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PRODUCT
The Four Winds: A Novel
Product Description:
Price:
$11.99
Detailed description:
“The Bestselling Hardcover Novel of the Year.”–Publishers Weekly
From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them.
“My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.”
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.
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Product group:
Categories: Best Books of 2024 So Far
Product name:
The Four Winds: A Novel
Price:
$11.99
KymmLisa –
And she’s done it again! Kristin Hannah has a way of taking me on a journey into the past and leaving me with feelings of shock, sadness, anger and more knowledge than I started with, but she’s also a master at taking all of that and showing there are those who, with the courage, strength and resiliency to survive, can change their stories in history, even change history itself. Lift themselves up, carry on and show the strength of the pure human spirit when everything around them is in tatters.
The Four Winds is not the book for you if you’re looking for an easy read that you can just blow through (no pun intended) and say, “Yeah, that was great.” No it’s a real story of a horrible time in American history. I chose this one to read right away because it dealt with The Great Depression, it seemed especially relative to me right now. What I would call a timely book for these times. As we go through what’s being labeled as the worst economic disaster since The Great Depression, I wanted to know what went on to the marginalized people of our nation in the 1930’s. Historically it’s the underserved, poor and devastated that suffer in times of crisis, we’re seeing it happening again and I wonder will we ever learn? What’s it going to take? When is enough enough?
Elsa Martinelli hasn’t had an easy life, her family shunned her, she just wasn’t pretty enough to warrant attention from them. But it’s her life after marriage that the book concentrates on. Elsa finds herself in a new town, living on a farm with her in-laws within the Great Plains of America, what will soon be called The Dust Bowl after years of drought and failing farms, hungry families, mountains of dust being blown and covering everything in it’s wake and little hope for change. She’s a farm girl now and calls the Plains her home, but after years of trying to live in a place where the dust is burying them more every year, crops will not grow without water and it’s become dangerous for her to stay, Elsa decides to migrate West to California with her daughter and son. A feat that she never dreamed she’d be able to do. They suffer greatly trying to make it across the country in an old, broken down truck, just the three of them. I would think in the 1930’s a woman alone, with only her two young children would have to have been the bravest of the brave, the determined few who would do anything to find the American dream!
Once they reached the Golden State their hopes and dreams of a new home, friendly neighbors and jobs, soon becomes a real life disappointment. There are no jobs for the thousands and thousands who are like Elsa trying to escape their dire circumstances and continue with their hopes of the American dream. Soon they’ll have to settle for a spot in one of the many immigrant tent cities, where Elsa is again challenged to provide for her children as best she can. She finds a job picking cotton, but then goes through the injustice of the greedy owner. Her soul is constantly being chipped away, but she persisted! The residents of California are nothing short of mean and nasty to these immigrants and won’t even give them a chance. They are taunted with names, discriminated against at every turn, left to suffer on their own, but Elsa is not giving up. It’s so important to her to teach her children what’s important in life and try to keep them in school, education will further their dreams for a better future. This will not be an easy task for Elsa, but she’s become a tougher than nails kinda gal and doesn’t stop trying any more than she’d stop loving her children,
After meeting up with an activist/communist who has a heart for the downtrodden and wants to help, she encounters the other side of greed. Someone finally understands the nightmare she and thousands of other families are living through. She’s hesitant at first to get involved, after all he is a communist, and during the 30’s that was not the label you wanted attached to your name. Elsa’s daughter has grown up to be a smart, independent thinker with ideas of her own, I loved to read that teen girls in the 1930’s were not that much different from the 1990’s when I was going through the hell of a teenage daughter with a strong independent personality who thought she knew it all. Anyway, her daughter sees things as a simple right and wrong conversation, but the realities of surviving are left to her mom, the one whose been particular about how honest she is with her for fear of scaring the kids or allowing them to think they’re less than. She’s one heck of a mom in a time when trying to care for oneself is hard enough, but to raise strong, resilient children is almost impossible.
