I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for making it available.

The Four Winds is the story of one woman, her families and life on the plains during the dust bowl. The writing is instantly compelling and Elsa the main character felt very real and familiar. I found myself staying up late multiple nights to read. The book takes you to the Texas panhandle and you can feel the dust and feel the despair. In many ways the book lasts a lifetime as it transitions form the prairie into the fields of California. Here we go from the dusty desperations to the lush green valleys of the haves and the have nots. Here Christians judge harshly the Okies invading their lands, taking their tax dollars and the squalor that results from the poverty of folks just trying to make it through the day.

It is impossible to read this story and not make parallels to 2020 and life during the pandemic. With so many people on their knees in current times, the links are hard to miss. My father was born in 1931 and thus the dustbowl doesn’t feel that far removed in time. America has a short memory and we do not seem to listen very well. I guess in a way our consistent behavior could be reassuring. It could save us all the shock of the poor treatment of fellow human beings and yet..

Elsa’s story of rejection from her family of origin, to an unexpected family that loves her, her heartbreaks, unflinching ability to do what she needs to survive is inspiring and very relatable. She finds an inner strength to fit for life and to love that makes humans so very redeeming and made a compelling read. The author’s talented way with words made me face into suffering page by page. I kept reading because I loved the characters and the story. The dust of the 1930s does not seem far away and there is so much hope to be learned from the story.

The Four Winds is another strong historical fiction novel from Kristin Hannah. I was eager to read this book set during the Great Depression, specifically in Texas and California in 1934. The Dust Bowl is taking place and our protagonist, Elsa Martinelli sets off from Texas with her two children in tow hoping for a better life in California. What they find when they get there does not measure up to the lush lands and plentiful opportunities they were expecting.

Kristin Hannah's beautiful writing makes her characters come alive. I loved the character of Elsa, as well as her daughter Loreda, and the author did a great job of showing how they grew and changed over the course of the novel. The hardship they endured not only made both mother and daughter stronger, but solidified their relationship and respect for one another. From Elsa: "A warrior never gives up. A warrior fights for those weaker than herself. It sounds like motherhood to me."

While I found the writing and characterization very strong, I took issue with a few inconsistencies in the plot. For example, it didn't make sense to me that Elsa's birth family was so cruel to her; we are told this is due to her being "ugly" and suffering a childhood illness, but that didn't ring true to me.

Overall, fans of Kristin Hannah and historical fiction will appreciate this new offering on a tragic period in American history.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Heartbreakingly beautiful!!
Honestly I started this book a week ago and as I finished it, it felt like a different book because of how different the characters are from the beginning to the end.
Elsa is a young woman in her 20s who lives with her parents, and because of an illness she had when younger, she is treated like she will never amount to anything. Her parents discourage her and tell her she will never be loved. She is desperate to break out and find love of her own. When she meets 18 year old Rafe one summer, it seems she found it. She ends up pregnant and her parents send her to live with his family, disowning her completely. After many years, Elsa feels she belongs and has found her place.
This doesn't last long as the depression worsens and the dust storms get worse, Elsa must take her two children West to California in order to save them, she never thought things could be worse.
This story follows a mother in her journey to save her children and herself, and to find her inner bravery.
I loved this book and Elsa was an inspiration. She went through so much and was able to keep going because her children needed her.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of this amazing book!

This story is one that will stay with me for a long time. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is a rich beautifully crafted storytelling. It breaks your heart and leads you to darkness of the past that you never knew was there. Yet it's merciful enough to provide just a sliver of love or hope necessary to keep you from despair. The author doesn't sugar coat the story at any step of the way. The main character is strong and loving. As the reader you know this from the beginning even though she couldn't admit it to herself til the end. Historical Fiction lovers will relish this book for its description of daily life during the depression and dust bowl eras. As the reader your heart goes out to all the characters and their terrible predictions. It never occured to me that american immigrants were treated so badly in California. It brings light to an ugly little American truth. I became so invested I would of loved the story to simply continue. Perhaps a new story that follows Loreda and her adventures.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

Kristen Hannah delivers again, a book that I could not put down! This was an era that my knowledge of was very limited. The Great Depression and those that fled west for a new life. It was heart wrenching to imagine the horrors those poor people faced, and the author did an amazing job depicting the stage where all of these events took place.

Set during the Great Depression and drought of the 1930’s, this book is all about overcoming hardships. While I found the length and continuous descriptions of the battles and pains the people of the Plains endured repetitive at times, I understand this may have been the point. These people desperately needed a break - from people too weak to help them, government who didn’t care, or Mother Nature herself - and the repetitive nature of the writing made me never forget their struggle was always present.
The female lead was a person who never realized her own strength or the power of her voice, but she worked every day to care for those she loved, even if she didn’t realize she was loved in return. While a lot of us never have to feel her levels of pain and hard work, most of us have to work to find ourselves and our voice. The story of her growth and family unfolds over many years, each with a new set of struggles and a willingness to fight.
This is a well-written book, a beautifully spun tale in the same folds as the author’s other works. I recommend it as a slow, yet powerful, read.

