This is easily my favorite book of 2020!!! The Great Depression in Texas was torturous. Elsa Martinelli had never had an easy life, but when things in Texas became difficult, her husband abandoned her and their two children. The Dust Bowl era left few options to Elsa and the children. They decided to travel to California, where jobs are plentiful and a better life can be had. Elsa learned so much about herself and her family during their travels and the family struggled to make a new life. Their journey will take you on a very emotional adventure. Absolutely LOVED this book!

The Four Winds follows Elsa as she and her family struggle through the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. The trials these characters have to go through are heartbreaking.

This is the first Kristin Hannah book I have read and I can’t wait to pick up more. This story drew me in and at the end I couldn’t put the book down.

This novel about the effects of the Dust Bowl on one Texas family is relentless in its description of emotional and financial poverty. The story traces Elsa's love-starved youth, on to her marriage of necessity, the despair of the unending drought of the Dust Bowl, and the move to California in a futile attempt to find a better life. Sometimes told from the point of view of Elsa's daughter, who only wants to escape her family, there is barely any note of optimism until 3/4 of the way through the book. The hopelessness of farmers' plight and the greed of those in power weigh down the characters, who seem caught up in a tenacious downward spiral. The prejudices, vitriol, and unfairness seem parallel to much in current news. Ultimately the strength of family and resilience emerge, but after so much despair the ending seems overly sentimental.

I really enjoyed this book! I was hesitant to begin based on the limited information I had about the story. It sounded boring. But I am so glad I read it! If you like Kristin Hannah’s writing style you will enjoy this novel - it gives off some “Little House on the Prairie” vibes, which I LOVED as a young person, and I do enjoy good historical fiction. Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Between rage-watching the news and rage-not-watching the news, this book has been an amazing escape. It tells the story of a family trying to survive the The Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

It’s a tale of a single mom and her journey to feed her kids while combatting capitalism, greed, government control, an economic crisis, and lack of fundamental individual rights.

I did say it takes place during the ‘30s right? I wouldn’t want anyone to get confused about it being a non-fiction current events piece.

⭐️ THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah is a full-on five star read. ⭐️ So many undertones in this book, so little time.

Great story with engaging characters! I could feel the dust and the hardships they experienced. This would make an awesome book discussion book.

With "The Four Winds" Kristin Hannah does it again!

Ms. Hannah has a remarkable ability to bring parts of history alive in a way that captivates the reader and makes her feel as though she is IN that time, experiencing the hardship and emotions. I was at times positively aghast at the conditions and hardships these people experienced. I cannot imagine.

I am not a person who enjoys history, in that I hated History class at school. It just did not come alive for me at all- it felt like a random bunch of dates and events that had nothing to do with me. Books such as this let me experience historical events in a way that resonate with me emotionally and stick with me.

Thank you Ms Hannah for another excellent book! 4.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*Review to be posted on my blog on 1/7/21, nearer to publication date.*
**4.5 STARS**
I Liked:
*Kristin Hannah is an auto-read author for me. She does it again with The Four Winds and wow, this is a heavy read. But like the amazing writer she is, she makes you feel despair, desperation, fear, loss and eventually hope. This story is a hard journey into a bleak time during American History, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era.

*Not only does this book make you feel – it places you in the specific time and place so you can be there in person, struggling with Elsa and the Martinelli’s. I was praying for rain to help them! I was pleading for her daughter to give her mom a break. I was begging them to take the government help. I was enraged at the discrimination and poverty they experienced in California. Kristin Hannah always does research for her books and it shows! It’s why I love her books so much.

*Elsa is our main character and she is a girl who just wants to be loved. She’s been ruled by fear and rules all her life only to be discarded by her family. But does she survive? Hell yes…she does everything for the love of her children. My god, her mother’s love is heartbreaking and enduring. Her daughter Loreda is a strong force in this story as well. She is carefree like her father and is at an age where she fights her mother on everything. It’s a long road for all of them, but mostly for these two and their relationship.

*This story is so multi-layered. There are so many themes in this book: motherhood, pride, discrimination, poverty and survival.

Random Notes:
Triggers: poverty, discrimination, depression

*This story is pretty bleak and depressing. There isn’t much happy times at all in this book.

Final Thoughts:
Kristin Hannah once again weaves an emotional tale of brutal struggle and hope. The mother-daughter relationship in this book hit me hard, especially at the end. Elsa Martinelli’s journey is one of courage and strength and I wished so much life was kinder to her. This is an inspiring story to remind us we can get through hard times and no matter what, love endures.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I appreciate @NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book. Kristin Hannah has once again done tremendous research for her setting (Dust Bowl) to give readers a true sense of the desperation, fears, daily struggles, horrors, and simple pleasures that people of this time experienced, immersing her readers in all of the emotions that go with such a difficult time. I have read numerous Kristin Hannah books and she is a master storyteller, but I found this one really tough to read. While being well-researched and well-written, I found the depth of bleakness and sadness to be difficult to keep going back to.. The Dust Bowl period was undeniably challenging, I was just hoping for some moments of victory and hope amid the struggles, but I will still read and recommend Kristin Hannah books to other readers.

