Book review: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Title: The Four Winds

Author: Kristin Hannah

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication date: 2nd February 2021

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Summary:

“Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.

By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.

In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.

The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.”

My review:

The Four Winds narrates the bitter and heartbreaking story of the dangers, hardships and tragedies that millions of people across the United States faced during the Great Depression. Following the Martinelli family through a treacherous journey from the Great Plains to southern California, the reader is immersed into a riveting storyline full of ups and downs that profoundly reveal what it means to be human.

I was immediately drawn to the main character, Elsa, who is described by others as plain and dull but soon shows to possess many wonderful qualities as a mother and later on as a leader. Even though her life is filled with misfortune and trouble from an early age, she never ceases to amaze with her determination to provide the best possible life to her family. Her wonderful children and parents-in-law were all beautifully developed and multi-layered characters and I also enjoyed getting to know the other minor characters that were introduced later in the book when the family moved to California.

The journey across the US is not an easy one for Elsa and her children as they come across hunger, poverty and many people with ill intentions. Kristin Hannah is brilliant at storytelling and, just like her past books, she is a master at making the reader feel completely immersed in the plot and connected with the characters. It was hard to read certain parts in the book and witness the struggles this family, and many others, lived through. However, the courage and resilience that each character showed during these moments of hardship were incredible and there were several distinct moments in the book that are hard to forget.

Few books have made me stop and reflect on life, but somehow Kristin Hannah’s books are always at the top of that list. Although my heart felt heavy while reading most of this book, I cannot recommend it enough. This period was an incredibly difficult time for many and is often underrepresented in books so I am pleased to see it highlighted in The Four Winds. It’s a poignant story with wonderful characters that should be read by all, even those who may not originally think of reading a Historical Fiction book. I cannot wait for the next book by this author as I already know that it would be another great read.