No book report from me, read the cover, it says it all. Very mixed emotions about this book,it is both sad and uplifting how people survived in the mid 30's from the Midwest to the west coast. A Cinderella story of sorts. I found it hard to believe Elsa had no connection at all with her sisters and that the parents truly treated her like a Cinderella. All their trials and tribulations were gut wrenching and hard to read. Obviously a lot of research went into the book, I just didn't like most if the characters and found the ending ,while dramatic and full circle, was less than satisfying. With that being said, it is a very good book, its just that we want feel good during these times.
I was provided an advanced reader copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

"Hard times don't last.  Love does."

This may be Kristin Hannah's best work yet.  In this masterpiece of historical fiction, Hannah takes us through the experiences of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression and the migration to California. When we first meet Elsa, she seems a sickly, sheltered woman with no prospects of ever leaving home in the Texas panhandle.  A "shotgun wedding" brings Elsa and Rafe together and she leaves home to live with Rafe and his family on their farm where they have two children.

Just over a decade later, tragedy strikes through the form of severe drought and dust storms.  The farm is devastated and Elsa learns just how strong she really is.  Her journey of triumph through true loss, challenging familial relationships, and raising two children in the most difficult of circumstances is truly inspirational.  In the end, Elsa is described as a warrior and I couldn't agree more.  Her love for her children and the things she did for them was pure strength and grit.  I had such admiration for her and the way she handled everything that came her way.

The Four Winds was written before the pandemic but is such a poignant novel for the current day.  It will both humble and inspire you and I believe is one that everyone should read.  Highly recommend!

I am so grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions and thoughts are of my own.

Kristin Hannah has done it again. No one writes about female friendships like she does, or in this case- a mother daughter relationship. This is a heart breaking story but shows the bravery and strength of so many people that experienced a time in history that I knew very little about. Elsa Martinelli is coming of age in the time of the Great Depression and the dust bowl. She is a character that has always struggled with feeling worthy of love but finds strength in loving others well. Elsa has to navigate raising children and keeping food on the table no matter what the costs. This story will stick with me long after I have closed the pages.

I always prep myself for a Hannah book with the warning that they’re utterly tragic. But this one seemed even more heartbreaking with the parallels between the Great Depression and the current pandemic and state of America. If books teach empathy then this should be standard reading for everyone. Hannah drags out your every emotion of guilt, love, empathy and sadness. There is a lyrical way to her words that paints the most heartbreaking picture. I knew very little about the dust bowl situation during the Great Depression but it was chilling to say the least made more so by the face this happened on American soil. Elsa is a woman who has been battered by life but keeps on trucking on. With two small children in tow Shes forced to explore new means of work. She’s never too tired and or too run down for her children, even when her oldest, Loreda, hits her teen years and is honestly just awful. Her tenacity and bravery isnt something Elsa comes by honesty. But as her journey unfolds, she earns it step by step. Honestly, it might be too depressing to read again but the lessons learned here are for a lifetime.

Kristin Hannah is one of my go to authors, and it seems with every book she writes, her writing just gets better and better. In Hannah’s newest novel, she takes us on a journey to Texas and California during the Great Depression.

We meet Elsa when life in Texas was going well. The people in her town were very prosperous. Her parents term her as unmarriagiable, and she is expected to stay home and care for her parents as they age. She ends up meeting a man, and she becomes pregnant. After her parents find out, she is left on the man’s doorstop never to hear from them again.

Elsa has two kids and builds a beautiful relationship with her in-laws. As we approach the Great Depression a drought hits Texas like no other. Her husband ends up leaving the family and Elsa is forced to make a hard decision and move to California to save her family.

