Another amazing book by Kristin Hannah. I couldn’t put this one down, and Elsa is a character I will always remember. I loved the author’s note at the end - this story is so much more than the story itself. It sends a powerful message about the human spirit when faced in a horrific time, like right now.

In the end, love remains.❤️❤️❤️

Wow. This book has drained me of all emotion. I feel like I have lived through the dust bowl with the Martinelli family. Although it was very sad, the author has inserted so much love among family and strangers during an unbearable time. I have enjoyed everything I have read by Kristin Hannah. I will recommend this book to many fans of historical fiction at the library.

I’m having a hard time reviewing this one....did it draw me in right from the start? Yes. The writing style was great. The author does a wonderful job with descriptions and painting pictures in your mind as the story unfolds. I admire the amount of research that must have gone in to this book.

But with all that being said this may be the most depressing book I have ever read. I understand that it is historical fiction and therefore rooted in truth of the events that happened during The Great Depression in the midwest and California. But wow. I kept reading for the light at the end of the tunnel. For the resolution and the hope. And I guess it came a tiny bit at the end (emphasis on the word tiny), but at what cost? I was overall not a fan of the ending at all. I felt like after all that desperation, the reader deserved a happier ending. But then again, I guess that’s really not the way things were at that point in history. People were still struggling for hope in the time period the book ends.

Maybe it’s the world we are in right now too (coming up on a year of the pandemic), but I honestly had to stop at several points to read something lighter, because this book made me feel hopeless and depressed. I kept reading in parts because I felt obligated to review it and in parts because I kept thinking there had to be happy ending somehow. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen (in my opinion).

The reviews for this one are great, so I encourage others to read it. I hate being negative when so many others obviously loved it. And It did give me a history lesson on a time that I haven’t really studied too much. I was excited to get this ARC with as popular an author as Kristin Hannah is. This is my first read of hers (although I have several on my stack). I would definitely read another book by her. She has a way of making the characters come alive in the story. Just be warned that if you read this one, you may want to have something lighter close by to escape to when it gets tough.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!

Kristin Hannah has once again delivered a tour de force. Her new book “The Four Winds” takes the reader on an adventure that is both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. The strength of her writing is characterized by her explicit portrayal of the individual characters in this novel... To feel the agony ‘that Elsa experiences in her life and to see the reward that she reaps at the end is, in itself, a reason to read this wonderful book.. Her focus on a strong female character as the center attraction in her books is once again demonstrated here.

Although this story line was first made popular by John Steinbeck I feel this re-writing of the same story was justified and very well executed. Ms Hannah brings to the reader a new depth of perception and an intimate glimpse into the life of this section of Americana.

This is a great book to discuss with your book club! Both heartbreaking and hopeful. I learned so much about the dust bowl, which was a time in US history I knew little about.

Another sweeping tale from Hannah. I love how the settlings of her stories almost become another character.

*Warning Spoilers*

I love historical fiction and have not read many set during the 1930s with this specific demographic, so I was excited to get started on this one!

America, 1930’s, the stock market has crashed, the Texas dustbowl refuses to give forth crops and farmers flee to find work elsewhere in America only to be met by the harsh realities of poverty, homelessness, stigmas and cruelty.

Elsa Martinelli isn't a stranger to hardship and rejection and our heroine is the ever-overcoming underdog. Unloved by here family, then rejected and left by her husband, the land she loves to work literally rejects her, and then where she goes to for help spits in her face essentially. But Elsa is an overcomer in each situation. This is a story about a woman who doesn't see herself as the great fighter she is. It's about relationship, imperfect and redemptive and all the in-between. The fight to keep all the pieces together in unprecedented circumstances and the courage and resiliency it takes to be a mother.

I want to give this one a 3.75 star if I could, but rounding up to 4. I've read several of Kristin Hannah's before this and did enjoy some of her other works slightly more. But she still delivers great story line, character development, historical references that spark curiosity that may make you research for hours. All-in-all I appreciated this work of historical fiction and I think it serves as a great reminder that things could always be worse and life is truly what we make of it.

