Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Beautifully written book, as usual, Hannah knocks it out of the park.  A modern Grapes of Wrath that sheds a light on the issues we see in our current world. 

With the caveat that I read an uncorrected proof, I want to mention that there are a handful of incorrect words used such as where instead of were. Also at least two instances of duplicate scenes. This could have been meant to emphasize the information being transmitted by these scenes but it was also literally verbatim and therefore difficult to overlook.

Slight spoiler alert:

Unnecessary romance is unnecessary.  I know it was obvious they would hook up, but it really took away from the action of the story at the time.

Set in the 1930’s, The Four Winds tells a story of love, family, hope, and survival. Elsa Martinelli is disowned by her family after the 25-year-old spinster becomes pregnant. Set in the mid-1930’s, deep into the depression and dust bowl, Elsa must choose between keeping her family safe and staying on the Texas land she has learned to love. Elsa’s choices have dire consequences as life across all of America is in turmoil.

The writing is excellent and it’s clear Kristin Hannah put in a ton of work researching the era. The characters were well written - I especially loved Rose and Tony. I felt like there were many connections between the themes in this novel and “hot topics” in America now - immigration, fair wages, unemployment, etc. 4.5/5 rounded up to 5.

The Four Winds is a powerful heart wrenching story of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and more than that, the strength and tenacity of men , women and children that lived , suffered but never gave up during those times.

I can not imagine having the grit and determination to survive.

I simply did not want the book to end.

I cheered them on, I cried for them and I sometimes laughed with them all.

Elsa is my hero as she fights to provide and care for her two children in this horrific time. Her daughter learns from her mom's strength though she does not know it at the time.

Please take time to read the author's notes at the end of the book.

The Four Winds will stay with me for a very long time and I can't wait to get my hard copy of this book that has to be in the top 10 of 2020.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press for allowing me to go on Elsa's journey.

I am a big fan of Kristin Hannah's, but this book just didn't do it for me. Her writing style was just as good as always, but the story itself had too many unfinished concepts. I kept waiting for something else to happen, or for people to come back into the story who had been important. Instead, when they left the story they were never heard from again. Without giving anything away, let me give you an example (this did not happen in this book): let's say that there was a brother and sister who were very close, and for one reason or another, the brother decides to leave home. If the brother was in this story, you don't know where he went, what happened to him, if the sister ever heard from him again, etc. He's just "poof", gone. Although this was not something that happened in this book, this situation did happen with several characters in this story. I just completed the book with the feeling that there was too much unfinished business. The plot is great...it was just never developed to my satisfaction. This definitely won't prevent me from reading this author's books again, though.

Another major winner from Kristin Hannah, mainly for these reasons:

•I could not put the book down and didn’t want it to end. Definitely one of my favorites this year.

•The story was filled with unexpected yet believable plot twists.

•This book inspired me to do further research into the history of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression and the California agricultural strikes.

Enthusiastically recommended for fans of this author, and for all readers of historical fiction. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As with Kristen Hannah"s previous books, this started with so much promise....until the female protagonist had sex and predictably became pregnant...same old, same old, so I abandoned the book very early on.

I have been a big fan of Kristin Hannah for years. This book was just another wonderful novel to add to her list of fantastic storytelling. I was immediately drawn into the character of Else and her life. Her perseverance throughout the book is awe inspiring. This is a wonderful book about keeping faith and having hope even when life seems bleak. Cried and laughed, read all night.

I don’t usually read historical novels, but this one had me at the first page! Hannah has written a stunning, fascinating work of art that is all about a very strong woman and the power of love to get through even the most difficult and dangerous at times.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

A Great Depression story told movingly through the experience of a young Texas mother and her two children as they are forced to find a living away from the dust bowl Texan farm they had lived on until there was no living to be made from the cracked earth.
This story describes the extreme hardships endured by the migrants who headed to "the land of milk and honey" seeking something better than what they experienced in their home states.
Our introduction to the main female character portrays a young woman seriously deprived of parental love and support, but taken in by an Italian family who embraces her after being abandoned. Not too many happy moments along this road, but growth and strength do come to her.

Thanks to St Martin's Press through Net Galley for this ARC.

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors and her newest book The Four Winds was everything I hoped it would be. Truth be told, I started Four Winds synopsis unread, because I love every Kristin Hannah book. While I don’t usually reads historical fiction, this story is a must read. The writing is superb and the character development exceptional.

Following the lives of the Martinellis through the Great Depression and the years that followed, was absolutely heart wrenching. The struggles they faced and the injustices they experienced were unbearable. When it seemed it couldn’t get worse, it did. The hardships they faced and the courage they showed was inspiring. The epilogue made the entire story and will resonate with every mother or daughter reading the story. 5 stars.

Kristin Hannah has been a favorite author of mine since middle school. She has a way of transporting the reader to different eras that is unmatched, and "The Four Winds" is no different. The characters are struggling through the Depression, and I felt the weight of that burden throughout the novel. It was tough to move through at times because the emotional load is full, but that also made the reading a real experience. I would recommend this book for older students -- 12th, possibly advanced 11th grade or elective -- for a historical fiction unit or as a companion novel when studying the Great Depression.