This story was beautiful and heartbreaking about a woman who would do anything for her family. Hannah does not shy away from anything, which I really appreciate in her story telling. This is not an easy story to read, but I felt fortunate to have read this. Hannah, writes about a topic that is often not written about, and it was so enlightening. Simply…go and read this one, it is worth all the hype.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A modern Grapes of Wrath story. This would be a great companion book for high schoolers to read along with Steinbeck’s novel.
The story follows a small family as they leave behind everything they know and love to become part of the Dust Bowl Migration to California. Unfortunately, they discover, along with hundreds of thousands of others, that they didn’t leave their problems behind - they just traded them for new ones.
The Four Winds was definitely less subtle than Steinbeck’s classic, but darn it if Kristin Hannah doesn’t know how to produce the waterworks every time! I dare you to read this and not find yourself engrossed by the drama of the Martinelli family.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this ARC of #thefourwinds in exchange for an honest review.

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. Kristin Hannah is an author that everyone seems to love and revere and I have been satisfied with her books in the past. The Four Winds, though, I'm not sure that I would say the same. I think, perhaps, the pandemic and the state of the world made this book much more difficult to read. The story is based around the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, a cowardly father walking out on his family in tough times, a combative daughter, itinerant/migrant workers, Communism ... Everything in this book is bleak and depressing. Sure, there are some undercurrents of bravery, girl power and love, but the whole story is a series of bad things happening! As soon as you think that the story might turn and become more positive - BAM - more heartache. And the ending ... predictable. It would have been sad if the rest of the book wasn't so stressfully sad and bleak.

I think that this book is being released at a really bad time. The subject matter will perhaps hit a bit too close to home for some. I've seen a lot of readers this past year have difficulties in reading because of the stress and state of the world. Perhaps wait until this one comes out in paperback? Give it some time before reading.

As beautifully written and researched as this was, it's just bad timing for the release of this one! I REALLY wanted to love it and I'm a bit sad that I didn't.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

I ended up having to DNF this one. After 25% I felt like I was being emotionally manipulated by the author and that she was just using "trigger issues" to write about a difficult time.

Kristin Hannah has become an auto-read author for me, so I was super excited to read The Four Winds. When I first started reading the book, I'll admit I wasn't hooked right away. But then...I fell in love with Elsa, Loreda, and Ant. Hannah is such a gifted writer--it is so easy to make a personal connection with her characters and care about them as if they were real. The struggles described in this book were absolutely heartbreaking, yet ironically relevant to what many are struggling with today in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the every day life of immigrants.

In addition to the characters, what really got me invested in this book was the time frame. Loreda, Elsa's daughter, was born in 1921 in Texas. My grandma was born in 1920 in Kansas. It really got me thinking about her experiences as a child and if she experienced any of the dust storms. She also moved to California, just like Elsa's family, though she moved significantly later. I called my mom while reading this book to ask her about what she remembers my grandma telling her, as unfortunately my grandma is no longer alive.

One of my favorite quotes:

"Elsa knew that a library card--a thing they'd taken for granted all of their lives--meant there was still a future. A world beyond this struggle."

While this wasn't my favorite Hannah novel (my favorite is The Great Alone) this is absolutely a five star read and one I recommend to anyone and everyone. It's a heartbreaking yet beautiful book set in a time in American history that is so important and relevant to today.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

Over time, I have slowly come to realize that I absolutely love Kristin Hannah’s writing. Her books are always a mixture of sadness, hope and impeccable research. When I found out that she was writing a new book, I was very excited to receive an advance copy. I did not know a great deal about the events of the Great Depression, so I was incredibly intrigued by the subject matter of The Four Winds.

When I found out that the book begins in Texas I was excited, as this is where I am from and currently live. I always enjoy reading fiction set in my home state. I had no idea of the hardships that the farmers in the South endured during the Great Depression. I knew there was a lot of dust, but did not know that people actually died from ingesting it and that the land was so completely ravaged by it. I also was unaware of the fact that there was such a giant mass exodus from these states to head west. The author’s note at the end of the book compares it to travelers of the Oregon Trail from a hundred years earlier, and I had never made that connection before. I found this fascinating.

The characters in this novel are so well written and full of life. Elsa was such an intriguing heroine. She begins the book so completely beaten down by her life and the people surrounding her. Her low self-esteem made me incredibly sad, and also a little frustrated as a reader, which I believe was the exact aim of the author. Seeing her evolution throughout the novel was a joy to behold. The way that she faced her adversity was both real and heartbreaking.

