Think Grapes of Wrath with a strong female protagonist and a little less tragedy. Good writing and a very enjoyable read.

This book was amazing! I love Kristin Hannah and this book might be her finest. The characters were so compelling and the story itself was heartbreaking (in a good way).

I absolutely loved The Four Winds. Told in Kristin Hannah's signature voice for detailing a time and place, the very dust and heat of the time period has still lingered with me. Elsa's character, while flawed, grew on me over the course of the story. Her strength and courage in the face of desperation and disappointment time and again really moved me, especially alongside the narrative she held in her heart about her own self worth. The way she finally found her courage, on her own, at the end brought me to tears. So much of this story brought to life a picture I've had in my head of what The Great Depression looked like. I wish I had more stories like this to help me connect with that time. Well done, Kristin Hannah!

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kristin Hannah does it again! It has been so long since I’ve spent a weekend finishing a book but I spent my whole Sunday devouring this one. The Four Winds takes place during the dust bowl and Great Depression and boy does she make you feel like you’re there. I have personally never read any literature that takes place during this time (which is a shame because I’m from KS) so this book was extra special to me because I felt as though I was experiencing it right along with the characters. This book combines the heavy imagery in the Nightingale with the plot driven Great Alone to create a perfect mix of the two. Plus characters that steal your heart from the first chapter. If you love Kristin Hannah, historical fiction, or just want a book you won’t be able to put down I highly recommend the Four Winds!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t think I would like this book at first because of it being set in the 1930s. I ended up really enjoying it. I would definitely recommend this book!! It was really interesting to see what went on during that time.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is an incredible novel that is a delight to read. It is about a family whose life is changed forever because of hardship. The dust bowls and lack of rain effect their land in such a way that they are in danger of losing everything. Despite their struggles they fight to survive. Eventually their father abandons them without even saying goodbye. The mother, grandparents, and two children are forced to survive on the land. Eventually the mother, Elsa, and her two children move west to California out of desperation. Their journey is one of love, and heartbreak. The family become migrant workers and there is clear abuse with wages. The migrants are taken advantage of in so many ways. Not only was this novel an enjoyable read but it was also one in which there is so much to be learned. What really happened to people in the 1930s in the United States? Why did it happen and has anything been done to change working conditions so that this never happens again? Journey with Elsa and her two children and you will be routing for them every step of the way!! Thank you to Kristin Hannah, St.Martin’s Press, and netgalley for allowing me to read The Four Winds in exchange for a fair and honest review. It was a pleasure to read and review such a great novel.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is my first novel by this author. She brought the historical period of the dustbowl and depression to life with a story of one woman's fight for survival.

I almost did not request this book for review. In high school, I read and absolutely loved The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I wasn't sure if there could be another story about this time period. However, everyone in a reviewers group that I'm a part of kept talking about it. I finally gave in to FOMO (fear of missing out), particularly knowing how much Hannah's previous novels were so talked about.

If you have read The Grapes of Wrath, you will notice thematically The Four Winds is very similar. Some of the individual scenes will also feel familiar - you can't get around describing severe drought, dying livestock, driving through the desert, trying to find work in California, etc. However, there are some differences.

First off, the story is about a woman. The story actually begins in the 1920s before skipping ahead to the Dustbowl of the 1930s. While there is a multi-generational family, the whole family does not leave the farm. I also think there is much more time spent experiencing the dustbowl than I remember from The Grapes of Wrath. The drive across the desert isn't as emotional in The Four Winds.

The women, and children as Elsa has two, experienced the time period a little differently than men. While men felt like failures because they couldn't provide for their families. I think the Depression and then the Dustbowl, hit men's pride. Whereas for women, they struggled to provide for their families, but in a different way. They were the ones that had to figure out how to keep feeding their children. WHle men took care of the fields and "cash crop" of the farm. It was often the women and children who tended the vegetable plot and livestock that kept the family fed. And beyond the physical needs of food, clothes, and shelter, women were often responsible for the family's morale - how do you keep spirits positive when the children's outgrown shoes have holes and stomaches are sunken with hunger?

