The Dust Bowl during the 1930s was the worst environmental disaster in the US history, accompanied by the collapse of the economy and its effect of massive unemployment, resulting in massive migration of people from the Great Plains and other parts of the country to California. California was advertised as the land of milk and honey. Was it so?

Texas, 1921. Elsa Wolcott is twenty-five-years-old. She was a sickly child forced to stay home and not able to finish her schooling. Within the comfort of her own room, she continues to take adventures from the pages of her books she devours. At her age, she is considered a spinster and unmarriageable one as declared by her mother since men desire attractive women and Elsa is not.

Dalhart in Texas is part of the flat, Great Plains stretching as far as eyes could see, “a sea of prosperous land. (…) … A gold mind of wheat and corn.” Despite the Great War, Dalhart experienced “booming economic times.” This “making everyone in town rich,” including Elsa’s father. Thus, he doesn’t understand why she needs education for when she asks to attend college in Chicago to study literature.

1934. “Four years of drought, combined with the economic ravages of the Great Depression, had brought the Great Plains to its knees.” The land is bone-dry, completely useless, people are hungry, and animals are lethargic, men feeling useless and unhappy leave families and head west to California.

Loreda Martinelli, Elsa’s daughter, dreams about leaving the dry lands for something bigger and more exciting. Loreda’s best friend is leaving for Oregon with her family and she has to stay behind, because her mother refuses to leave the land she loves. She despises her mother for not wanting to leave this godforsaken land.

It was interesting to read about FDR’s plan to help farmers and about farmers being stubborn and proud resisting FDR’s plan which was an utter nonsense to them. They needed water; they didn’t need charity and someone to tell them that they misused the land.

The hardship and the effects of years of dust and drought are vividly presented. When farms are transported “into a sea of brown waves,” after dust storms, you can see it and also feel the dust between your teeth and in your eyes. The dust getting to people’s lungs and causing them dust pneumonia. Them being left with nothing to provide for themselves and forced to migrate west where there is promise of jobs.

It’s heart-wrenching to see people going through hardship due to natural causes and combined with economic disaster. They follow the path where promises are made of a better life. But as it turns out they’re not welcomed there anymore. They are mistreated on the fields and out of the fields. The hospitals are only for Californians who pay taxes and not for dirty Okies.

When someone who has very little to pretty much nothing shares whatever little they have with their neighbor is heart-warming. And tries to explain all the injustice to a young mind. “When times is tough and jobs is scarce, folks blame the outsiders. It’s human nature. (…) In California it used to be the Mexicans, and the Chinese before that,” and now it’s Okies from Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Elsa is a character that your heart goes to. She looks for solace in books when dealing with overbearing parents. What she lacks in nature, she finds in the novels – “to be bold, brave, beautiful, if only in her own imagination.” She loves her husband and craves his love, but as she’s been told from the childhood she is not pretty and that’s the reason. Her daughter despises her, because she doesn’t have dreams. But Loreda doesn’t know about her mother’s childhood and how her dreams were squashed by domineering parents. Loreda dreams of becoming a writer and Elsa recognizes herself in her daughter. Thus, she wants her daughter to go to college, to pursue her dreams and to be happy.

Written with beautiful prose, vividly presented story of hardship and comradery of ordinary people who show strength and resilience and human spirit that touches your heart.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is a soul searing, gut wrenching look at a family’s struggle during the Dust Bowl Era. Elsa Martinelli, daughter, wife, mother, daughter-in-law, fights for herself and her family with unparalleled fierceness and courage through heartbreak, poverty, hardship and weather. A saga that drags you through the dust and wind then plummets you into the mud and rain, all the while keeping you turning the page with hope and encouragement for Elsa. A story that has stayed with me for weeks after reading the last page. “...I swear I can still taste the dust...”.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and savor The Four Winds.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah follows the strong female protagonist as she struggles to lead her family through the Dust Bowl and beyond. It is hard not to fall in love with the bravery of Elsa Martinelli in the first few pages and quickly find yourself rooting for her until the end.

