I have been reading a lot of historical fiction lately, most from WW2. This book, however, was set in the 1930's and told of families living in Texas during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. I learned so much about how these 2 difficult times affected real people's lives. I wasn't alive during those years so had only read about them in my history classes. Maybe a few paragraphs on each. Nothing that really showed the personal crisis these people faced. The family in the story migrates to California after hearing all the promises of how wonderful life would be there with plenty of work for everyone. And tells of their struggles when those promises end up being empty ones. If you want to read a story that will teach you a lot about that time in our country's history and grab your heart at the same time, I would highly recommend this book.

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I've never read much about the Dust Bowl Days and the Great Depression other than history books in high school. This book brought that time period to life. I did have a hard time starting the book because the beginning did not have the kind of depth I appreciate in books, but I'm glad I continued. The social justice themes in the book at the end rang true, especially in this historical moment with the pandemic, which the author cites in her afterward. I enjoyed this book.

As we are battling fires, hurricanes & other forces of nature, we are invited into a force of the past that devastated so many back in the 1930s - the Dust Bowl. We meet people who worked & fought so hard just to survive & overcome those who took advantage of others. As a story I would give this book a 3. But give it a 4 because I love the writing that evoked the emotions of sadness, fear, loss & anger so completely. Thanks NetGalley for giving the early chance to read.

First, I want to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah to read and review.
The book begins in Texas. It is 1934. This is Elsa’s story. She is too tall, unattractive and treated as an invalid. Her parents consider her as just an extra mouth to feed. And then Rafe comes along. Her world changes.
Farmers have been thriving. Life is good and then a drought comes that just won’t end. The author’s descriptions of the hardships is so vivid that you can almost feel the grit and dirt that covers everything.
Many families head out west to California hoping for a “new life”. This is finally where the novel captures your attention.
Hannah’s characters are so beautifully depicted.
From Elsa’s journal “The Four Winds have blown us here, people from all across the country, to the very edge of this great land, and now, at last, we make our stand —“.
Publication date is February 9th 2021.

I admit to being a history buff but my knowledge of the Dust Bowl is limited. The Four Winds covers the Dust Bowl in Texas 1934. I was amazed at the similarities of today's world and the events in 1934. Kristin Hannah must have a crystal ball.
Elsa Martinelli is the main character of The Four Winds and she makes Scarlet O'Hara look like a sissy. Elsa meets the trials and tragedies of this horrific time with a spirit of survival and sacrifice. The pictures from the Dust Bowl that we see on our history books don't give as accurate a picture as Hannah does with this story. With the exception of a few parts that are R rated, this book should be required reading. I was totally exhausted when I finished. The descriptions are so vivid and the characters are so real! The Four Winds shows how strong and resilient the American people are. From famine, prejudices, unfair wages and working conditions, to lack of health care Hannah still managed to weave love and family into this fantastic story.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is a heartbreaking glimpse into what it was like to live through the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl Migration. There almost needs to be another book to continue the story of the migrant uprising.

I like the author's note in the end, in which she reveals she began writing this novel about hard times in America during the worst environmental disaster in our history, the collapse of the economy, and the effect of massive unemployment. "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the Great Depression would become so relevant in our modern lives..." she writes.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

This book was great and I couldn't put it down! I grew very attached to the characters, you could feel what they were feeling and I just wanted to know what would happen next with them. It also opened up my eyes to a new perspective on the Dust Bowl and what people went through during that time. For them to be treated the way they were was terrible, I had no idea. I can see why it was important to fight for your rights for equal treatment especially on how hard they worked and just couldn't seem to make it. It wasn't fair to them. I definitely recommend this book to read!

Another incredible work by Kristin Hannah.

Elsa Martinelli, prior to marriage, has dreams and despite her parents' insistence, she is going to follow them. But as the story goes, girl meets boy, and her dreams shift but she's happy and finds a contentment she certainly didn't have at home.

Becoming a Martinelli means embracing a family and a culture she knew nothing of as a teen. It means working hard, living on and with the family's land.

But the Great Depression has other ideas for the family's success. As the Dust Bowl ravishes the land and the money is no longer, Elsa has decisions to make. How will she continue to support her family? Can her husband and his family withstand this era? Or should she venture to find a new life?

