While I have always been a fan of Kristin Hannah, none of her novels has impacted me the way THE NIGHTINGALE did...until now. Wow! THE FOUR WINDS is enthralling, beautifully-written and such a compelling read. I had no idea what to expect, but I will be thinking about this story for a long time to come. Highly recommend, even for those who do not consider themselves fans of historical fiction.

Its early in 2021, but I'm going to say that this is probably going to be my favorite book of the year. If you've read Kristin Hannah before, you'll know she writes gritty storylines with interesting and tough characters, and this was no exception. It was really interesting to look back in history and learn about what it was light to live through the dust bowl and the Great Depression. Its truly fascinating and offers an interesting perspective.

Hannah's writing gets you hooked on the characters and rooting for them. With any small accomplishment or positive moment you came their way, you just knew there was going to be something devastating to come next. What a page turner!

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is a phenomenal historical novel set in the Great Plains and California largely in the 1930s that illustrates the importance of family and grit. In the 1920s, we meet Elsa, the book’s main character, she is young, wealthy, and plain-looking living in Texas, in the Great Plains. She soon marries into a working-class farming family and has children. Despite having lived in a sheltered environment with an unloving family, she quickly learns to work hard and love her new family spectacularly. For farmers and many others, there is great prosperity in the 1920s, but the close of the decade brings massive economic hardship and the 1930s brings the Dust Bowl, meaning severe years-long drought and dangerous dust storms.

After Elsa’s daughter, Loreda, is born, the story skips 13 years into the future, in the mid-30s. The main focus of the story is the mother-daughter relationship of Elsa and Loreda. As in Hannah’s other novels that I have read, I felt immediately connected with the characters. I was hesitant to read this novel as I knew the time period and place were so relentlessly inhospitable to life. Despite this, I was so drawn to the story of Elsa and the Martinellis. It reminded me of Adriana Trigiani’s book, The Shoemaker’s Wife. Hannah writes in such a wonderful, accessible way that draws you in and makes you love the characters even when they’re making mistakes. You understand their motivation and can appreciate their character. The storyline really intrigued me as well. In terms of the plot, I wasn’t sure where it would go, but I wanted to find out. I loved how you see Elsa and Loreda grow in their strength and confidence throughout the novel.

What I found really compelling was considering the parallels of the 1930s with our contemporary time period. We’re in the middle of an economic recession, pandemic, and suffering with climate change and frequent natural disasters. Capitalism is often valued over human life by the government. Additionally, in the US migrants from Central America and Mexico are vilified by American citizens and government. Over-farming in combination with severe years-long drought created conditions to bring about dangerous dust storms, which especially affected the health of the young and old. In the 1930s, millions lived in abject poverty, suffering from malnutrition, and adverse preventable/treatable health conditions related to poor living conditions. What really struck me was the tenacity of so many to simply survive and care for their families. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC.

Kristin Hannah has once again swept me away into another time with deep connections to characters. I ensured with them, I felt their love, their pain, and their strength.

The Four Winds is about Elsa, a woman who has a lot of love to give, but has given very little in return. Born into a family of high stature in the panhandle of Texas, Elsa find herself in her mid 20’s unmarried and undesired by men, pitied by her family. Through books Elsa finds her voice and her own path. Life on the Texas panhandle during the 1930’s leaves no person unaffected. Though, Elsa’s indomitable spirit provides for her unlike many around her. This story is an epic tale of love and strength as well as a reminder to us today that though there are hard times that may come our way, people will continue to persevere.

What I love most about Kristin Hannah’s works is that she can build such characters development while also maintaining a level of plot driven stories. I feel this connection to the characters within the Four Winds, I felt emotionally drawn to their stories. I was also immersed into life in middle America in the early 1930’s, learning of daily strife and the plight of those that are daring enough to leave all they know in search of something better.

Kristin Hannah is an amazing writer. She develops all her characters and narrative in her books so well and you feel like you really know the characters and can picture each scene. While I usually love Hannah's books, I found this book to be sad and depressing. Again, it was well written and I felt invested in each character. I learned a lot about the time period of the depression, but I was disappointed in the ending. I won't share the ending because I don't want to give anything away.