I always know I'm going to love a Kristin Hannah book, no matter the subject matter. Her newest novel is contemporary take on The Grapes of Wrath with a feminist angle. The main character, Elsa Martinelli, is strong, smart and so easy to root for. We follow Elsa and her two children from a small town in the Texas dustbowl east to California where she is forced to live in a tent city Hooverville. I loved Elsa's no nonsense attitude and refusal to take no for an answer and I learned a lot about the hardships of the era along the way. My favorite kind of historical fiction.

A beautiful story about courage and being true to yourself. Set during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, we follow Elsa from awkward, ostracized daughter of wealthy parents to farmer to migrant worker. Her tale is heart-breaking and heart-warming. Hannah's characterization was amazing and I felt like I was right there with Elsa through all her tragedies and triumphs. Definitely recommend for fans of Hannah's other works as well as those who like historical fiction and strong female protagonists. I would have read it in one sitting if I didn't have to go to work!

I Love Kristen Hannah's books, admire her strong women characters. The Four Winds is a story of how life was challenging for the working class of America during the stressful times of the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl, A story about California during the migration of farmers from the Midwest and California's violent struggles between labor and employers. It's a story of Elsa, one woman's tenacity to survive and provide for her children. I was drawn to Elsa from the beginning. This was a book I could not put down, it moved me as if the wind was behind me pushing me forward. Forward to California, forward to the injustice of the American people during this migration to the city of gold during this time period.
Elsa's life was a struggle from the time she fell ill as a child and her parents over protected her to a point of abuse. Elsa's untimely affair leads her to a different family and a much different life. Led by her loving in-laws she finds a home she longs for and deserves to be part of. Then disaster strikes the country and Elsa is forced to make decisions that scare the heck out of her but knows this is what her children need to survive. During her migration to California Elsa meets bright and dark people, high and low, honest and dishonest. Most of all Elsa met Elsa and learned what path to she needed to follow. Learning and teaching her children all along, what the meaning to life was and how to follow it. Big Fan of Kristen Hannah can not wait to book talk this book, and read it in my book club. 3 stars***

“Love is what remains when everything else is gone.”

At 25, a very lonely Elsa meets Rafe Martinelli. She gets pregnant and disowned by her parents, When she marries into the Martinelli family, she finally finds the love and acceptance she has always wanted from Rafe’s parents Tony and Rose, The Great Depression and drought force Elsa to make the difficult decision to leave the only place she has ever loved and head west in search of a better life.

Elsa is a very strong woman who will do anything to take care of the people she loves. The characters are well developed, complicated and easy to relate to. Kristin Hannah does such a great job describing the farm, dust storms, and the ditch side camps that I feel like I traveled alongside Elsa and her children. I even found myself considering the benefits of Communism.

This is a beautifully written story about very difficult topics. It will break your heart and bring you to tears. It will also be one of the best books you read all year!

Thank you Kristin Hannah, St, Martins’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

The story of a young women who learns to survive against the odds: whether it be dust storms, floods, low paying landowners, or love. The binding ties of family and love will get you through the toughest times.

Only in 2020 would a Kristin Hannah novel inspire me to re-read The Grapes of Wrath. I'm always excited about historical fiction that touches on an area of our nation's story that deserves more attention. The Great Depression is a tough topic but the characters were inspiring and I learned something new.

I have been holding on to this book, waiting for a long weekend when I could read it and savor it, without interruption. Just as expected, it did not disappoint. Let it suffice to say that today is Sunday and I could not put it down. I was captured from the first page and enjoyed every page.

This is the story of a family struggling during the dust bowl and the Great Depression. Elsa is a very unhappy young woman, kept captive by her family in a small Texas town. She breaks away and is disowned after her shotgun marriage to Rafe Martinelli. Despite the difficult start, she is happy farming with her in-laws and children until the impossible years of drought and depression force her to take her children to California in search of work.

Hannah describes life in a migrant shantytown in California. The descriptions are riveting. Watching Elsa struggle against nature, disease and poverty is shocking. She symbolizes human endurance. Elsa, the warrior, and her daughter, Lareda, become involved in the turbulent politics of the era.

This novel is written so beautifully and with so much depth that it is both engaging and educational. I learned a great deal about the people struggling against the Dust Bowl and utter poverty, I know that reading groups will love this.

Thank you Netgalley for this very special book.

Sometimes, too often, a book starts out strong and then fizzles out...this one was different. I initially found the writing a bit stunted and tedious and I wondered if I would be able to finish it but the story kept me just curious enough to keep reading. I think the fact that I had read the author's prior books and enjoyed them also kept me reading. And then just as I was seriously thinking about putting the book down it the story really took off. The characters are complex and courageous and I enjoyed rooting for them as their situation evolved. I'm so glad I kept reading and I look forward to this author's future books.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A story about a courageous woman who made a very tough decision to save her family and move away from home. Her strength, perseverance, and kindness was inspiring throughout the book. This book will make you feel love, anger, sadness, desperation, and empowerment. I really enjoyed this novel.