This was a great story, although it seemed to end at the mid-way point of a very dramatic situation. I was a solid five stars until the very end, but the abrupt and unexpected ending left me feeling like the book had been cut a bit short. I just wish the story had continued a bit past the point where it ended - I feel there was a lot left to tell and a lot left unresolved. However, I really loved these characters and the story was so compelling that I couldn't put it down.

I don't agree with other reviewers that this book is a "knock-off" of Grapes of Wrath. The book overall is not the same story, just the same historical timeframe. It's probably natural to compare to Steinbeck since there really aren't any other stories about Depression-era Dust Bowl migrants, but shouldn't there be more than one story about this major event in American history? Hannah's main characters are females who spend half of the novel trying to avoid migrating to California, so we are getting different experiences and perspectives in each of the two novels.

I love historic fiction, but besides the Steinbeck we're all required to read in High School I haven't read much set during The Depression. Which is surprising because I've read a ton of nonfiction on the subject (The Worst Hard Times is a stunner!). So when Four Winds became available I was instantly drawn to it and I wasn't disappointed. I won't break down the plot points since I'm sure other reviewers will, but this book introduced me to three remarkable female characters who I came to care deeply about as they struggled to hold onto themselves, and each other, through a desperate time in our history. It was a novel full of love, heartache, poverty and searing political imagery. But at the core was a beautiful reminder of the incredible strength all women carry within. A strength that allows us to survive even when the times we are living through try to break us.

Kristen Hannah has a way of writing that transports you to the time and place in which her stories transpire. In The Four Winds, she takes the reader to 1930 ‘s Texas during the Great Depression. Elsa is from a family of means, but she is not seen or heard in her family. She has been dismissed for being a girl of lesser beauty who has suffered an illness at a young age. All she wants is to be acknowledged, to be loved and wanted. She finds that in the arms of Rafe Martinelli. Finding she is pregnant, her parents discard her at the Martinelli farm.
This is no time to be a farmer. The land is fractured by drought and re-sculpted by the storms of the Great Dustbowl. With no way to provide for her children, Elsa finds the strength to move to California with the hope of finding work. She finds herself again, not a person, not seen. She is a migrant worker.
In The Four Winds, Hannah brings the terror of the fast rising dust storms and the hopelessness as animals suffer with each day that passes without rain. I learned about the treatment of the field workers in California. So much of this resonates with the world we find ourselves in today.
But for all the losses, there is also much found. The inner strength to persevere and fight for your family, for you dignity and your future.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Four Winds in exchange for my honest review.

Kristin Hannah again tells us a story that will pull you into the lives of the characters right from the very first page. Elsa Wolcott has the misfortune to be born into a family of privilege who, because of her childhood illness and ungainly appearance, has found it easiest for them to dismiss and discourage her from anything resembling a normal life. Elsa's love of reading gives her both solace and encouragement.....enough to finally defy her family in an attempt to become her own woman. Her journey, which is ultimately to find love and acceptance for who she is, becomes fraught with the hardships of farming in the Texas Panhandle of the 1930s along side her husband, Rafe, and his family. As Elsa Martinelli, she learned about both the greatest love and the despair of love,. As she takes her family away from the Dust Bowl of the Panhandle and travels to California, she unwittingly finds the strength within to be strong and brave. The mantra she tried to live by was from her grandfather who told her "Don't worry about dying, Elsa. Worry about not living. Be brave." It is her daughter who pushes her to become a woman who learns to fight for what she believes in, as she learns to stand out, and not to disappear within herself as she had done most of her life. It is an emotional read to see the growth of Elsa through her hardships, and it is a tribute to Ms. Hannah's writing skills that make that happen. The heartbreaking stories of the victims of the depression, the weather disasters causing them to leave their homes, and then California businessmen's greed and lack of compassion, are painful to read because we know that these things really happened in our country's history. This is a book I will definitely recommend. I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley #TheFourWinds

The Four Winds is an incredible story based on American history starting right before the depression in Texas.
The novel revolves around Elsa. She is young,, lonely, and has spent her youth recovering from rheumatic fever.
She meets Rafe and that is when her life begins.
Elsa is our heroine. The book depicts the harrowing life she lives trying to make it through the depression . This is on par with The Nightingale - an earlier book of this author.
.Dont miss this book!