I loved this book. I like this writer's historical fiction. I've read a few negative reviews, but I truly enjoyed this book. Loved it. It's not the Nightingale, but it was amazing.

Kristin Hannah does it again! She left me a blubbering mess with this book and I couldn’t be happier about it! 😉⁣

Now onto the book! Wow! Kristin Hannah is a favorite author of mine because she always hits me right in the heart and this book was no different. If you are an emotional reader - have tissues handy. I had tears streaming down my face! Is it sad and sometimes heavy - yes. It deals with some difficult and heartbreaking themes of the time period and the descriptions are vivid and honest. You will feel it and I think that’s a good thing. This is a period I personally didn’t know much about and I was left with so much appreciation for those that lived through it. Yet, what struck me the most about this book was the strength, love and sense of determination and hope she infused in it. It’s a beautiful reminder of what the human spirit can endure and how we emerge from our struggles, battered and worn but stronger and more determined to persevere. ⁣⁣
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I have not read one book by Hannah where I wasn’t completely taken with her strong female characters and Elsa is now up there as one of my favorites. Her resilience, strength, love for her children and her unyielding sense of hope will stay with me for a long time to come. ⁣⁣
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I have no words left but to say that I’m so glad I read this book and it now owns a piece of my heart. Read it, you won’t regret it! ⁣⁣

This story takes place during The Great Depression and is told so well. The author did a good job researching the various aspects which adds richness to the storytelling as well as the characters.

** spoiler alert ** This book follows the life of Elsa a woman who grew up unloved and ignored in her family. It’s about how she finds the courage to find her place in the world. She sneaks out of her parents house to find a young Italian boy who shows her affection which results in her becoming pregnant. Her uncaring family leaves her at the Italian boy’s family farm. Her life is hard and gets harder during the Great Depression and the drought that hits the Midwest. She persevered and becomes the best mother she can.
This story is about strength and perseverance. Beautifully written as are all her novels. It really made me fee for the protagonist. I really enjoy her way of making you feel you are in the situation that the characters are living.

I thoroughly enjoyed the newest Kristin Hannah release, The Four Winds. I have come to think of Ms. Hannah's book as being laced with melodrama but found that element happily missing in this novel. Each challenge Elsa faces seemed to be a natural hurdle that a woman of her time might possibly face. Her motivations were clear and moving.

This was a great step forward for the much-lauded Ms. Hannah. I have been recommending The Four Winds often this spring.

I sit here after reading this book dumbfounded at the similarities of the Great Depression and what our country is facing now. Lines of cars of people needing food, massive unemployment, small businesses forever shuttered.

And while this story is fiction, the premise was all to real to the families living through the dust bowl, they packed everything they could fit in their vehicle and headed west to California.

I’ve had a long love for this Author's books, every one engrossing and enchanting, but this was was on a whole other level. Especially since I can see the parallels of what’s happening today, almost 100 years later. I really tried to savor this book, but I ended up devouring it instead. I know this is a book I’ll return to read again and again, just like all her other books.

As I continue to wipe the tears from my eyes, I give this book a massive standing ovation. A powerful masterpiece of the love between a mother and daughter. This book will stay with me for a long time.

~ Lia, 10 Stars

This is an absolutely beautiful story. I am not a fan of historical fiction except when it comes to books by Kristin Hannah. She has yet to disappoint me. The characters are so fleshed out and I understand the motives of each of them, even those characters that made horrendous decisions.

This story is even more impactful given the climate of the world right now. It’s unfortunate to think that a story that took place 100 years ago could still be relevant today.

I look forward to the next adventure that Kristin Hannah imagines next.

This was my first Kristen Hannah novel and I can’t wait to read more from her. I was so drawn into this historical novel I lost track of time, it was such an escape from today’s issues. The amount of research for this story and the writing style is just amazing, it will keep you invested in the characters. I learned so much about this time period, I didn’t realize how devastating dust storms can be to everything and everyone. Folks who lived during this time had so much courage and hope and I was rooting for the characters in the story. Have tissues with you as you read this. Definitely one to recommend for book clubs and historical readers.