Elsa was at the same the least likely character to succeed and most likely to succeed during these extremely hard times. She was born into wealth. However, she wasn't the beauty her sister was and she suffered an illness as a child that left her with a weak heart. She was destined to be a spinster. It would have been a pampered life, but it would have a lonely and mostly loveless life. Tired of the life her parents were pushing her into and wanting to experience some small semblance of the life everyone else seemed entitled to, she meets and falls in love with the son of Italian immigrants. When she finds herself pregnant her father drives her to the family's farm and leaves her there - he disowns Elsa. She doesn't know how to cook or clean and her sewing skills are more decorative than useful. Yet she is determined to embrace this new life. This same determination is what will help her family survive the worst environmental and economic crises of modern times.

For those who have read Hannah's previous novels, you will not be disappointed. The writing is rich with details. The characters are people you want to root for. I thought the beginning was a little slow, but it allows the reader time to get to know the characters and become fully invested in the family.

The scenes in California are heartbreaking and another example of injustice. Yet, there are bright spots - people who have nothing but willing to share what little they do have with someone who has even less, people who remember that at one time they were hard of their luck and willing to help out a fellow American who is now experiencing their own hard times. I think what really stood out to me was how churches where judgemental - the "Okies" (anyone coming from the Dustbowl even if they weren't from Oklahoma) were not even allowed in the churches for Christmas services.

Beyond the historical issues being played out, The Four Winds provided thought-provoking moments that are just as applicable today. I was particularly aware of how so much was politicized. The people trying to organize the workers are clearly labeled Communist. I would have liked to have known more about Natalia (if you listen to the audiobook she definitely has a foreign accent). Reading this with a buddy or a book club would allow for some great conversations.

I'm glad that I read this book and will definitely have to try to read more of Kristin Hannah's books.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday, Feb. 25 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/02/the-four-winds-by-kristin-hannah-review.html

There is no question that you will be totally immersed in the dust bowl. In fact, I needed a glass of water next to me while I was reading it! Very satisfying historical fiction.

First of all, I have to say that I am a HUGE Kristin Hannah fan. She's possibly my favorite author to read and her books just get me every single time.

The Four Winds was a brutal read, but I loved it so much. I don't know a lot about this time in history, but reading Elsa's story just gutted me. How much can one person go through?!?! I wanted to cry so many times as I was reading this story.

Elsa's childhood was horrible. Her parents were the absolute worst. THE WORST. It was like one thing after another for this woman. Yet, she kept going. She kept doing what she had to do to survive and I loved that about this character. If Hannah can do one thing, it's writing strong female characters beautifully.

This story is set during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. This is a period in our history that I don't know a lot about, BUT it was interesting learning more. The way the author describes the dust storms and everything that the farmers had to endure, it was hard to read.

This is another great story and I loved it. There's just something about a strong female character that always pulls me in and Kristin Hannah knows how to write that character for sure.

Heartbreaking, shocking, and beautifully written!!

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is another heartwarming and sad novel that totally captured my heart and had me in tears multiple times. I loved the premise of this one and learned quite a lot about this time in history that I previously knew little about.

Elsa was such a likeable and strong character.

Not quite 5 stars for me because even though this book totally wrecked me and had my attention there were times when I thought things were a little too drawn out.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Kristin Hannah for my review copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Not a short book but I devoured it. You come to love Elsa Wolcott, a wealthy young woman living in the Texas Panhandle in 1921. Loved but not liked by her family, she is able to build a life for herself.

Kristin Hannah is a master of pulling you into a time period and the story. I learned so much about the Dust Bowl and I can’t imagine how horrific it was to live through that. While The Four Winds takes place 90 years ago, there are so many relevant themes that resonate now—people scared of immigrants, a lack of fair wages, a system that makes it almost impossible for people in poverty to work their way into a more secure life. So many things were incredibly infuriating, especially the dealings with the company store.

Elsa’s motto is be brave. She is strong, smart, hard working and determined to make a better life for her kids. I loved her tenacity and giving nature.

Such a great book and I highly recommend it.

The Four Winds is about a family living through the era of The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl destroyed farmland as vast as several states with no rain in sight and a grave drought that parched their land.

