"Courage is fear you ignore."

I enjoyed this story of Elsa Wolcott Martinelli. Twenty-five years old when the story starts and considered an unmarriageable spinster by her family, she just wants a family of her own and love.

"Elsa had survived it all by being quiet, by not demanding or seeking attention, by accepting that she was loved, but unliked."

After an indiscretion, she is forced into marriage with a farmer's son and her life begins and she finds the family she has desired.

This is a tough tale to read at times, starting in Texas in 1921 and going through the Great Depression,the Dust Bowl days, and following Elsa and her family to California as she looks for a way for her family to survive.

It is quite an epic tale of these daunting times in America's history and a strong woman who will do anything to protect her family.

I highly recommend this book - one of the best of 2021.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

The Four Winds is a breathtaking story about human resilience. Beginning in the 1830s and spanning several years, Kristin Hannah paints a tale of survival and the "American dream" in the midst of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Like many of Hannah's other works, The Four Winds is powerful and at times difficult to read. I read this book in a single sitting and was left wondering if I would have had the strength to endure the Dust Bowl migration and subsequent hostility upon arriving in the West.

Hannah focuses her story on Elsa and her two children. Motherhood and sacrifice are prominent themes in The Four Winds, and Hannah writes characters who feel incredibly realistic and fully realized. This goes for not just the central family in this story but also all of the side characters. Whether you are rooting for or against them, the side characters felt purposeful and carefully crafted.

I highly recommend reading The Four Winds (as well as everything else Kristin Hannah has written). I can't think of another author who can perfectly interweave bleakness and hope the way that Hannah does. I can't give this book anything but five stars, and I will return to this story again and again.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an eArc of The Four Winds in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book. Elsa Martinelli and her two children decided to go west after her husband abandoned them in the midst of the Great Depression. "They headed west in search of a better life, but their American Dream was turned into a nightmare by poverty, hardship and greed." They had to learn how to be independent without a man to defend them. This is a story of love and determination of one warrior and her children. Another amazing book by Kristen Hannah.

What can one say about THE FOUR WINDS that hasn't already been said? Hannah simply shines with prose that breathes life into her tale. Having been a fan of the author's for a long time, it was so wonderful to see her take on the time period of the Great Depression and give her readers Elsa, a character I will not soon forget. Bringing together the history behind what her characters are dealing with, Hannah also shows humanity through family, hope, and the desire for the American dream.

The Four Winds lives up to the hype. A brilliant tale of mother and daughter set across the backdrop of the dust bowl. Some parts were repetitive, but generally I was engaged the whole time. I highly recommend it to people who love historical fiction or who read Dear America books as a kid.

This book was not for me. I found it to be depressing. Kristin Hannah is a great writer but I felt she missed the mark with this book. I felt I was being manipulated to feel sad during emotional scenes instead of it happening naturally.

Riveting, yet so sad. An well-researched glimpse into the dust bowl era..as usual, Hannah's characters are well developed. It's hard to fathom this was life in the United States at one time. Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing work.

Really enjoyed this piece of historical fiction!

The opening chapters follow Elsa as she ends up pregnant and forced to marry the man who got her that way. Working on his family farm turns out to be exactly what Elsa needs - until the drought and dust storms destroy profits and start deteriorating people’s health. She makes a break for it, taking her family to California where better lives have been promised. But with the flood of newcomers, jobs are scarce, pay is low, and it’s not the American dream they all hoped it would be. Elsa’s story is one of constant obstacles to overcome, and I enjoyed it!

this is a story about the Dustbowl Era, a time period I was not very familiar with and truthfully not very interested in, which made me put off reading this for forever. I was surprised that I was hooked as soon as I started it, immediately drawn into the main character’s heartbreaking story. the first half of this book completely enraptured me and I could not get enough of it. by the second half though, things got reeeeeal slow and also took a turn that just felt odd to me. I hated the ending but overall I do recommend this unique work of historical fiction especially if you’re already a fan of Kristin Hannah!