I normally do not read the genre of historical fiction but an author group I am in has a book read of the month challenge and this was this months read so I decided to read it. I am so glad I did. It is a story that will stay with me forever. I love finding new to me authors. This is definitely one of my top reads ever.

My emotions where all over the place while reading this. I was brought to tears several times both from sadness and anger.

I love a good strong female character and Elsa is that in spades. Both as a child and adult. She has been through hell. She is a warrior.

I don't like to spoil anything in books so I will leave it at that.

Thank you Net-Galley for a copy of the book.

There are some books that just from the first few pages, you know your heart is gonna hurt. It's going to be torn out, shredded, stopped on and then put back in your chest, as brutally as it was ripped out. That's how I felt about the utter desolation and sadness and PERFECTION of the great American novel, The Four Winds. I was mad, hateful, heartbroken, and, among other things, profoundly moved by this book.



It's the story of a young women growing up in a hard time, living a hard life, with hard kids, hard jobs, and hard everything around her. While nothing seems to quite the way it should. I wanted so badly for things to be good and perfect and they just couldn't be. Because that's life. And that's the beautiful way that Hannah writes her stories.



Be prepared to have tissues and some tears. And if not, then you might shed a little emotion. It's very engaging and moving. It's set in the Dust Bowl era, one that I know I would never have survived in. I grew up on a ranch in the South in the 80s with no air conditioning and that was enough for me.



I truly, truly loved this book. One of the best this year so far.



6/5 Stars

Kristin Hannah’s heroine Elsa is a woman with very little self esteem, due to the cold upbringing she received from her wealthy parents. Kept as a cloistered nun by her parents who feel that she is unfit for marriage due to physical attributes, 25 year old Elsa breaks free one evening and meets a handsome 18 year old Italian farmer, who is viewed by her parents as beneath her station. Hannah paints a very detailed picture of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl which caused a mass exodus of the Midwestern poor who landed on the not so golden shores of California. This is a book for our times, as we see history repeating itself during the Pandemic. The Four Winds is rife with vile treatment of immigrants, massive unemployment the likes of which had never been seen before, climate change brought on by our stupidity, government aligned with the rich to subjugate the poor, and the rich getting richer, while the poor become homeless. It’s all happening now.

Severe challenges cause Elsa to grow and evolve into a strong woman, determined to keep her children safe in a dangerous and cruel world. Hannah has written a powerful and moving story which resonates deeply with current conditions. Keep the tissues handy for this one.

This historical novel reignited an interest for me in the Dust Bowl era. Kristin Hannah did a good job of describing the difficult times people lived through. After reading this, I was inspired to watch the Ken Burns documentary about the Dust Bowl. I love how Ms. Hannah sweeps me away to a different time and place.

I did not want this book to end, I stop reading for a moment to go and do some research about the migration of people to the West, the Great Dust Bowl, the Great Depression that sent me reading about other contributing factors and world events. The best part is the concept and view point coming from the main characters lens. While fictional the stories and actions are so real.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for something to read, then you need to get your hands on Kristin Hannah's latest historical novel about the Great Depression. An incredible story that shows the resilience of people in the face of one of the devastating periods in the 20th century.

The main protagonist, Elsa Wolcott has never been recognized by her family as anything other than a burden. When her parents discover that she's pregnant with an Italian Catholic baby, her parents drop her off at his family farm and exile her from their home forever. Although it is difficult at first, Elsa and her in-laws, Rose and Tony welcome her to work beside them but husband Rafe desires nothing more than to leave Texas for greater adventures. When the dust storms hit and neighbours abandon their homes, Rafe decides to leave his family behind. It is up to Elsa to make the decisions to keep her children clothed and fed and when tragedy strikes, it is Elsa that will need the courage to pack up everything the family possesses and head for California. But California is not exactly the land of milk and honey that has been promised and as Elsa soon learns..help comes in the most unexpected places.


Absolutely fantastic read. This should be a mini-series someday soon.

Publication Date 02/02/21
Goodreads review published 20/03/21

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. It started so slow, and I didn't find the story that compelling. I have really enjoyed the few Kristin Hannah books I've read in the past, but this one just didn't work for me.