The Martinelli's, the mother and two children, have no choice but to follow the thousands of people leaving their farmland and their lives behind. They head to California where they are told there are jobs.

Another great book by Kristan Hannah. This is a touching story of this family and their hardship, despair, struggle, and strength for survival. I liked this book right from the start. It captivates until the end. It is fast paced and well written. I recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This is my honest review.

This book is so beautifully written that the over 450 pages flew by so quickly that I was saddened that the story ended “so quickly.” Who knew there is so much hidden beauty in wheat?

Kristin Hannah had knocked this novel out of the part with her characters you invest and fall in love with and a story so well written it feels like coming home.

This should definitely be on everyone’s TBR list and I’d be surprised if it doesn’t hold court in the book of the year finalist kingdom.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kristin Hannah and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This was a wonderful story, and a generational tale. I wasn't sure what I would think of this novel, having only read The Nightingale by this author. However, she lived up to my expectations. Kristin Hannah does an excellent job weaving characters with true human emotions. None of the emotions she portrays in her characters ever feel surface level, and often ring true with readers even though their circumstances may not be the same as those in the book. The Depression era has always fascinated me, and I thought this was a good perspective - not just a family moving West, but then how was the quality of their lives once they got there. I loved seeing their determination and perseverance as they encountered challenge after challenge. Hannah did a fantastic job highlighting not only the emotions, but also the constant moral dilemmas that people under pressure face.

What I really love about Kristen Hannah’s writing is that she has the capability to transport you to a completely different time and make you feel like you are there experiencing everything with the characters. She can make you feel everything the character is feeling.

I love that this story is centered around The Great Depression, specifically set in the dust bowl areas. It was eye opening, to say the least, to be transported to a time that was only 80 years ago. Elsa, Rose, and Lorada are amazingly strong female characters that not only survive through tragic circumstances but they thrive and find each other, family, and love in this horrible time.

This is an absolutely stunning story about a time that was not so long ago with characters that give you hope even in their darkest moments.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read in advance of publication!

This book was amazing! Hannah knocks it out of the park again. I was completely immersed in the struggles of this family and the many people they came into contact with and did not see the ending coming. It was really hard not to burst into tears while reading at work. Amazing writing, excellent character and setting development, and a story that has me looking up the truth behind the fiction which is always the sign of good historical fiction. Days later I’m still thinking about this story!

Kristin Hannah has written another masterpiece. This story was so powerful and deep. She weaves true life events with characters that you will root for. I shed many tears reading this book and this is one of those books that will stay with you ❤️ forever.

Another incredible story from the one and only Kristin Hannah. I was captivated going back in time to learn more about the many hardships farmers faced in the 1930s. I fell in love with Elsa and her family, who wholeheartedly believe in hard work and the miracles of their precious land. This story teaches a powerful lesson in perseverance, hope, sacrifice, and the strength of a family. I never wanted this story to end, and is among my favorites by this author.

I've got to say that it's been a long time since I've cried while reading, but Ms. Hannah was able to make me feel so many emotions in this book. The Dust Bowl is not a period of history with which I'm very familiar, but The Four Winds made me understand a little of what it must have felt like to watch your home and livelihood literally blow away.

Elsa and her children decide to leave Texas for California for a better life, but when they get there they realize that thousands of people just like them are already there. People are living in tents or in their trucks, boiling and straining water from a creek, trying to survive on what they can earn picking cotton. And then the farm owners start paying less and less as the price of cotton goes down. I could feel all the futility while reading the story.

The book had a slow and bumpy start, but once Elsa became a mother, the story picked up and never let go. The fierceness with which she kept her family together was wonderful.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished The Four Winds last night and I can’t stop thinking about it. I have a book hangover right now. Historical fiction is starting to become one of my favorite genres. I learned so much about the 1920s era and the FDR financial reform. I couldn’t imagine living in the era of the dust bowl, and trying to survive. Many people didn’t have basic needs like food, water and shelter. So scary and heartbreaking. This is my second Kristin Hannah book and I HIGHLY recommend picking up The Four Winds.