I love this author, so as soon as I saw this book listed I knew I had to request a copy! Kristin Hannah always does a great job with her novels, and she always knows how to weave in little bits of history, and almost transport you back in time. Her writing always does a good job with making you see things through the character's eyes, and this book was no different.
This follows a woman named Elsa, starting around 18 years old, I til she was about 40. It follows her as she starts with a life living as the "ugly duckling" of her well to do family in the late 1 920s. Elsa then meets her first "love," Rafe, who is the one and only person in her life to make her feel pretty, and like what she wants in life matters. Then after Elsa ends up pregnant, and thrown out of her parent's house, she moved into Rafe's parent's farm house,and begins her new life.
Through living as a wife, and mother on the farm she learns how important, and wonderful farm life can be. She learns how to do everything from tending a garden, to making everything from scratch with the ingredients all being grown on their farm. Then when the land turns on them during the Dust Bowl, and Great Depression, everything dies and the Dust pneumonia threatens to take Elsa' s youngest child from her as well. When her husband walks out and leaves in the middle of the night, she is then faced with life without him, and with her daughter Loreda's rage over being abandoned by her father directed at Elsa.
Elsa takes her family West, as a lot of other families are doing, in hopes of finding work, and safety for her children. What they consider poverty then they could ever imagine, along with a fight for fair wages being waged. Elsa didn't know it at the time, but her strength was just beginning to be tested. Elsa is tested beyond measure, but in the end she finally finds out who she really is.

This is a very plot driven book about the Great Depression/ the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.  Overall the book was fine, the pot was interesting enough to keep reading.  I felt the characters were a bit flat from the beginning of the novel, especially Elsa, the main character.  I wish there was more feeling and depth behind them.  The plot writing was very heavy handed, in order to make sure characters experienced all major events during that time, you can tell the author was stretching the story a bit.  I am very interested in the topic of the Dust Bowl so it kept me wanting to read the book, even though it is not my favorite from this author.

As always, Kristin Hannah is able to ensnare the reader in a captivating world of complex characters in a desolate environment, with a powerful female lead who is molded by her decisions in harsh and unforgiving social and economical climate. While The Nightingale still holds a special place as my favorite novel by Kristin Hannah, The Four Winds take a very close second.

I received an ARC via Netgalley and I so glad that I did. Kristin Hannah has beautifully written a new American classic that everyone should read. Elsa is raised in a household that can give her security and anything monetary but no love. She eventually finds love (and herself) when she is destitute.

Elsa is raised in a wealthy family but is basically shunned by her parents and sisters because of her gangly appearance and fragility due to an illness that weakened her heart. She is encouraged to live a solitary life in her room. She is told that she isn't loveable or desirable and she will spend her life under her parents' roof. She fills her days with reading and staying as out of the way as possible. However, she yearns for a life of love and fun and eventually her own family. She defies her parents' wishes and goes out in a risque dress. She winds up meeting a man and winds up pregnant. Her mother and father are enraged and deliver her to the family of the young man.

This new family, The Martinelli's, take her in and she marries their son. She is now living a different life filled with hard work on a farm. She finally has a mother and father figure that show her love and kindness. She gives birth to a daughter and then a son. Elsa has a home that she loves and the children she never thought that she would have. Life gets even harder for her when a drought hits Texas. Crops die, animals die, and Elsa's marriage dies, too. It's hard for all of them to hold onto hope.

After Elsa's son gets very ill from inhaling dust, she takes herself and her children west to California. The trip is dangerous for anyone let alone a woman traveling without a man in the early 20th century. When they arrive in California, they realize that life is very hard for transplants. They aren't wanted, they are feared, there is no work, the living conditions are bleak. They have less in California than they did in Texas. They are among thousands that are trying to survive the rough conditions. Throughout everything that Elsa went through, she stayed as strong as she could for her children. She tried to do her best, worked hard, and was a true warrior.

