A beautiful, emotional story that cuts straight to the heart! I love anything Kristin Hannah writes. The Four Winds is the 2021 book that I was most looking forward to reading this year.

I adored and loved the women who fought their way through The Dust Bowl and Great Depression. The strength and perseverance that it took was unbelievable. Their story was unimaginable with so much loss. It really makes you appreciate all that you have. I flew through it, absolutely loving it the entire way!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced digital copy! All thoughts are my own.

Kristin Hannah is one of those authors whose book you know you will love no matter the subject or genre. She’s that good at bringing character, time and place to life. Her research is dependable which lets the reader “live” in times too hard to fantasize, while appreciating the beauty along the way.

She’s done that again with Four Winds. Here more than ever, Hannah gives us a glimpse of the lives and expectations of women in the pre depression era, then raises the stakes by putting her underestimated character, Elsa, on a Texas panhandle farm immediately before, and then during, the dust bowl. Elsa and her children keep descending the societal ladder and eventually find themselves as homeless migrant workers in California.

I don’t want to spoil the story but must elaborate on the brilliant descriptions of the time and place. I could FEEL the dust in my nostrils. The cold wet nights of homelessness. The despair of hopelessness. And most importantly, the strength that Elsa finds within herself.

If you’ve missed Hannah’s other historical novels, you owe it to your hungry reader self to pick them up. Four Winds is the most recent, but only the beginning. Brava, Kristin Hannah!

I was granted access to this book by Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press. Four Winds releases today, February 2, 2021.

I am usually a big fan of Kristin Hannah, but this one was too bleak for me. The pacing was also a bit slow at the beginning, although I did feel it improved at the end.

This is a fictional story set in the era of the Dust Bowl. Elsa Martinelli is part of a farming family. There is a one-two punch as first the Depression hits and then the weather event known as the Dust Bowl begins.

Her family is fighting a losing battle for survival as the dust covers their crops and the winds and the heat wreck havoc. It seems like the rain has dried up forever and Elsa, just like so many others ends up heading west to find work in California.

The way they were treated in California was a surprise to me. I grew up in that state and never learned of this awful period in time. To say that Californians were not welcoming to their fellow citizens is to put it mildly.

My curiosity was piqued by the story and sent me on a research trip into that shameful period. What I learned was just how true to the period this book is.

I was left feeling sad when I finished the book. I think it was more to do with the actual history than the way the book ended. However, I am so glad I read this book and it led me further into understanding how our country was shaped by the events of the twentieth century.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

In "The Four Winds," we follow a family through the Great Depression, traveling from their struggling farm in the Texas plains to a small Californian town. Along with so many others, the Martinelli family - led by matriarch Elsa - struggle to find work to survive the harsh environment as they escape the Dust Bowl.

Elsa is such a strong lead character - both in headlining the story and in personality. With her family's best interests always at heart, Elsa would do anything for them, and we see her grow from a quiet wife in Texas to a passionate leader in California.

Kristin Hannah is QUEEN of the depressing plot and "The Four Winds" is no exception. This family SUFFERS. But there is also a glimmer of hope that weaves through the pages. This is what sets "The Four Winds" apart. Elsa never gives up and I always felt committed to seeing her efforts, even at the worst of times.

"The Four Winds" is even stronger than Hannah's previous bestseller "The Great Alone." The trials of the Martinelli family felt much more organic here. The pain the characters experience is authentic and natural, and it never felt like a pile-on to make things worse for them. This was such a dark time in history, and through the novel, Hannah explore a number of aspects, including a woman's role, worker's rights and class systems.

The Great Plains of Texas and the Californian fields are their own characters. The setting creates such a strong atmosphere. Vivid world building is one of Hannah's strong points as a writer and she really excels here. Even when the plot slows, the sweeping descriptions of the cotton fields or the small town were enough to keep me drawn to the novel.

Loreda was… not my favorite character. But the mother-daughter relationship between Loreda and Elsa destroyed me. It was really raw and turbulent, but they were always there for the other person when needed. Loreda pushed Elsa, and Elsa was always there to draw Loreda back to Earth.

"The Four Winds" felt very fresh for historical fiction. While the overall plot was centered on survival, it felt much grander as we traveled through the Great Plains to California. I loved "The Nightingale" when I read it a few years ago, but "The Four Winds" is my new favorite Hannah novel.