Loreda was another character that saw so much change throughout the course of the novel. Seeing her sullen and rebellious teenage years transform her into a young woman far too early was hard to read, but also inspiring. Seeing the relationship between Elsa and Loreda was terrifying to me as a mother. The idea of having to watch my daughter suffer in any way is impossible – but Elsa does everything she possibly can to make a better life for her children. She is absolutely a rockstar.

The resilience of these people was astounding. To completely pick up your life with no idea of what will be in store for you on the other side takes such great faith. The strength of spirit that these migrants display, especially when their strength of body was so depleted, was inspiring, moving.

The Four Winds was, at times, hard to read. It seemed like the characters went from one depressing situation to another, but there is always hope if you know where to find it. I am in awe of these characters and their journey. Please, pick up this book. You will not regret it.

I'm not sure how Kristin Hannah manages to capture the spirit of a time and place so completely, but she has done so again. I read this book in 2 days, and that doesn't happen very often any more. The story is, at times, very difficult to read. The Dust Bowl was a terrible natural disaster and that is captured very well on these pages. From the horrible dust storms on the plains, to the agonizing decision to leave the known for the unknown, we follow Elsa and her children on their journey. Arriving in California they discover that, while safe from the horrible dust storms, it is not the 'land of milk and honey' that they had been led to believe. Their joy at finally arriving is soon dampened by the reality of living conditions and the poor reception given to the 'Okies'.
The ending felt a little rushed after the agonizing coverage given to the dust storms and the tent cities in California, but I spent the weekend struggling to survive with Elsa Martinelli and her children and I regret nothing.

Elsa Martinelli must leave the Texas panhandle during the darkest days of the great depression, to find work, and a way to feed her children. Like so many, she heads west to California, with just barely enough money for gas. Their experiences expose the classism and racism of America's past. Reminiscent of The Grapes of Wrath.

I have always been a fan of Kristin Hannah and this one did not disappoint! While it started off a bit slow, the middle toward the end made up for the slow burn beginning. Will definitely recommend and can't wait to own the physical copy!

A number of reviewing sources have called The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah “the most anticipated new book of 2021.” If you are like me and read The Nightingale and The Great Alone, you might have it on your list as well. I read the book in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley before it goes on sale February 2.

Elsa Wolcott grows up in a home with material wealth and emotional dearth. She has aged into what appears to be “old maid” status in 1921 Texas when marriage was the only accepted option for women. After she acts in desperation and ruins her reputation, she takes her only option and marries the younger Rafe Martinelli who helped her ruin it. She hardly knows him, but she learns to love the land and her farming Italian in-laws who are shunned by the community elite. Trouble comes with the extended drought that parches the land and devastates plants, animals, and people. Elsa is torn as she weighs the options of leaving the farm she has come to love against the rosy reports of California jobs and breathable air for her children.

Kristin Hannah, in her usual fashion, takes you to her setting and makes it real. You feel sand in your throat as dust storms whip across the Great Plains and sticky barbs of cotton bolls as you try to pick enough to survive after fleeing to California for the broken promise of a better life.

The Four Winds is worth the read for the story and the empathetic effects of the Dust Bowl followed by the Great Depression. I would add this caveat. There is a good possibility that reading it may either leave you depressed or may make you realize there have been times when life was even worse with no more end in sight than the one we are now living with Covid.

I've always enjoyed reading books set in historical times. I get lost in the differences of then and now and the "simplicity" of life. As soon as I started this book, I took a liking to Elsa. She was always shunned by her family, and spent a lot of her time in her room reading books to escape. One night, she escapes from her house and meets Rafe who changes her life. Eventually, Rafe and Elsa marry, and life begins to change drastically. The droughts change EVERYTHING and Elsa and her family head west to find a better life. However, life isn't what it seems in the west. For me, this was a heavy story, but very well-written. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction and has liked Kristin Hannah's previous work.

Kristin Hannah books can be hit or miss for me since they can be a bit melodramatic. This one was that a lot of the time, but I was very invested and really enjoyed the read- melodrama and all. This is the story of Elsa. A mother willing to do whatever it takes for her family amidst The Great Depression and Dust Bowl.