Without going into too much more of the story, let's just say that I cried multiple times while reading The Four Winds. Kristin Hannah has written such a gripping story with such strong characters that I was moved to tears during several scenes. I never wanted this book to end. I couldn't help but reflect on the state of our country now and compare it to 100 years ago. The hard times that people are in, the fear that people still have of outsiders, the strife that people have to go through to survive. Youc annot help but draw comparisons and feel empathy.

In the end, a lesson is learned. No matter what, love endures. We go through lots in our lifetimes, happiness ebbs and flows, but there is love. The relationships within Elsa's life are all so different but at the end of the day there was always love and there always will be.

Thank you, thank you for this wonderful read! This is one that I will most definitely recommend and will hold in my heart for a long time. Wonderfully written. Five stars!

This is another Kristin Hannah historical fiction novel that will transport you to a different time and make you feel as though you are living in the era of the story. This book takes place during the Depression and the Dust Bowl,; the descriptions of the harsh environment and conditions are incredibly descriptive, and the devastation and despair of the characters feel like a gut punch. As the main character, Elsa, decides to escape the Dust Bowl and migrate to California, we see the continued grit and strength that are hallmarks of many of Hannah's female protagonists. Elsa and her family immediately faced discrimination and hatred because they are migrants, and they find that the opportunities for good jobs that they had heard about were non-existent. Elsa escaped one impossible situation just to be faced with another. This book spans a difficult era in our country's history, and you'll see many parallels to what we are facing in 2020. I loved everything about this book and highly recommend you pick it up when it is released on February 2021. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance e-copy!

I'm clearly in a tiny minority with this one, but The Four Winds was a...slog.

I've had Kristin Hannah on my "to read" list forever now after hearing so many people rave about her beautiful writing style. Unfortunately, this one does not make me want to seek out any of her other books.

I admit to being hooked right away--Elsa's beginning was an emotional punch and I loved the writing. Even though the Great Depression is not one of my favorite periods for historical novels, I had to read more. But once I passed the ten percent mark, I began to tire of everything. I skimmed the last twenty-five percent and the emotions evoked from the beginning did not carry through. By the time I got to the parts near the end that were clearly meant to be tear jerkers, I simply didn't care.

Let me start by saying what worked: Ms. Hannah clearly did her research and the accuracy (with the exception of her notes to say that she manipulated the timeline to fit her story) is excellent. Other reviews have mentioned being put off by the communism thread. Unfortunately, the American Communist Party has been here a long time. I wasn't disappointed in Ms. Hannah including it as I am with people like Loreda flocking to it. Let me tell you, Ms. Loreda, if you think things are so bad for you workers (they were, I will agree heartily), wait til you see what comes of millions starving to death under communist-government induced famines. The rich-employers-vs-the-downtrodden-worker plot was handled a little simplistically given the complexity of the period and it felt like the author was trying to to hard to make similarities between current issues and those back then.

But beyond the good attention to history, it was all so repetitive. There was only so many times I could hear how absolutely unattractive and unlovable Elsa was, and the if the number of times the word "land" was used was cut, you'd easy save yourself about 50 pages. I exaggerate, but my point stands--the repetition of phrases and ideas took away from the story. And this is what made me skim through a lot of the end. I didn't miss much (and didn't need the "love scene" at the end. It felt so forced).

I'm also not a fan of the fact that this book made me hate a 13-year-old child, but Lorada was my least favorite character I've read in a long time. Absolutely contemptible. And that was *before* she got all Rambo with the communists.

I really appreciate that St. Martin's Press made this available to review through NetGalley. I may take a peek at Ms. Hannah's other books, but this one sadly made me a little less eager to do so.