Hannah has personified the struggles that each member of a farming homestead would have felt during the Dust Bowl from the strong patriarch grandfather to the youngest son. My heart broke for them as they struggle with a loss and separation. I loved seeing each character gain strength over the course of the book.

While this book did not capture the scenery the same way that The Great Alone had, Hannah did capture the struggle that is the American Dream, especially for a family that starts from nothing. This book left a few tears in my eyes, and sparked my curiosity to read more about this period of time. Another great work from Kristin Hannah.

5 stars!

Kristin Hannah is back with a great historical fiction book, The Four Winds. This is the story of Elsa Martinelli, a plain woman, a little too tall for her time, a little too bookish, whose family overlooked her and her possibilities. After making a decision that changes her life forever, Elsa finds love, family and home.

Then the depression hits. And Elsa’s family farm in the Texas panhandle is devastated by The Dust Bowl. Elsa packs up her truck and her two kids and heads for The Golden State, California, with hope and dreams in her head.

But California turns out differently than expected and Elsa is forced to either give up or be brave.

This book had everything I love in historical fiction: a woman who overcomes adversity, family drama, love found, and aspects of history that I knew very little about. Ms. Hannah also did an excellent job of making historical events relevant to our modern times: migrant struggles, labor struggles, natural disasters.

Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the advanced e-copy of #thefourwinds! I loved it!

In THE FOUR WINDS, Kristin Hannah tells the story of Elsinore, called Ella, who makes a life against the odds of being too tall, too unattractive, too unfeeling in the early part of the twentieth century. Through her eyes, we witness the pressures of modern intruding on traditional and conservative, what is expected versus what is possible, and the love she cannot express but keeps her going through mind-staggering hardship, loss, mother love and loss, and what it was to be unwanted and unseen when her heart was so large and her mind so brilliant. This was one of those stories that kept me reading too late into the night, captivated by the powerful, beautiful story. I can see this book being a favorite of book clubs with its many topics of women's role in society, struggles with family, love and marriage, and finding your own place to express your stories in the world. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.

Kristin Hannah has once again delivered a story that is a masterpiece with a story that will break the readers' hearts, inspire, and teach about a time in American history that I will admit I knew little.

Set in the Texas Panhandle during The Great Depression, farmers were devastated by the dust storms and severe drought. Even though I have read quite a bit about The Great Depression, I knew very little to nothing about the dust storms and severe drought that devastated parts of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.

The resiliency of the people in this area is inspiring and quite unbelievable in terms of what what these families endured and fought against. This is not a happy story but is a story that many will find encouraging especially in the times that we are fighting a world-wide pandemic. Yes, the circumstances are quite different but the human spirit is still the same. Families are still everything whether they are by blood or by choice.

This is a story that will break your heart and also give you hope. The Four Winds has been added to my all-time favorite list which I did not expect by just reading the description. Readers, get your tissues ready.

I think it would make a fantastic movie.

I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

WOW. This book broke my heart into a million pieces, yet I didn’t want it to end. I fell in love with the characters and had such empathy for their journeys during the Dust Bowl and The Great Depression. Kristin Hannah has a way of making you want to cry while also leaving you feeling inspired and grateful. This is my first 5-star read of 2021 and it will definitely stay with me for a while. Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Another nice read from Kristin Hannah! With themes (mass migration, economic hardship, environmental destruction) that as ring true during the great depression as they do now.

Kristin Hannah is a remarkable writer because she educates and entertains her reader. The plot of her latest novel, The Four Winds, brings to light the the difficulties of American farmers and migrant workers in the 1930's. it is 1921 and Elsa Wolcott is a 25 year old spinster living with her wealthy parents in a Texas Panhandle town. When Elsa succumbs to the charms of Rafe and becomes pregnant she is forced to marry Rafe and is disowned by her parents. She learns about hard work by helping on Rafe's family farm and his mother Rose becomes Elsa's mentor. Unfortunately 1930 brings the last good crop and by 1934 the farm is dried up due to The Great Depression and drought. Rafe walks out on the family, leaving Elsa with her daughter, 12 year old Loredo and 7 year old Anthony. By 1935 Elsa is convinced that abandoning the farm and driving to California is their only hope for survival. It is in Bakersfield, California that Elsa and her children battle prejudice against migrant workers and every day becomes a fight for work and food. Hannah creates amazing characters and her writing transports the reader to a tenuous time that needs to be remembered. Elsa is a thought provoking and unforgettable heroin.