Kristin Hannah does it again!!! I cried several times during this heartbreaking but inspiring story. I’ve always gravitated towards Historical Fiction novels but have never read anything during the Great Depression era. I can’t wait to dive in and do more research. As a mother, the love Elsa shows her children resonates deep within me.

Beautifully written and heart wrenching "historical" fiction about the Dust Bowls and Depression era. At times I felt like I was actually experiencing all the hardships the characters were experiencing. As Hannah mentions in the end, she completed this book when the COVID pandemic started and it was certainly a reality comparison as to what is going on today - loss of jobs, businesses closing, illnesses and the collapse of our economy.

I was given an opportunity to read an advantage copy of The Four Wind by one of my favorite authors Kristin Hannah. Thank you all for giving me this wonderful opportunity. And once again Kristin has written a book, that brings us right into the life of Elsa. Her family who rejects her and to a new family who loves her and teaches her how to survive. Her husband Raff who entered a loveless marriage because her daughter was on the way. And the struggle with her.daughter. I hate to give to much away, but she brings us back to the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression,,the immigration of the people to find jobs and the creation of unions.
This book was a three time cry for me...That’s one of the reasons I loved how Kristen writes.this book will be a best seller the first day of release and it will be read by many book clubs. Can’t wait for this book to be release so I can recommend it to my book club and read it again. It’s one of those books you will read more than once. Wish I could give this book a 10 star rating.

Riveting from beginning to end. I am a huge Hannah fan, and Four Winds may be her best yet. I knew little about the Dust Bowl, but Hannah brings it to life in a manner I won't soon forget. Elsa ranks at the top of my all-time favorite characters list. Kudos Kristin Hannah. The wait was well worth it.

Kristen Hannah draws you in from the first page and doesn’t let you go until the last. Her latest historical fiction follows the story of Elsa who is rejected by her family due to being ill as a teenager. At 25, she is considered a lost cause, so she takes matters into her own hands to have a more fulfilling life. She does so by secretly having a relationship with an Italian and gets pregnant. Her parents disown her and makes her move out to live with her boyfriend’s family. She is finally accepted and loved. The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl disrupts her life and pushes her to make hard decisions about survival. Does Elsa find that fulfilling life or does it remain heartbreaking? Kristin Hannah writes a heartfelt story that captures what life was like during those events in history! Definitely a must read!

I have always enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s books and this ranks up there with her best. The subject matter of the Great Depression and the horrible treatment of the people seeking a better life in California was heartbreaking.
I really appreciated the time and setting of the book. This is not a subject I have not read about in contemporary literature.
Great storytelling, vivid characters and a strong sense of place.

Elsa ignored by her prominent family seeks and receives attention from a young Italian wheat farmer,thinks she’s in love and surprisingly becomes pregnant. A marriage,a baby, a whole new life sets the trend for this story. Set against the Depression. It details the strife of sand storms and survival in a time of very little. Fearing for her sons failing health, she leaves a place she has come to love and in-laws that have come to love her in ways her own parents never did. Thinking her only hope is to leave Texas for California, Elsa and her children battle constantly with circumstances shared by many along the way. Settling in the farm camps ,doing back breaking labor only to be at the mercy of owners , who offer goods and services ,and shelter at prices they can change at any time. Rules they make on a whim. A rising tide of union and Communist organizers infiltrate the camps and Elsa finds herself in a battle at home with her elder daughter and internally with herself.

Kristin Hannah can always lure you into a new world and populate it with relatable characters. This time the world is quite familiar to anyone who read Dust Bowl fiction and has seen Dorothea Lange's photographs of the era. Added factors are Italian immigrant families in Texas, a protagonist who feels unloved and unattractive, and a complicated dynamic between mother and daughter.

Most interesting to me was the last section about the migrant farm workers (all of whom were called Okies no matter where they hail from) and their struggle to be seen as human, not filth, in towns, schools and door-to-door. The American dream is a nightmare to them, and there was absolutely nowhere to turn. No wonder the ruling class of agricultural barons were so vehemently against the "Commies", as fair wages would cut into profits.

The story is not quite put together as well as her others, but because of the enjoyable deep dive into daily life on a Texas farm, and astonishing visuals of the dust in the years of drought, I rate it as an excellent read.

Wow. Kristin Hannah does it again!! I absolutely could not put this book down. I mean that almost literally as I was reading it on my kindle WHILE doing busy work at my job (shhhhh).