The Four Winds is a phenomenal example of how historical fiction can bring an Era to life and define what hope and progress really mean. Kristin Hannah has a special ability to capture the trials and tribulations of the historical events which challenged the best of humanity during the Great Depression in a way that is very moving. As John Steinbeck did in "The Grapes of Wrath", Kristin Hannah developed characters who were believable and deserved our empathy. I became vested in the main character Elsa Martinelli from the start and deeply cared about what happened to her until the very last page. The transformation of Elsa Martinelli from an obedient daughter to a true leader willing to stand up for justice and equality for her people during the toughest part of the Great Depression was remarkable. The theme of race and the true meaning of family are strongly represented in a way which reflects the reality of the times. The role of the Company Store was unveiled as a very dark force and a tool for the constant manipulation of the workers subjected to this unfair system. There are many lessons presented in this story which act as a platform to educate us all on the importance of social justice so that this type of discrimination is not repeated. This story will stay with me as a reminder of the importance of being brave, standing up for what is right and exercising empathy for others.

I am a very big fan of the author, but this book was my least favorite. The story line was very interesting, but I felt the writing was drawn out, bland and a bit redundant at times. I could not connect with the characters and could not find any reason for the son to be integrated into the story, other than his sickness was the reason they fled. Overall, very disappointed and wouldn’t recommend

I would like to start by saying I am a big fan of Kristin Hannah. I have probably read most of her books and have loved them all. This one is no exception.

The book takes place in the 1930's in Texas, where the Dust Bowl era took place during the Great Depression. Without rain, crops died, people were starving, loosing their livelihood, and were being buried alive in dust. Many headed west to California with the promise for a better life. After Elsa Martinelli's husband left her and her 2 children they decided to do the same. However after getting there they found that what had been advertised was not exactly what was happening. They were not accepted and were taken advantage of, being given low wages and no where to live but in camps. Elsa's daughter encouraged her to fight for their rights, joining others that were striking for unfair wages and unsanitary conditions. Elsa does not survive and her children wind up back with their grandparents in Texas.

It was heartbreaking to reading about what these people had to go through to live. I do not remember ever being taught about this period in History. Seems that there are a number of periods in American History that are not discussed as they should be. There are many dark periods, present day times included. I would highly recommend this book and thank Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read a pre-release copy.

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read a lot of books on the Great Depression and have learned so much from them but this one blew my mind in the best way possible and its all thanks to the brilliance of Kristin Hannah. I expected nothing less from Kristin being a fan of hers and loving her novels but there were so many facts correlating to the storyline of Elsa and her struggle to find the best life possible for herself where all she had to do was survive the fittest and she'll have it all. This book is great if you need a good inspirational Historical Fiction to remind yourself that anything is possible no matter the conditions as long as you believe in yourself.

We will consider adding this title to our Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

First sentence: Hope is a coin I carry: an American penny, given to me by a man I came to love. There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going. I came west in search of a better life, but my American dream was turned into a nightmare by poverty and hardship and greed. These past few years have been a time of things lost: Jobs. Homes. Food. The land we loved turned on us, broke us all, even the stubborn old men who used to talk about the weather and congratulate each other on the season’s bumper wheat crop.

Premise/plot: The Four Winds is a historical novel set primarily in the 1930s during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Primarily. Readers spend a brief period of time with Elsa, our heroine, in the 1920s which sets up the story.

Elsa Wolcott--when we first meet her--is twenty-five and feeling every bit a spinster. Her parents have almost molded her into that role of unlovable, unworthy spinster. But after reading Age of Innocence, she decides enough is enough is enough. She buys herself some red silk and makeup, sews herself a dress, and sneaks out of the house looking for something--anything--to make life bearable. What she finds is a younger man, an Italian, who wants to take her for a drive out to a barn for a good time. A good time is just what she's craving--though she might not have been brave enough to be blunt. A few months later, Elsa realizes she's with child--as do her parents--and she's driven to the Martinelli homestead and dumped. Elsa and Rafe marry. This first preliminary section ends with the birth of that child--a baby girl she names Laredo.

The rest of the novel is set during the Dust Bowl and will see our characters--Elsa and family--move from the Texas Panhandle to California.