It is impossible to read this excellent book without visualizing Dorothea Lange’s stunning photos from the depression area Dust Bowl migrants.. I have uploaded several poignant photos to my review on GoodReads.

After finishing this book, the first thing I did was to begin scrolling the internet to revel in their beauty. The beauty of the photos that is, and not the beauty of the period (more photos, for anyone interested, can be found all over the internet and all are available for view on Library of Congress Internet site - just google LOC Dororthea Lange).

Kristin Hannah’s, The Four Winds, is a brief history (circa 1930's) of how the depression and Dust Bowl drought brought hunger and poverty to masses of people in the region. Many lost their homes, their livelihood, their farms. Families broke apart and many died of disease, hunger and dust pneumonia. I could describe more but the best description can be seen through the eyes of the main protagonist Elsa Martinelli and her family. This is the third book I’ve read by this prolific and consistently winning author. I think most readers will already be familiar with the history of the period and all of the circumstances described. Never-the-less, the pages flip briskly, and I found myself completely absorbed from the beginning to the very last page. Whereas Lange exquisitely captures the portraits of the down and out migrant worker families, Hannah fleshes out with realistic detailed scenes of the hardships suffered.

Elsa was a sickly child from a wealthy family and, for reasons unclear, eschewed by her parents. Unloved by her family, Elsa sought out love in an unexpected way, became pregnant, and was tossed out like the evening trash on the Texas farm doorstep of her reluctant, soon to be in-laws. Elsa’s husband was never happy on the farm, he had dreams of grandeur and spent most of his time drinking and sleeping in the barn. Eventually he succumbed to his unhappiness, upping and leaving his wife, two children, and parents, in pursuit of his dream. The farm provided well for the family for many years before that, but then the depression hit hard, coupled with harsh continuous years of drought. The crops and farm animals were gone, the barn equipment, house, and cemetery were destroyed, the bank was foreclosing on part of their land and the family was finally defeated and forced to make desperate decisions. There are terrifying descriptions of the drought, dust storms, withered crops, dirt, hunger, dust pneumonia, and the constant exhausting filth and hard work endured to barely survive. Finally, Elsa loads the children and as much of their belongings as she could onto the family’s dilapidated truck. With a small amount of loose change that the family cobbled together, she and the children headed west to the promised land of California, where she could find work and give her children a better life.

Well, as most readers already know, or can guess, there was no better life for the migrant workers. In fact, it was even worse.

This book has it all and the descriptions are starkly realistic – the Dust Bowl drought, the migrant trip across three states to California, the squalid migrant camps rife with disease, hunger, and hopelessness. The massive farms were owned by wealthy businessmen who provided inferior housing, and a Company Store where the workers were forced to buy all their food and supplies, beds and housing on credit at gouging prices more than twice that of the towns, insuring their workers' indebtedness and guaranteeing virtual slave labor. Then there are the unwelcoming town residents who ridiculed and humiliated – not to mention the communist unionizers, who brought danger while trying to organize the workers.

I think this is a must-read for anyone unfamiliar with this difficult period of U.S. history. And although there will be no surprises for those who have studied or read stories of the period, it is a humbling reminder to count our daily blessings.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book (which has in the meantime been published) for my candid review. It was an excellent read.

Read this one with kleenex nearby. I was fascinated by this novel, I never learned much about this time in history during school, and Kristin Hannah is so detailed in her research that it felt like it could be a real non-fiction story of a woman trying to survive during some of the worst of times. Not only survive, but raise and provide for her children too. A story of strength and resilience in the face of some unimaginable hardships. Highly recommend.

An amazing and heart-wrenching story about resilience and hope in the face of impossible odds - something Kristin Hannah is a master at putting into words.