As a Kristin Hannah fan, I eagerly awaited this book. I was not disappointed. After a slow start, the book
unfolds with vivid characters and realistic setting and dialog. I love that once again there is a strong female
heroine in the book. Its a great read during these difficult times. Shows that hardships have been overcome
before, and will be conquered again. Highly rated.

This is a fantastic portrayal of the Dust Bowl and Depression seen through the eyes of a very brave and courageous women. She was the epitome of the times when people were desperate to improve their lives at a very bad time in our history. The writing is superb and the plot keeps the reader at the edge of one's seat. Ms. Hannah has done it again. Thank you.

I would have liked to give The Four Winds a solid 5 stars and would have, if my rating were based only on the second half of the book.
The author seemed rushed during the first half of the book, forgetting things that were written just a few pages before at times. This takes away from my ability to become absorbed in a book.
Positives first:
Great storyline and interesting characters. I liked the grit of the female characters and the way the story is relevant to our current climate. I myself felt as though I could taste the dust, as I was reading about their hardships. I highlighted so many beautiful passages. This book really made me feel closer to my mom and we are already best friends! This is a book that will make you think long after you've read it. Please don't take my negative comments to heart. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were only a few things that interrupted my flow of book imagination land.
The cover is absolutely perfect!
Negatives:
Small spoilers ahead, though I will try not to give too much away.
Elsa was sneaking out of her home, 'waited nervously to be detected, but no lights came on inside.' Just a few pages before, we learned that there was no electricity in town by Mr. Hurst. Elsa is supposed to sleep in Rafe's bed while he sleeps in the barn. This implies to the reader that there were no other available bedrooms. Much later, there are suddenly two other bedrooms available. In fact, these humble farmers were able to give a separate room to a young girl and one to a young boy.
Elsa suffered a malady in her young years which left her heart weakened. Her parents did not allow her to do "normal" things and we are to understand she mainly stays in her room. 'She had never been allowed to run or play or dance.' Elsa is suddenly riding a bicycle which is strange for someone who has never been able to run/play/dance.
No reflection on the author, but the Kindle version need editing. Grammatical errors need to be corrected before this goes live.

Another wonderful book by Kristin Hannah! This book follows the Martinelli in the midst of the dust bowl and the great depression. The tenacity of this family, in particular the women, is just overwhelming to me. I enjoy so much when books open up history to me and help me appreciate the many things that I have.

The characters of Elsa, Jack, Jean, Rose, Tony, Ant and Loreda touched me throughout the story.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions expressed are my own.

I’m breathless after “The Four Winds”. Kristin Hannah has created a jarring novel around the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl that it’s eerily similar to our current times. It’s an emotional read during such an historic, earth shattering era that left people with nothing and with the hope that being an American would provide an opportunity to stay standing through whatever hardships they faced. This book is rich in history and I loved all the layers of Hannah’s talent, in the story, in her characters. She makes a dark time in our history stand out to remember the courage and strength it takes to endure.

I loved this book. Her family made me mad. She had great strength and love in her. The in-laws were wonderful people. It was interesting to read about the dust bowl era without being boring. I truly loved the book.

A little weak at the beginning as normally, Kristin has me hooked from the beginning. I think I needed a stronger case for Elsa to throw aside the mores of her time and herself into Rafe's arms. She made that decision so easily and quickly. Very soon, however, the Kristin Hannah magic kicked in and drew me into Elsa's life on the Great Plains during the 30s, her family's trek west to California, and the terribleness of life there..

A Beautifully Written, Heartbreaking Novel!

The year is 1921, the setting is Texas, during the Great Depression.

Elsa is a young woman who has never known love. Ignored by her family, she yearns for a different life. The first time a man pays attention to her, Elsa becomes wholly smitten. That man is Rafe Martinelli. His intentions are less than stellar, as Elsa comes to find out when she discovers she is with child and she finds out he is engaged to be married to someone else. Yet his parents, Tony and Rose are kind and generous (unlike her own) and they insist on doing the right thing and Rafe and Elsa marry.

Going from an affluent home to live on a farm, Elsa learns a whole new way of life and yet she takes to it beautifully, working harder than even her husband and enmeshing herself into the Martinelli family. Raising first a daughter, Loreda and then a son, Ant, Elsa is both overprotective and overbearing.

At first life on the farm while hard work, is full of abundant crops and rewarding days and then the drought comes and it never goes away. Crops die and food is scarce. Thereafter the dust storms hit and days get even harder. Each day Elsa, her father, and mother-in-law pray for rain, and each day it ceases to come. Day after day and year after year. There is no end in sight.