I would have liked this book more if it weren't 464 pages. In fact, I can even tell you which pages I would have removed. The story gets so entirely bogged down in the Dust Bowl that I was surprised the book finally left. To me it felt like Ms. Hannah was so enamored with all the bits and pieces of trauma that she couldn't consider leaving one out and had to keep going back for more. Finally, the book heads west but only to succumb to a rather cliché ending. I expected a bit more of a reward for surviving all the trauma.

This was an absolutely amazing book. This was the second book I have read by this author. I felt as if I was part of the story. So very real. Amazing storyline and characters.

THIS BOOK!! WOW. Kristin Hannah did it again. It's deep, powerful and I couldn't put it down! This book wasn't a happy one, BUT it was a poignant story and relates to what is happening to our world right now with COVID-19. Times are hard for Elsa. In more ways than one but she is a strong woman. In fact, most of the women of her time were. Circumstances had her making decisions she didn't want to make. But she did it and with as much grace as she could. Times were hard and she did what she had to do. I was completely immersed in Elsa's story and Kristin brought ALL. THE. FEELS. This was truly a beautiful read and gave me a book hangover; 1st of 2021!

Elsa lives a life of privilege but she is still in a terrible situation. When she ends up pregnant, her family kicks her out and she moves in with her new husband and his family on their farm. Elsa has no experience in farm life or a family quite like this one.

When life once again takes a terrible turn, Elsa digs deep for strength and makes some tough decisions. After the last dust storm which nearly killed her youngest son, Elsa decides to leave the only true family she has ever known. She loads up her kids and they strike out for California.

Elsa is one tough lady. She struggles to feed her family, to show love, and to just plain survive. She does what it takes. Sometimes it was even too much for me to handle. I would have to set the book aside for a minute and just breathe. My heart goes out to the people who lived during this time period.

Well! I think I have already read the best of the year for me! It is going to be tough to beat this one! What a wild ride this book is. Every emotion you could have…it is experienced within this story. I cannot imagine going through what these people went through.

Do not miss this one! Best of the best! It gives you all the feels!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

As a fan of Kristin Hannah’s work, it should come as no surprise that I went into her newest novel The Four Winds with a high amount of eagerness and anticipation. Having read and loved several of Hannah’s previous novels, the bar was already set high and of course, Hannah did not disappoint – this book was every bit as good as I expected it to be, and then some!

Set in the rural Great Plains in Texas, the story centers around 25-year-old Elsa Wolcott, who longs for a different life other than the sheltered existence she grew up in. Her parents view her as “unattractive” due to her plain looks and looming height, which also makes her “unmarriageable” and therefore not worthy of their love and attention. One day when she goes into town, Elsa meets Rafe Martinelli, who finds her beautiful and gives her the affection she has yearned for her entire life. When Elsa becomes pregnant, her parents disown her and abandon her at the Martinelli’s farm, giving Rafe no choice but to own up to his actions and marry her. Over the next 13 years, Elsa grows into her role as wife and mother, but more than that, she comes to love both the land as well as the people who cultivate it – namely, her in-laws, Tony and Rose, who see the strength and beauty in her that her own parents never did. In 1934, as years of drought devastates the land and threatens the farmers’ livelihoods, the Dust Bowl arrives and further decimates the land. When the destruction gets to the point where her children’s survival is at stake, Elsa must make the difficult decision to either endure and continue to fight for the land she loves or head west to California in hopes of more opportunities and a better life.

This story is not an easy one to read, as it covers one of the darkest periods of the Great Depression where there was a lot of suffering all across the country. The characters go through hardships both natural and man-made, enduring horrible circumstances so bleak and heartbreaking that it’s hard not to admire the indomitable nature of the human spirit and a person’s will to survive. Kristin Hannah always manages to create realistically drawn and memorable characters – flawed characters who mess up and who may not even be entirely likable, yet no matter what, you can’t help rooting for them. For me though, it was more than just rooting for these characters – they ended up endearing themselves to my heart, to the point that I just didn’t want to let them go. I love all the strong, courageous women in this story – from Rose to Elsa to Loreda – all of whom are fictional, yet they felt so real to me. Hannah states in her Author’s note that Elsa and several of the other characters represent the thousands of brave and courageous migrants who headed west back then, bringing with them “nothing more than a will to survive and a hope for a better future.”