Riveting. Amazing. Stay up all night to finish while trying to read through tears. That’s the kind of book this is. Author Kristin Hannah has found a way to help readers move out of our current 2021 lives, filled with all manner of confusion and unknown, and placed us in an even more unpredictable location. At once more distant, yet somehow well-known, the Dustbowl during the Depression had so many problems but with even less help available. Hannah has crafted characters that are so realistic I could almost sense their presence. Her tale is powerful and moving; we may know the ultimate historical outcome but the specifics are fascinating. This is a wonder of a book. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley and I am deeply appreciative.

Kristen Hannah writes such beautiful stories about strong and courageous women and The Four Winds is another beautifully written story that pulled at my heart strings yet filled me with hope throughout the story. I loved getting to know Elsa from a young woman who excelled at making herself small to fit her family’s expectations to a warrior who discovered her strength and voice as a mother and a woman. Mama Bear! Hannah so wonderfully described the hardship of the Dust Bowl in Texas as well as the despair families suffered during the Depression my heart was breaking throughout and yet was the people endured.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to St. Martins Press, NetGalley, and Kristin Hannah for allowing me to read this wonderful story.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is an excellent story about motherhood, family, friendship and overcoming hardships.

In 1921 in Texas, America is thriving but Elsa is too old to marry. One night she meets Rafe Martinelli, a younger man who is the first man to pay attention to her. Spending a few nights together results in Elsa’s parents disowning her and forcing her to marry a man she hardly knows.

A drought has devastated the Great Plains in 1931. The Martinellis farm is struggling along with all the farms in the area. There are dust storms all the time and no projection for when things will be better. Many of the Martinelli’s neighbors are moving west where they are told jobs are plentiful. Elsa has to decide if she will stay and struggle with the land she loves or move to California to the unknown with the hope of a better life. What will Elsa choose? How will Elsa’s choices affect her family?

I loved The Four Winds. The Four Winds is an excellent story and told well. I am a big fan of Kristin Hannah and The Four Winds lived up to my high expectations. Elsa is a wonderful character. She would do anything for her family even when they don’t appreciate it. Elsa grew up with a family that didn’t love her. Then she married into a family that didn’t want her that became the family she always wanted. The relationship Elsa has with her in-laws is what she always wished she had with her parents. Elsa is not happy in her marriage and doesn’t know how to fix it. She loves Rafe so much but he has never felt the same way about her. Elsa struggles so much through the book but doesn’t let anything keep her from fighting for a better life for her family. Loreda, Elsa’s teenage daughter, is very difficult and constantly frustrated with her mother. Elsa’s son, Ant, has health problems that make Elsa’s decision to stay or leave more difficult. Elsa has never really had friends but makes a true friend in an unexpected place. I highly recommend The Four Winds.

Thank you St. Matin’s Press and NetGalley for The Four Winds.

Kristin Hannah’s latest book is one of distress, poverty, and hard times such as the United States had not known before in The Four Winds. My parents were what we called “depression era babies” with the results of living as a child through that time lasting and evident in their choices. Luckily, they did not live in the Dust Bowl. Elsa Martinelli was not so fortunate.

The book shows the hardship that she and her family endured along with countless others. The Four Winds brings to life the pictures that exist documenting these difficult times and choices made. No longer faces in pictures but real people with painful stories. Also how Else survived and overcame the adversity that continued time after time in her life.

A sad read much of the time but one that reminds us of inner strength and perseverance that can be found when we dig in. A book that is needed for 2020-2021. May we be like Elsa Martinelli and her friends never like those who judged others so harshly.

4.5 Stars
An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is easily one of the best books I have read in awhile. Kristin Hannah does it again!! Her writing is beautiful and you feel like you truly know the characters. I left this book crying, smiling and also yearning to learn more about the dust bowl.