Thanks to the Publishers and NetGalley for a ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

While I did enjoy this one, I felt it was not Hannah’s best work. I found myself very bored, and kind of felt like the story was dragging on. Some of the details felt unnecessary, and a lot of the book just felt like fluff. It was just a lot longer than it needed to be. However, I did enjoy the characters and learning a bit more about this time in history.

So, what to say. I absolutely could not put it down when it started. Elsa's relationship with her parents and her desire to dream was amazing. I loved the part before Raf left. Once she moved to California, it just seemed to drag. It seemed as though that part could have been condensed. It just dragged on at the end. I think the ending was powerful. I didn't really like any of the characters (except the grandparents) so that was hard to keep with. It will succeed because it is Kristin Hannah but it started strong and slowed down too much for my liking.

THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah was the best book I’ve read in a long time. Not only does Hannah create an incredibly memorable and strong female lead, she also creates the best supporting cast of characters of any of her prior novels. You can feel the desperation and the hope and the resilience in every chapter of the book. In a time when being a parent is so much more than keeping your kids safe and provided for, this is a novel that will really speak to any parent and to anyone that refuses to give up. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Abandoned this title 20% in.

I was excited for a new KH book, but this one felt a bit mediocre. I couldn't get past the main character's whining and the constant descriptions of her being "ugly"

The Four Winds follows a period in history that I was very unfamiliar with, and I really appreciated the knowledge and depth that this book gave to the horrific environmental disaster of the 30's. This was probably the most depressing of Hannah's novels, but also the one that I felt added the least amount of character depth. I didn't mind the dark content, as this was a very dark time for Americans. But, I do wish the characters had been a bit more 3 dimensional than they were. Especially the hero love interests - they were given very minimal development and it made it it harder to want to root for or care about their stories.

Overall, this was a compulsively readable story with a lot of heart, and I really appreciated learning more about this particular piece of The Great Depression catastrophe.

Fantastic book! Love love love Kristin Hannah. She is such an amazing writer. I will definitely be recommending this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

The Four Winds shattered me into bits of emotional goo, rendering me useless while I cried ugly tears.

Yes, reading this book will induce profound heartache, BUT it will also leave you intensely grateful for the gifts you have in your life, right now, in this minute, despite whatever challenges you’re facing.

This might be the most immersive writing I’ve ever come across. I felt the dust on my skin, saw the devastation of the land, heard the wind howling. All of it became my world. I was lost to it. And don’t even get me started on the emotions. I mean, I was chopping vegetables while listening to the audiobook, and I had to stop because my eyes were so full of tears that I couldn’t see. Stock up on tissues, because, wow.

I started reading the ebook, which I’d gotten from NetGalley. I didn’t want to stop, but had lots of those mundane, annoying around-the-house things to do, so I borrowed the audiobook from Scribd. Planned on alternating, but the narration is truly spellbinding, so I mostly listened.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

Kristin Hannah has become a must buy author for me. I have not read a single book that I didn’t like by her. Every single story she writes is beautiful, heart breaking, and so emotionally well written.

There were so many times that I found myself feeling like Elsa. I saw myself feeling run down, worn out, and unable to be brave. Being a mother truly changes everything. I love how the words flow so well in this story.

It was heartbreaking to watch how this family dynamic changed from hard and devastating times. It felt so parallel to what has happened, in America, over the last year. Make sure you read the Author’s Note at the end as well.

Be prepared to feel sad, cry, laugh and remember that in the end, love is what always remains.