Hannah is a masterful storyteller at the top of her game, whose beautifully immersive writing style never fails to impress me. The atmospheric way in which she describes the landscape and the characters’ surroundings, along with rich historical details seamlessly woven into the narrative, combine to evoke a strong sense of time and place, which is one of the aspects of Hannah’s writing that I love. I also appreciate the depth of research that went into establishing the historical context for the story – not only did I learn a lot about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era, I was also compelled to do additional reading on my own after finishing the book.

This is my first 5 star read this year and it was definitely well worth the time (though I actually surprised myself by finishing this nearly 500 page book in just 2 sittings). As I wait (impatiently) for Hannah’s next book, I hope I’ll have time to continue working through her backlist at some point.

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley

Wind, dust and the Great Depression takes it toll on the spirit and body of the Martinelli family. Elsa Is dumped by her husband and she has decided for the life of her children there is only one choice- Westward! California is the way all the people around there neighboring farms have left to trek.

This book is a phenomenal venture of not only the adversity they encountered, but the overall inequality of living standards for those who uprooted themselves to find work and food for their families.

The author does such an interesting exploration of looking through the eyes of not only a woman’s perspective, but a teenage girls as well. The author makes you feel the grains of the dust whirling in the home and the flow of mud in California as it does today! The characters spring off the pages int your heart and make you want to know more about that time of our history!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an opportunity to be mesmerized by a trip into a period of our history!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

I've read many of Hannah's books over the years so I always keep an eye out for her work. Covering decades, her latest certainly has an epic feel to it. Elsa grows up in Dalhart, Texas, the daughter of a wealthier family. But a childhood illness and a rather cold family leaves Elsa feeling alone - with nothing but books for real company. Desperate for affection, Elsa at 25 decides to take real risks and ends up changing her life forever.

The book moves from prosperous times to focus more on the harder times on a farm in a small Texas panhandle town that suffers in the draught and windstorms of the Dust Bowl. Elsa's daughter, Lordeda, also provides her own voice as their family eventually joins the exodus West to California. Covering The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, this book certainly is rather grim - all the more so because of Elsa's own view of herself, hammered in by her family which only adds a separate depressing layer. And Loreda's perspective is through her early teens, so her relationship with her mother is quite contentious as is so common at that age.

The book definitely feels well-researched - and the historical detail is woven in well. I appreciate that there aren't chunks of info dumps anywhere to be found. And I appreciated the details like the pricing of staples as the finances of the family are a focal point throughout. It's not a fun read, but it is a fascinating one. I do wish that the supporting characters had a bit more depth to them. Because of the many hardships, the book does drag at bit and the ending is rather predictably tragic.

The dust storm section, though, was really eye-opening. I don't think that I have ever heard of dirt pneumonia before this and I think the imagery of those scenes will stay with me for the rest of my life! I sort of wish that they had stayed there and continued on with that setting. The California part worked well for the character development, but the communist/striking section also felt a little more familiar. I think that the characters seemed a bit modern in their sensibilities at times, but I think that this will only be another starting point for discussions that I am sure this book is sure to generate. I am sure it will be a popular one, as it is also a Book of the Month club choice for February. I also really appreciated the author's note at the end discussing finishing this book during the pandemic.

A historical fiction novel set in The Great Depression told from the female perspectives of a warrior mother and her courageous, teenage daughter. The lovely and engaging writing of Kristin Hannah weaves together a tale that's both incredibly sad and indelibly hopeful.

This is a story of downright hardship, pain, and despair. Yet, it's one of survival; what it takes to survive not matter the personal, emotional, and financial cost. It's of one woman with a heart full of love whose need to protect and guard her children play on your heartstrings and remind you of the absolute resilience of the human spirit. It's a story of bravery. Courage that you can't even see but find a way to muster for those who hold most dear. It's a story of grit and fight when it's recognizable but more importantly, when it's not and how come to see it.

That's my most personal take away from this book. The strength and fight of the human spirit. The strength, specifically, of a Mother. But of that of a daughter of such a warrior woman. These two females have much to teach us about the bond that connects us and the bravery we gain from the connection. And how much we learn from each other and how much we evolve from those learnings. This book, through it's many obstacles and such grief, reminds of that resiliency of spirit and what we can learn from it. It reminds us of the power of love and the many forms it takes and how often we take advantage of it yet it always remains. And I think, especially now, that's a message worth reading.

