of the overall arc a bit heavy-leaning, but I do believe that there was much anger, fear, and desperation that led to people treating others cruelly, so the actions weren’t unbelievable. Or maybe I just don’t want to believe that all people of means are selfish creatures who care little for others. Rose-colored glasses and all that. At any rate, Kristan Hannah is the master of world-building, making you care deeply for her characters, feeling what they feel, suffering their trials. A well-written account, a gripping story, and a hard to deal with ending that gave hope in a small slice.
I always read Kristin Hannah and enjoy her books. This one though was disappointing. I still recommend the book.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah blew me away! I do not usually read historical fiction but this amazing and gifted author has changed my mind. The emotional journey of the characters, and by extension the reader, is intense. The research into the historical period is solid and informative and the characters are so real they feel like they could be family. This book follows Elsa from a young adult, rejected by her family and community until she meets Rafe and a whole new chapter begins. She suddenly has a new family who lives in Texas farm country and works extremely hard for their living. Elsa begins to see her worth and strength as the family endures many hardships and teaches her about love. As a drought plagues the Great Plains in the early 1930’s, the crops dry up and ongoing dust storms kill everything. The family’s ability to produce food and a living decline over time and they consider moving “to the land of opportunity” they have heard about in California. As Elsa loads up the truck with her meager belongs, her children and just enough money for gas, they head off to a new life with renewed hope. They get to California, but are things different or the same? This is an amazing book about the strength of the human spirit, the need to connect and the will to survive. I highly recommend this novel!
Great insight to struggles of families who have lived through the Dust bowl and rhe Depression. How these unfortunate families were treated by those people who didn’t face the same desperation. Given the events of 2020-2021, this books enlightens the type of struggles families face and how we can do better by the unfortunate people struggling and vulnerable. Difficult to put this books down. I found my self cheering sometimes, embarrassed and angry other times, and crying like I lost my best friend other times.
Learned so much about the hardships that people faced during the dust bowl, and what they needed to do to survive. Also enjoyed the powerful mother-daughter relationships
Have you read Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath?” Do you know of the desperation of the Dust Bowl, the deprivation of the Great Depression in the United States? “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah explores the strength of character needed to survive such desperate times.
The lead character, Elsa, was born into some privilege, a moneyed, merchant house. However, her family never embraces her, finds her lacking. This lonely young woman dares to seek love and a family. When bad times strike, they threaten her family. Elsa crosses the United States to find work, to feed her starving family. She forged friendships which she fiercely protected. She labored, housed in deplorable conditions, and eventually became the unwitting symbol and rallying cry for a revolution.
This book, like many by Kristin Hannah, illustrates the strength and resourcefulness of a woman invigorated by a worthy cause. Through such desperate times, grace and strength are born.
My goodness, this author gets better and better. Kristen Hannah is magical with her words. Her characters are larger than life and endearing. The Four Winds made a huge impact on me and I’ll not soon forget this tale. I did not want this story to end.
I didn’t expect much from this book, to be honest. The beginning was slow and I have a bad history with instantly-popular releases. I didn’t expect it to end up being a 5 star read, either. I believed I would have been being generous to give it even a 3 star rating. BUT. I’m so glad I was wrong. Once things went bad, they just kept getting worse. Every little speck of hope was ripped right out of my hands and left me even more upset than I was before. I haven’t seen many books written during this time period, either, especially this specific part of that time period. I would definitely recommend this book, although it is not for people who don’t like to read stories that make them cry. I cried. I cried a lot.
The Four Winds is the absolute best book I’ve read in a while.
This is not a happy book, but it is a well-written novel.
The Four Winds was my first book by Kristin Hannah. I read this book for a book group and I am so glad I did! I know I would not have pick this book up on my own!! I am so glad for that book group! This is a beautifully written epic historical fiction that is packed with all types of emotions!! It is a story of survival through some devastating times. Poverty, starvation, illness, disease, tragedy and despair are just a few hardships brought to life in this brilliant novel! Hannah will make you feel like you are part of the eras she brings to life like the Great Depression and the dust bowl to name a few! The emotions and feelings are so real that I found myself with tears flowing down my cheeks before I knew I was even crying! I felt like I was fighting every fight brought on in this novel! It is very hard not to let your emotions get involved in this breathtaking novel! I highly recommend you read this novel and you will see that no matter how hard the fight, strength and resilience will prevail! I am looking forward to reading more by Kristin Hannah!
This book was very hard for me to read. The suffering not only of the humans, but also animals was very disturbing.
Disappointed not as good as previous books
A vivid story of a woman trying to keep her family alive during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowls of the 1930’s. A woman who is more courageous than she ever thought possible during one of the harshest times in history. This is an unputdownable book and encourage all to read it.