Thank you to Netgalley.com for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This book was excellent. I have read many of Kristin Hannah's books in the past and have loved them all. This one did not disappoint. This is a story about a family in Texas suffering through the Dust Bowl and their migration to California. I felt that I learned so much more about how difficult the times were and reading this in the midst of a pandemic helped put our current problems into perspective. It is a story of strong women - mothers and daughters and the complex relationships they have in the midst of such terrible times.

I cried at the end and could have continued reading another 400 pages about this family. It is moving and heartbreaking but such a page turner.

Kristin Hannah has done it again. She managed to bring history to life in a way that kept my interest way beyond the last page. The tears fell several times while reading of the life story of these characters. When I read historical fiction, I often find the desire to do research when the book is done. The Dust Bowl, or Dirty Thirties, are a real thing, that real people experienced, at one of the worst times in America. This book brings it all to life and will keep you engaged, amazed and enthralled.
(I was given the gift of this ARC via NetGalley. I am extremely thankful for that.)

I highly recommend this historical fiction novel to anyone with a remote interest in America during the Great Depression. Kristin Hannah's description of life on a midwestern farm during the 1930s is haunting. At points, I felt the dust the characters were inhaling in my throat! Even though I knew that people from the Midwest were treated horribly in other parts of the country, the author's detailed descriptions of how the main characters were treated in California was appalling. I'm usually one to forgot books soon after reading, but this one has stayed with me. In fact, I plan on reading more of Kristin Hannah's books!

Book Review for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

An emotional & powerful historical masterpiece. Kristin Hannah evokes intense desperation and love in this story of 1930s Texas and the depression, drought and the Dust Bowl. Captivating and heartbreaking, you won't be able to put this down.

Wow, this book...I read it in three days and that has not happened in quite a while. #2020

It is not perfect, and I do not think anything will ever top Hannah's The Nightingale for me, but it was a great story with a lot of emotion. I only know the basics of the Dust Bowl years from school, but you never get personal stories and experiences from textbooks. KH gives us that in this novel and it is truly gut wrenching.
Elsa’s story will resonate with anyone who has ever felt lonely, unloved, or just “not enough” and you will love her journey. Things get a bit political towards the end and that is not something I really like in my stories, but it wasn’t too overwhelming. I think overall this is a great story that needs to be told about a little talked about time of the Greatest Generation.

Great quotes:
“Love is what remains when everything else is gone.”
“If I close my eyes sometimes, I swear I can still taste the dust…”

This is a really tough read. This is America. This is America at her worst, a newly relevant time period to study. 


This book is not a fun read. It is deep and heavy. This is no happy romp through the pages, this is a difficult one to get through. That being said, the writing itself is exquisite. The story is beautifully crafted. The research that went into this novel,  I cannot even. 

If you are looking for a book to make you cry, this will do the trick. This is a truly excellent work of historical fiction. It is also incredibly depressing. I recommend it if you want to be sad while experiencing a great read.

Kristin Hannah, you did it again!

The Four Winds is one of the buzziest books of 2021 and I cannot wait to get my hands on a hardcopy! But for the time being, thank you St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an eARC of this incredible story!!

The story takes place in Texas during one of the toughest times in America's history, The Great Depression and for those farmers of the great plains, the Dust Bowl.

Elsa Martinelli did not grow up a farmer, but after learning to love her husband and his family, she also came to love the land and everything about farming it. But when the depression hits and dust storms strike, she is forced to make a decision. Does she risk her two children's life and stay trying to farm land that has not yielded crops in years, or does she head west to California looking for work. In search of a better life, she packs up her two children and takes off towards California. But what she finds is that life isn't all that better once she arrives. From living in dirty camps by the river, to picking cotton for wages that are dwindling each day, Elsa finds herself on the front line of a new battle that threatens the life of her and her children.

Gosh, this story! I will warn you now, in true Kristin Hannah fashion, have tissues ready because she will manage to break your heart a couple different times, but so artfully put it right back together. There are so many things I loved about this story. First and foremost, I feel like this is an era of history that does not often make storybooks. It is so well researched and so wonderfully written, you will feel trapped in a dust story right alongside Elsa's family. The strength in which Elsa shows throughout the story is also amazing. It shows how far a mother is willing to go for her children and honestly how far a woman is willing to go in the fight for what is right.

I am calling it now. This will be the best historical fiction book of 2021!

Love, hope, and bravery in the face of the most harrowing difficulties are woven into this beautiful and gripping novel by Kristin Hannah. 5 stars!!!

The Four Winds was set in Texas during the 20s and 30s where drought and terrible dust storms across the Great Plains were the norm. Hannah writes for this time period in such detail that I felt the pain the characters felt as they made u thinkable decisions to survive during such a tough time.

Elsa is such a force as a character, only overshadowed at times by an equally powerful force, her daughter, Loreda. Their relationship and journey goes from heart-wrenching to maddening to pride all within the novel. Their eventual bond truly brought tears to my eyes and made me think of my own relationship with my daughter and with my mother.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

What an inspiration this book was , I felt bad for elsinore the way her parents treated her , this is a story about a girl who yearns to live a normal life and to enjoy all of life's pleasures and gets a late start at doing so . I loved the story line , the writing drew me in and felt the strength and courage of the main character cheering her own to live her life .