I loved Elsa’s character arc and the changing dynamics of her relationship with her daughter. This book also felt prescient in the commentary on how we treat others when facing hard times or with those less privileged than us. The Worst Hard Time has been sitting on my shelves for far too long and I’m eager to pair it with this as I haven’t done much reading about this time in American history

I thought this was an interesting story at an important time in history and I never really thought about how those who went west to escape the dust bowl would be treated. However I found the ending just too much, it bothered me a bit and stood in the way of a great book.

Tag line: There were times when the words of this story were as beautiful as the land was brutal.

My full review will be going live on FreshFiction.com, and I will be sure to add the link when it does.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is a very highly recommended historical fiction epic set during the Great Depression.

It is 1921 and Elsa Wolcott lives in the Texas Panhandle. She never felt love from her family and longed for something more, certainly love, but also acceptance and a place to belong. At the age of 25, she decides to take a chance, leaving her home one night looking for... something, she meets Rafe Martinelli, a young 18 year-old man who is also restless and the two make a connection with each other. After a few late night clandestine meetings, Elsa is pregnant, her parents throw her out, and she and Rafe are married. She lives on the Martinelli homestead, learns to cook, clean and farm, and to love her new in-laws, Tony and Rosa.

Then the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression hit the Great Plains. It is 1934. Foreclosures are rampant, crops are nonexistent, people are starving, livestock is dying, and the land is blowing away without rain. Elsa and Rafe have two surviving children, Loreda, 12, and Anthony (Ant), 7. Rafe, who has becoming increasingly distant and a hard drinker, leaves one night for California, abandoning his family. The Martinelli's struggle on until a decision must be made. Elsa takes Loreda and Ant, with Tony and Rosa's support, and they head to California to look for steady work and a better life. But California is not the land of milk and honey and the dream is a nightmare. The immigrants, or Okies, are discriminated against and taken advantage of, making their lives even more precarious.

Following in the tradition of Steinbeck's classic, The Grapes of Wrath, the historical time and setting in The Four Winds has been thoroughly researched and masterfully presented. Hannah does an excellent job setting her novel in the time period and describing the hardships they endured. The plot is well paced, covering the hardships in Texas and California and the narrative is compelling. I was engrossed in the story, both in Texas and California. There was no good choice during these desperate times and the whole gritty reality is clearly presented in totality as we follow one woman and her children. The backbreaking work for very low pay as migrant workers in California was heartbreaking and the treatment of these Americans who were just trying to take care of their families was despicable.

Elsa is, ultimately, a strong woman, but she has so much self-doubt and self-loathing that she has to overcome a lifetime of self-debasement in order to become the strong woman she is in the end. Loreda is a horrid teen, but also changes, becoming a mature, confident young woman after she experiences and takes note of the disparity of the treatment of people. When she is told, "They call you names because they don't want to think of you as like them" it was a truth that holds on today when people from the Great Plains are still called disparaging names and put down by people from California, as well as the east coast, with no acknowledgment that we are all Americans and, in light of the pandemic, we all need jobs.

Many of us who had ancestors live through this time period have heard the stories of hardship and sacrifice they endured living through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Some basic things they did during this time as a matter of course have survived right up through my generation. (Washing and reusing all plastic containers, foil, saving anything that might be useful for something.) But we were also taught to work hard without complaint and to put family first. It is a pleasure to read such a well-written novel that shows the self-sacrifice and determination of those who survived the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, in spite of the forces against them.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Publishing Group via Netgalley
After publication the review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I was deeply entrenched in the description about the Dust Bowl life and migration to Californian. As usual Kristin Hannah delivers a story with the most beautiful descriptions. From the details of the Dust Bowl life to traveling across the county to be faced with discrimination; Kristin Hannah delivers an epic story of family survival and love. Elsa’s story is one of sheer courage and perseverance even when everything in her family’s life is crumbling. This women is the type of women who I want in my life. One that will stop at nothing to protect her family even if that means she is the cost.

If you are a fan of Kristin Hannah this book this not disappoint.