Kristin Hannah has a very large fan club of which I am a member. I have read most of her titles and loved them. The many people who read her books know that she will bring us into the story and make us care about the people and communities while we watch their story unwind. Ms Hannah grabs the reader on the first page and pulls them into and along while she educates us too. This book takes us into a desperate era in the Midwest. I live in Oklahoma and no matter how bad the Dust Bowl era sounds in the book, it was worse. Whole families and their history was lost in the few years it took to clear the land of every scrap of arable soil. This history is an integral part of our state's story, as children, we learn it well. Ms Hannah has done an excellent job of conveying the hopeless and despair brought to a whole section of the nation and how the options of so many were limited to joining the exodus to California, where their way of life would be forever changed.

As a child of a family of "means", Elsa should have had a wonderful childhood. Instead, she grows up in the shadow of her sisters with an overly critical mother. When Elsa meets a young man who treats her well and seems interested in her, she sees her escape into a life where she is appreciated and cared for. With love and care, she blooms and grows. Then comes the Depression and the Dust Bowl, a time in American history that still has echoes into everyday life as farmers have changed the way they take care of the land. This is not a "happily ever after" ending. It is a book that shows no matter the hardship, a family with love at it's heart can survive and build. At least 5 stars and an A+ for the history lesson.

The Four Winds was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I always go into anticipated books hesitantly because I'm afraid of being disappointed. I'm happy to report that there is no disappointment here.

This was my first ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book of the year and I'm so excited that it gets that honor. This story is engrossing. As a main character, Elsa is easy to love, but hard to like at times. I wish she has listened to Loreda more, but while heartbreaking, I liked seeing where this story ended up.

If you like Kristin Hannah, this won't let you down.

I had high hopes for this book but was disappointed. Many years ago I read and thoroughly enjoyed Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, and looked forward to another take on the Dust Bowl, Great Depression and migration of farmers to California searching for a better life.

Here, once the decision to leave for California is made the rest of the book became too reminiscent of Steinbeck’s. Although we have a single parent instead of a multi-generational family trekking over to the golden land of California, the main story line is so similar I nearly stopped reading to go re-read the original.

Another aspect that bothered me while reading was the naming of things. Calling out, "well this is the Dust Bowl" or, "this is the Great Depression," we know and it was awkward to read these labels. This was being shown and there was no need to tell it as well. There was a line that was hopefully cut or changed before publication. This is a modern phrase coming from immigrant Italians who used the line “more power to you,” a phrase I highly doubt anyone from the early 1930s, but definitely not these characters.

The book also felt overly long, as there was a lot of repetition and similar scenes. There is a good book in here, but not the one I read. I had hoped for another take on this time period, and there are some slight differences, but not enough.

This book is exactly what we have grown to expect from Kristen Hannah. "The Four Winds" has a gripping storyline with well developed characters that will stick with you long after finishing the book, which is why she has become one of my all time favorite authors.

Another great books from Kristin Hannah. The characters were so well done and really enjoyed learning more about that time in history. A solid book that will be well received.

I'm not sure I even have the adequate words to describe how much I loved this book. Kristin Hannah is a beautiful writer and I found myself thinking I was living in the same world as these characters. Hannah has a way of putting you in the story too.

I've been anticipating her newest release for quite some time and I knew I would have it read in just one sitting. I felt every emotion these characters felt. My heart ached for Elsa and all that she was going through. Hannah's writing is so descriptive and it flows so beautifully.

This book had me in tears at the end. So many emotions throughout this book and I'll definitely be recommending it to everyone I know!

Thanks to the publisher for advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I finished reading The Four Winds several weeks ago, but have been unable to formulate the words to express how good this book is. Elsa Martinelli and her family live during the Great Depression, and the trials and hearaches they experience seem almost too debilitating to survive. From the lack of rain contributing to the inability to raise crops to eat and sell, to the difficulty to breathe in the dryness of the air, you will experience the feeling of these hardships with Elsa. From the impact of the wind on the environment, to the desolation of the land, you will feel Elsa's pain as she and her family must decide what they must do next to survive. From the unforeseen hardships they experience once decisions have been made, to the friendships and enemies they make along the way, you will root for Elsa and her family, marvel at her strength and cry with her in despair. Overall, this is a sad book but an amazing one. You will feel that you are right in the middle of the Great Depression with Elsa and others, experiencing both their hopelessness and their hope along the way. You may not always agree with some of the decisions Elsa makes along the way, but you will understand they are made from a place of love, hope and strength.
The Four Winds is one of the very best historical novels I have ever read. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for giving me the privilege of reading and honestly reviewing an ARC of this amazingly well written book.