The content matter of this book is obviously not joyful but it’s important and it needs to be read. I could FEEL the pain (emotional and physical) through Elsa and Lorena. To think that Americans have gone through such hardships and have persevered is such an incredible thing, especially today, when we are faced with this pandemic. This book really put things into perspective for me, and makes me SO incredibly grateful for what my family and I have and how blessed we are.

If you’re looking for a gritty, passionate novel that will give you “all the feels”, this is it!! Ms. Hannah knows how to work those heartstrings!!! ❤️

Huge thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to snag an ARC of this gem!! I devoured it every chance I got (and with working full time, kids, etc - that means I had to sneak it in at times lol)

This is a heavy read. It deals with the stock market crash, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and the farmers who turned west for a better life when their farms failed them. What awaited them in California was being turned away from room, board and work because of where they came from. Most ended up squatting or working for wages so low they could never get by.

Elsa and her family live on her in laws farm in Texas. The 20s brought great crops that left everyone jovial and confident. But the crash happens and there's years of drought. When Elsa can take it no more she takes her family and heads to California for a better life. She is met with discrimination and doors slammed in her face. Despite what she faces she keeps fighting and staying strong for her children. When will it end? How will they ever have enough money to survive the winter when the crops have all been harvested?

This book needs to be digested slowly. It is heavy with hope, devasting heartache, disappointment, shame, anger and the unconditional love of one mother. Hannah has taken her subject matter and created a story that twines through your heart and delivers blow after blow. She has taken a chapter from American history and painted it in a bittersweet light. I think we could all do with a story about hope and not giving up in the uncertain times, don't you think?

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Kristin Hannah,

Well, you have done it again! You have written about an incredibly difficult era and created a strong female character(s) in a completely engaging story!

The time was the 1930s...Elsa, a young 26-year old woman is living with her parents in Texas. Diagnosed at 14 with a heart condition, her parents treated her with great caution. And not only did they treat her with disdain because of her previous condition, but they were also incredibly outspoken of her plain (and unattractive) looks.

Elsa met a young man, Rafe Martinelli, who was eight years younger than her. At that time she was so starved for love that she engaged in illicit shenanigans ... and, of course, we all knew what was to happen next.

While the Martinelli family embraces Elsa, Rafe is unsettled with life on a farm in Texas. He wants to see the world and he shares his dreams with his daughter Loreda; Then the drought and dust storms came, leading way into the Great Depression.

This story portrays the struggle of a family trying to stay on their land, while struggling with the lack of work on their farm due to severe drought. In essence: No money, a shortage of food, and loved ones moving west for work. Some men even abandoned their families just to survive on their own... only themselves to look after and feed; And one woman's strength to keep her family together no matter the cost.

Elsa worked her fingers to the bone to provide for her children. And her struggle proved to be raw and merciless. Adding fuel to the fire was her daughter — a preteen with condemnation for her mother and her mother's complacency.

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This book pulled me in so many directions emotionally. I've read about this era; But, Ms. Hannah made it more personal writing of a family to follow, pray for, cheer for and cry for throughout this story.

I've heard mixed reviews about this book; But I, for one, thought that it was excellent! I could relate to Elsa, her mother in law, and her daughter. I was angry for their circumstances and that which they had to overcome to succeed... but the way they fought for their livelihoods made me joyful.

Difficult times show strength when you least expect it. A mother will always die trying to take care of her children; And a woman will always gather support from dear (and new) friends.

This lesson was (hopefully) learned by a generation that had everything taken away and continued to persist. Reading this under the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, I particularly appreciate the notion that we can ALWAYS learn from the past.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy! Thank you Kristin Hannah for writing another heartfelt book! Now I will have to purchase the hard copy in February 2021 (when the book is released), for my growing collection of your fabulous novels!!

Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds is a beautiful and heartbreaking novel set during America's "worst hard times". It's hard to imagine an event like the Dust Bowl, but we are put right in the middle of it through Hannah's captivating storytelling. Elsa is an amazing heroine and protagonist, tough and likeable and relatable. I felt the love she had for her family in every difficult choice she made. Emotionally, this is not an easy book to read, but you will have been made better by reading it. I recommend it if you have enjoyed Hannah's previous works or if you are a fan of historical fiction. It's a gem.

Read this in one 24 hour period. I haven't read a book that captured my interest like this in a long time. Loved the strong characters. Loved the time period. I am already recommending it to friends already.

Wow. I have read a few of Kristin Hannah's later works and this one just blew me away. It follows the lives of Elsa, Loreda and Ant Martinelli as they travel from the dust bowl of the Texas panhandle to California during the Great Depression. It follows the growth of Elsa as a woman, a mother and someone just trying to survive. The descriptions of both the dust storms and the hardships of the migrant workers were heart rending. I devoured this ARC and was in tears at the end. This is definitely my favorite of her books and I was not ready for it to end .