Let me preface this review with a couple things:

1. Kristin Hannah is hands down my favorite author! This woman's stories are gorgeously written, heart-wrenching, and so vividly executed. I just adore her.
2. The Nightingale is my favorite book of all time.
3. Favorite author + author of favorite book = very excited for The Four Winds

Now, all of that being said, here's the let down. This was not my favorite Kristin Hannah novel. It wasn't even in my top 5. It was beautifully written (as always). This woman knows how to string words together in a way that makes people feel something. And I particularly liked being immersed in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression era. But the story itself dragged and dragged and dragged. Perhaps this was intentional to make the reader feel the monotony, despair, and hopelessness the migrants felt during this period. Mission accomplished. Once I got closer to the end, I felt the story start to pick up (yay!) but it took a somewhat strange direction and then ended rather abruptly. The story didn't feel resolved and I didn't love the direction it took toward the end.

All in all, I liked this one but did not love it. I won't be raving about it like I have with so many other of Hannah's works. I'm confident that her following will continue to sing her praises though even if The Four Winds isn't their favorite book in her collection.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Kristin Hannah, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review.-

Gritty, insightful, and incredibly atmospheric!

The Four Winds is an intriguing tale that sweeps you away to Dalhart, Texas during the 1920s – 1930s, when the country is reeling from the great depression and the townsfolk of West Texas must decide to continue to struggle to maintain their livelihoods, identities, and health through the relentless heat, devastating wind storms, and catastrophic droughts or relocate to the lushness of California where water is plentiful, the land is fertile, but survival may be just as difficult or worse.

The prose is poetic and lyrical. The main characters are strong, resilient, and hardworking. And the plot is an enthralling, emotional saga filled with life, loss, self-discovery, motherhood, familial drama, social stratification, poverty, tragedy, discrimination, inequality, heartbreak, courage, romance, and friendship.

Overall, The Four Winds is another exquisitely written, exceptionally detailed, beautiful novel by Hannah that I absolutely adored, and is undoubtedly going to be a big hit with historical fiction fans and book clubs everywhere.

Kristen Hannah’s latest novel is historical fiction, but many themes felt so relevant to today! This story takes place in Texas and California, during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. I really enjoyed Elsa’s journey of finding herself and her own strength, and I loved the way the female friendships were written.

I haven’t felt this immersed in a story in a very long time. Kristin Hannah weaves beautiful writing with impressive research that bring her characters and stories to life. The hardships and heartbreaks Elsa and the other characters experience are viscerally felt. The perseverance and determination in the characters is awe-inspiring and a “#firstworldproblems” reality check. Reading this story I was reminded of my own great grandmother’s experiences during the Great Depression and all that generations before me endured in order for me to be here right now. This is what a great story does—it makes you think, feel, reflect, and it stays with you.

So, about midway through this book I looked at my husband over dinner and said, “So, the pandemic is rough and all, but have you read up on the Dust Bowl?”

The strength in THE FOUR WINDS is its detailed account of a specific era. And I love historical fiction for that — getting to really learn about a place and tone through story. If that’s your jam, you’ll find it in spades in this book. I came to really connect with Elsa and admired the strength she found that she didn’t know she had.

I enjoyed the book and am glad to have read it, but it was not a 5-star read for me. I found the beginning section unsatisfying and a not quite believable enough, but once Elsa was firmly implanted with the Martinelli family, things flowed better in my opinion. I also found it a touch melodramatic and lacking subtlety.

That being said, a book does not have to be perfect or 5-stars to be worth reading. In our own uncertain times, I found it cathartic to read about people persevering in our history’s past. We are not the first, we won’t be the last. We will persevere, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the advanced copy of this title.

We have here a sprawling tale of Elsa, born into a "good" family but never good enough. She stumbles into a marriage and a family and then takes control of her life. Eventually. This is a sprawling tale through The Depression and the Dust Bowl of a woman who was never expected to be much and was never thought much of, especially by those who were meant to love her the most. And ye she eventually found her voice and left a legacy for her children. It was a long and a depressing story of the struggle of women who do not fit to make a place for themselves.