The Four Winds
By Kristin Hannah
- Release Date: 2021-02-02
- Genre: Fiction & Literature
Description
"The Bestselling Hardcover Novel of the Year."--Publishers Weekly
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.
Reviews
Not her best
3By CarlyM15It was a tad slow at times and the storyline kept disappointing me. I wanted more happiness, it was quite depressing. The end was hard too. I didn’t quite understand why she ended it the way she did. She does write characters well though. I connected with them.Another great novel
5By Riley326As always a joy to read one of Kristin’s novels. Very moving and a hard one to put down. Thanks Kristin for your work.Four Winds
5By jillkingrTragic story, beautifully told.Another beauty
5By Zuddha SophieHeart wrenching and painful yet the most beautiful type of love shared. I couldn’t put it down 🩷Altered my brain!
5By Butterflytatt2sThis was an amazing book that I still think about, even a year later. Been looking for something this good ever since. The Nightingale was good, but this was better for me!The four winds
5By Loris 1A moving recount of a time in American history that very few remember and even fewer can understand. Thank you for this reminder.Excellent
5By New Orleans Lady 2Excellent read a real page turnerAmazingly courageous!
5By 3101964I loved this book because it centers on a woman’s fight to protect her children, her rights and the country she loves despite all the adversity she faces!Four Winds
5By Stena BRiveting. Could not put it down.Courage is to be scared and do it anyway
4By readingridinghoodTaste the dust and feel the wind. A story of poverty, grief, and survival.History I should Already Know
5By The1realtorI know this is historical fiction, but it’s 65 years old, it’s incredible how much I have learned from these books. Heart wrenching, every day was a battle, and today we live like that never happened. Thank you for bringing it back to my awareness.The Four Winds
4By Mary Mouse FactoryA detailed story of a woman and her children who followed the Dustbowl path of so many downtrodden people seeking the dream of California An engrossing readFour winds
5By patriotismoneSo so sad, tear jerkerDefinitely need to tissues..
5By christa29929This book was amazing. I could not stop reading it. I just couldn’t put it down so it’s definitely a must read.Four winds
4By Jones to LovettThe book is well written. But, be aware, it describes the Depression and the Dust Bowl in the Grapes of Wrath fashion. It is a well written story about a very difficult life. It was a more depressing book than I was hoping for.Beautiful
5By NatGia7Such a wonderfully written novelWonderful Read!
5By GaelPPWonderful read! Learned a lot about the American tragedy that was the “Dust Bowl”.The four winds
5By jkbar6This author brings to life, the full experience of what it was like to live during the depression and years of the great dust bowl. The horrors that average human beans had to experience just to make it from one day to the next. How fellow Americans were treated as they traveled from one state to the next to survive. This book is relevant to today and the controversy as to how America should deal with the foreign immigration problem.The ending completes it
4By sparkle3305984I found myself enjoying this book but not being obsessed as I read. It’s a great story that once you finish really pulls everything together in an amazing, emotional way.