The day slowly comes when the family makes the decision to head west to California in search of a better life. Promises of jobs and the land of milk and honey don’t quite ring true with what they find upon arrival. Lucky for Elsa, hard work and determination are her middle names.

Desolation, devastation, heartache, heartbreak, and loss. “The Four Winds” is a novel that encompasses all of those words and yet it is also about survival. The ability to survive during the absolute worst of times. Family, friendship, and love are also prevalent themes in this book and Kristin Hannah showcases them all beautifully.

There is much sadness here. A heaviness that is pervasive. I can’t say that I ever felt a moment of happiness while reading “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah and yet I will say that I loved the beautiful, lyrical writing, the characters, and the strength they showed throughout. It is a testament to Ms. Hannah, that she was able to make me love the book and the characters of Elsa, Tony, Rose, Ant, and Loreda (difficult though she may have been at times) when parts of this storyline were so completely and wholly depressing.

What resonated with me was this books’ underlying message which is that a human being can survive anything - which I think is especially true for all of us to remember right now.

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Kristin Hannah for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 10.4.20.

This is an amazing book. One that I couldn’t put down. The struggles that families went through to just feed and clothe their children are heartbreaking. This story really makes you appreciate the privileges we have today.
This is a definite must-read for all. I learned a lot about our American history while reading this. I never knew of the Dust bowl years or the migrant experience in California during the Great Depression.
Each book that Kristin Hannah writes gets better each time. I didn’t think this was going to be as good as The Great Alone but I was proved wrong.
Thanks Netgalley for the ability to read this ahead of publishing and this is my honest review.

"Daughter, Mother, Warrior " Elsa's growth through the story is amazing. She is a powerful woman but it takes awhile for her to realize it. She is fiercely protective of her family and she finds strength she didn't know she had in order to protect her children. Kristen Hannah is a beautiful writer. I felt as if I were there experiencing everything with her and her family. I was engrossed in the whole story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, The Publishers, and Kristin Hannah for emailing me the ARC The four winds. This novel definitely lives up to Kristin Hannah’s great storytelling ability. I was ‘sucked’ in from the beginning of Elsa’s story. And, I “blew’ through this novel in two days, even though these characters will remain in my heart for quite a while.

This story spans 18 years. I have always heard about the ‘Roaring 20s’ and ‘the great depression’. But, to read it through the eyes of these characters. I felt like I was there with them. Kristin Hannah, really makes you experience what her characters are experiencing...it makes you want to turn the pages faster. To see what happens, and then slower, so the book doesn't end!

When The novel begins, Elsa is almost 25. She had scarlet fever as a child. And now, her family seems to forget she exists,always expecting her to be in a corner with her favorite book, Jane Eyre. Elsa is a hopeless romantic because of all the reading she has done. She makes herself a dress and goes out on the town. She meets up with a young Italian-American 18-year-old boy named Rafe. He's the first person to give her any kind of attention. They make love. (even though he is engaged to another girl).

Elsa's family disowns when they find out she's pregnant. Her father brings her to the Martinelli Farm. people she doesn't even know. But, their son got her pregnant. So, she is now their daughter, even though they were expecting a different daughter. They welcomed Elsa. She feels love for the first time from them. When her daughter is born, she is flooded with love emotions.
They also have a son.

Elsa loves farm life. She loves being part of a family. But, when her son’s life is threatened and Rafe abandoned the family in the middle of the night. She and the children head toward California. They are searching for a better life.

Did they find a better life? I guess that's a matter of opinion. The life they found was certainly different. They had hardships, maybe even more, then they had on the farm. And, as hard as they worked, they had to beg for food and shelter some days.

This novel is a tear-jerker. I am so thankful, to our essential workers who have gotten us through the past few months. We will all get through this together.

****As for the author's note: Kristen Hannah and family, I am sorry to hear about your personal loss. XOXO

Kristin Hannah is one of my very favorite authors. Although The Four Winds is not my favorite book by her, it is a very good book. I knew nothing of the time or place in which this story is set but the book has encouraged me to learn more about the Dust Bowl and the hardships brought on by it. The strength of women is the main point of this book. That strength is shown in every facet of the story The Four Winds encourages us all to find our voices and use them for good.