This was one hell of a book!!! I learned so much about the Dust Bowl and the absolutely horrible treatment of Americans who went to California for a better life. I can’t lie this book is incredibly depressing (a love a good depressing book) so I did have to alternate reading it with a light chic-lit. I took my time with it because it was all so beautifully written, but definitely not an easy read.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is an accounting of life during the Great Depression in general and the Dust Bowl years in particular. Texas, 1921, where life is comfortable and prosperous for most, except for Elsa who is unhappy and unloved. Until she meets Rafe Martinelli and life takes her to his family farm where they settle and have a family, a son and a daughter. By the thirties, everything has changed for the worse. The Dust Bowl has spread over the Great Plains. When life becomes unbearable for Elsa and her children, she makes the decision to travel in their old truck all the way to California in search of work to feed her family. This book tells the story of a people who endured horrible conditions when their land stopped producing and it is also about the inhumanity of the rich towards the poor. And it is about the love of a mother for her children. The suffering endured is unimaginable and the strength of the human spirit in next to impossible situations shines through every page. I did not realize the extensive degree of desperation and hopelessness that was experienced by so many unfortunate people. The Four Winds is well-researched and is written with compassion for those who lived through an era of poverty and need. This story stays with the reader long after the last page is read. Highly recommended. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Kristin Hannah. I have heard a lot of chatter on social media about this book. People weren’t loving it like they normally love her books. I went in with a mindset that this would be a heavy topic. I absolutely loved it. She brought to life the struggles and heartache people endured during this time period. I was so invested in this family and could not put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next. I am moved and changed. This is a book I won’t soon forget.

This was a heavy read that drew me in from the first page. I adored the first part of the book when Elsa is trying to find herself and rebels against her parents. It felt so fitting that I started it on National Women's Day and I was excited about Elsa's attempt at independence and the showing of her inner strength.

Part two begins the Dust Bowl narrative and like many readers, this was an era with which I was not intimately familiar. I thought Hannah did an excellent job of describing the hardships the people in the southern United States faced. The storyline definitely got tougher because the characters were facing extreme weather, poverty, and loss for years but it felt authentic. I couldn't fathom living in those conditions for years, with no end in sight and the perseverance and loyalty to the land the farmers felt was truly inspiring.

Once the family was in California, it was disappointing (though again likely true to the times) that they faced even more difficult circumstances than they had in Texas. Now, rather than faced with a years-long drought and the poverty and struggles that came with it, the family faced discrimination and oppression by their fellow citizens. It was amazing to see how easily the country became divided, turning against their own, once fear came into play. It was also disheartening to see how greed overtook so many people and allowed them to justify letting thousands of people suffer at their own hands. I was also floored by the parallels between then and now in our country's behavior, and how ultimately, not enough has changed.

Elsa was a strong female character though she didn't recognize or see her worth. I was glad her character did begin to develop throughout the storyline. It was hard seeing her struggles not only with the enormous hardships she faced because of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, but also because of her past, her husband, and the abuse she took from her daughter.

Loreda was a difficult character to like for much of the story, but again, it felt authentic. Teenagers are teenagers even during the Depression apparently. Her character also underwent a lot of growth and I enjoyed reading about her coming into her own and finding compassion and empathy for others.

This was one of those books that made me grateful. Grateful for clean running water on tap, electricity, heat and AC on demand, a roof over my head and a floor under my feet.

Hannah hit it out of the park again and this one cannot be missed.

I just paid twenty five dollars to cry during a pandemic... I’m not sure if that makes me stupid or a sadist. Interesting cover and blurb said this was out of my comfort zone but when you join a book club it’s commitment.

What did I like? This book really pulls you into history and it’s really my first book involving the Great Depression and the dust bowl. I’m not a huge history buff and this is definitely not a romance. While the author really makes you feel the atrocities basically it makes you feel like history just repeats itself. If you’ve ever heard your grandparents talk about the Great Depression then you know it was a hard ordeal. I just don’t understand why we couldn’t get a HEA. I’m depressed after reading this.

Would I recommend or buy? I bought a autographed copy so covered that. I’d recommend to people who love historical fiction without a HEA. I’ve never read anything by this author and it was a five star book but that ending gave me zero pleasure.

I received a complimentary ebook copy to read and voluntarily left a review!