My thoughts: Beautifully written. That's what I'd say first and foremost. The Four Winds is BITTERSWEET. If it didn't have that epilogue, I would say it was more BITTER than sweet, I tell you. But even when things are at their bleakity-bleak-bleakest the narrative is so compelling that the story is just beautiful and the characters fully developed. There were so many complex relationships in this one!!! In particular, the relationship between mothers and daughters and parent and child. (I love, love, love, love, love the relationship between Elsa and her mother-in-law, Rose.)

There were times when I wanted to interfere, to yell a bit. But I take that as a good sign. And it's not like I have alternative better answers that would with certainty have 'saved the day.' (I don't. Not really. Not with certainty.) But there were plenty of times I was like THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS? For example, I don't see why California was seen as the one and only answer by desperate people. There are other states too. But I digress.

I think it balanced bleakity-bleak with hope quite well. But I do have to say that though the ending was completely authentically in tune with the whole novel--everything was leading up to this--it was still WRONG on a purely emotional level.

Is it clean? Would I recommend it to those looking for clean reads? Mostly. The first bit is on-screen but non-descriptive. It also doesn't take up much space. The last bit is a bit more descriptive--but again not page-consuming. I would say the purpose is realism and life-as-it-is and not in any way romance. (More time is spent describing picking cotton.) The language--I think there are a few words here and there. But again it felt natural enough and not for shock value or being there for the sake of being there.

Kristen Hannah’s book, The Four Winds, is thoroughly researched and wonderfully written. The Dust Bowl is a period in the United States history that, for some reason, is often overlooked. After reading this amazing book, you will wonder why. The story puts the reader right smack dab in the middle of a time that is filled with adversity, sadness, poverty, hunger, resiliency and hope. The amazing detail Hannah incorporates into the story line, adds to the dimension of a wonderfully crafted piece of historical fiction. The characters (especially her heroine) are well developed and completely authentic. I would recommend this book 100%!

Kristin Hannah's new novel, The Four Winds, brings the reader into the world of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. As she has with her previous novels, her well-researched writing reveals historical events and people in ways that we have not seen before. The despair and hopelessness of families caught in the Dust Bowl is raw and painful, and eerily resonates with our current state in 2020. However, in the midst of dust storm after dust storm, hopelessness and defeat after defeat, the main character Elsa finds her strength, value and purpose in her family. The fact that her treasured family is one that she married into rather than her birth family (who rejected her) reminds the readers that family is often who we choose. Elsa's continual self-sacrifice and determination to make a better way for her children capture the reader's heart and attention and make you root for her to succeed. As with other Hannah novels, the ending is not perfectly neat, tied in a bow, and happily ever after, but rather it feels rooted in reality. Fans of her previous books will love to add The Four Winds to their to-be-read (or purchased) lists.

I have been a fan of Kristin Hannah for many years, and I especially love when she dips her toe into historical fiction. While I did not find this one to be quite as engaging as some of her other stories, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hannah tells the story of Elsa and her life on the Texas Plains during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. I found myself instantly drawn to this story as it is a period in U.S. History that hasn't been explored in historical fiction quite as often as others. Hannah paints a vivid portrait of what it was like to endure life during those times in an unforgiving environment.

Elsa's evolution of personality shows Hannah's deft hand at character development, and I feel like Elsa finally came into her own at the precise climax of the plot. The novel also showcases a host of secondary characters that were incredibly engaging. I found myself slightly disappointed that we didn't find out what happened to Elsa's husband, but, of course, this was an intentional device to show his weakness of character and ultimate inconsequential affect on Elsa's life.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this novel to others. Beautifully written, smart, and engaging!

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors because her books are always deep and the stories are moving. The Four Winds is another amazing novel!

I was drawn to poor Elsa from the beginning. She was the underdog, kicked and unloved, and she stepped outside of herself to change things for the better. She seemed to always hesitate in the majority of the book, but was definitely a fighter and a momma bear for her children. I could relate to some of the feelings of insecurity and frustration that Elsa felt with her family and life.

I learned a lot about the Dust Bowl era. I felt the descriptions of the events and circumstances really filled the story out and gave helped me to understand Elsa's decisions. My favorite genre is historical fiction where I can learn a little and enjoy a good story. The Four Winds was perfect for me!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!