What I loved:
+ How I came to adore every character (save one) and could really connect with their stories. No shortage of character development.
+ The strong sense of place - I could feel the dust grit on my skin and smell the odor of the camps. The setting is so well done and atmospheric that it drops you right in the center of it all.
+ The range of emotion that Hannah takes the reader through from beginning to end. I *felt* everything right along with the characters.
+ An everyday woman, mother, friend becomes a heroine in her story - I just love it when this happens.

I know I love a book when after I turn the last page I have to sit there and hug it for a few minutes - and this is definitely a huggable book.

This is a hard book to even pick up because you know it’s going to be uncomfortable and sad at times, but I was truly hooked from the beginning. I loved Elsa paving her own way, even if it wasn’t exactly the way she wanted. I was inspired by Loreda’s ambition even if I wish she was nicer to Elsa for most of the book. I love these strong women and it was fun to see them grow and surprise themselves with their own strength. Parts of this book did remind me of the Nightingale; especially the way Vianne doesn’t want to become part of the Resistance just like Elsa doesn’t want to become part of the Worker’s Alliance, but they both do in the end.

Every thing about this book is so detailed and just makes you want to keep reading. It is on the longer side and I never felt like it. I have been craving a historical fiction read and this really hit the spot.

I don’t even have the words. I am not typically a fan of historical fiction, and I’m not sure why I chose to read this book. It was my first time reading Kristin Hannah, and I can’t for the life of me, recommend this book enough. I’ll definitely be reading more of Hannah’s books in the future.

The Four Winds is not a short book, but it is worth every single page. There is so much emotion in this book that burrows itself beneath your bones and spreads through the body. I could feel everything that was happening to Elsa and felt like I was in her shoes in a way a very small portion of stories have ever made me feel.

This was an absolutely heart-shattering, power-inducing, havoc-wreaking helluva book.

I learned more about history, women’s rights, and the Great Depression from this one book than I learned in 20+ years of formal schooling.

The Four Winds is a sweeping historical saga that hits you right in the emotions. As you follow Elsa on her journey across the country, and watch her face challenge after challenge, and see how she adapts and changes, it's virtually impossible to remain unmoved. It's a testament to the strength of the people who lived during the Dust Bowl era of the Great Depression, and a raw, realistic look into their lives. I absolutely loved it, and would recommend it to any fan of historical fiction.

I am a long-time fan of Kristin Hannah and was delighted to get this ARC. Living in Oklahoma lent a different feel to this book. Setting the book in the Dust Bowl both caused and echoed many of the trials in Elsa's life. This was an emotional read, but it also ended with such beauty and possibilities. Reading about characters like this, even though they are fictional, can portray such hope. Fantastic book- a new classic for sure.

Times of extreme poverty were hitting the United States in the '30s, even the rain was scares to be found. The farmers of the Great Planes are hanging on by a thread fighting to save every inch of the land they worked so hard for. The Dust Bowl era of the Great Depression bearing down on them all. Never wanting to give up on the land that had given her so much, Elsa Martinelli, wanted to stay in Texas on the farm she loves, forever. Giving her children the love and roots she craved so much for her own life was a dream she held onto with two fists but the constant dust storms and life threatening conditions force Elsa to make a choice between the home she loves and the health and wellbeing of her family. Like so many of her time, Elsa must choose between their livelihood in Texas or venturing west to California to seek their fortune. The sacrifice and hardships so many made for the "American Dream" are the central theme in Kristin Hannah's "The Four Winds". I have yet to come across a Hannah book I didn't fall in love with and this is no exception. Elsa is a powerhouse and you can't put this book down until you know how things unfold for her. If you haven't yet read "The Four Winds" I highly recommend you add this to your TBR shelf. Another fantastic hit by Kristin Hannah. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story ! My heart! A beautifully written dark emotional piece of work ! I have no words for the type of character Elsa is, her courage , her fight to keep going even when there seems to be no hope in sight. A moving story . This author is a fantastic storyteller .

I loved learning about the family and how different things were back then! It reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Far and Away.

A powerful historical fiction piece by one of the genre's most well known and sought after authors. This story is one that will stay with the reader long after the last page.