This will be another book that doesn’t leave me soon. Both my parents survived the Great Depression, but for personal reasons never talked much about it. Every once in a while when my dad would tell a story of his childhood I could detect from the settings he used that he was one of the very poor in the 1930’s. Little food, torn and outgrown clothes, no jobs, no money and hardship at every turn, but then I listen to stories my mom told and she was of the upper class and didn’t go through any of this. I’ve always wondered how can this be? They lived miles from one another as kids, both of their sets of parents were hard working and caring people, the difference was money. It angers me that those who have are always making the decisions for those who don’t . Blame it on capitalism, racism, cronyism or any other ism you can think of, to me it all boils down to a lack of humanity towards your fellow man/woman. When does kindness, caring and assisting those less fortunate come into the conversation? Are we again going to argue over ism’s and whose right or wrong, or are we going to say enough is enough and begin treating others like we’d like to be treated, you know the golden rule we all learned as kids!
I love Kristin Hannah and the way she can take a story of horrible circumstances and people’s struggles and turn them into a need to read novel. Her research is always impeccable and her characters are real people with real problems and desires. Their stories need to be told, even though these are fictional characters, there are millions of everyday people who can relate to Elsa’s strength, determination and persistence in her quest to better themselves in a world that’s never on their side. The everyman/woman we all want to see make it. Through Hannah’s books we get the chance to go back in history, hear the stories and see the resiliency of the human spirit again and again. Some are saying this one is just too depressing, yes it is, but sometimes we need to be uncomfortable in our own skin to have our eyes opened. Maybe because this story is being retold all over the US right now. Greed over need, power over what’s good and just. sound bytes over action. This is a timely read and one that needs to be told. I suggest also reading Hannah’s acknowledgements in the back of the book, it gave me insight into how she decided to write this one, what her inspiration was and a bit about where she stands on this nation in pain. Yes folks she’s done it to me again, I don’t cry over books, but this really rocked me. The Four Winds will be blowing through my mind for some time to come. Happy Reading!
Portybelle – Joanne –
I learned a lot from this book. Although I was aware of course of The Great Depression, I don’t think I’d really heard of The Great Drought or the Dustbowl before. I have since read more about it and seen some photographs from the era and it is sobering indeed.
I could hardly believe the conditions that the hardy people of the Great Plains somehow managed to survive. It was an incredibly hard life for the farming community and even though it is now known that farming practices of the time contributed to the difficulties, it is clear that the harsh climate made it a struggle to live. Almost 100 years later, the environmental issues raised still resonate today.
I admired Elsa enormously. Her strength and resilience were admirable and her determination to do absolutely anything to ensure the survival of her children. I really respected her quiet dignity in the face of adversity. It was eye-opening to read how badly the Americans moving west in the hope of a better life were treated by so many. It almost felt like deja vu as I thought about how immigrants today are often treated. And yet these were Americans moving from one state to another, perfectly legally but treated like dirt. My heart went out to Elsa and her family reading about everything they had to endure. Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any worse, they did.
The Four Winds is a powerful story about a remarkably strong woman and the love she has for her family. At times I felt heart-sorry for Elsa but for the most part I was just filled with respect and admiration for Elsa and the real-life women like her who did what they had to to survive.
4.5* rounded up
English professor, not lit –
This is a bold, painful and compelling story of the dust bowl suffered by a west Texas family who ventured to CA for survival. From the very first page I was drawn to the character of Elsa, a tall awkward girl, rejected by a family with superficial values. She does find acceptance by in~laws and has two children but the trajectory of her life parallels the drying and betrayal of the land. There is little relief from personal and social devastation, which becomes almost unbearable about 2/3 of the way through. But Elsa and her daughter find purpose in the migrant strikes of 1934. While the novel’s conclusion made me cry, hope for the next generation’s future held promise. The writing, through tragedy and joyful moments, reflects a boldly truthful examination of the plight of farm workers in the 1930s. I strongly recommend this novel that’s unforgettable.
ErieDearie –
This book is amazing. It’s beautifully written. When reading it, it’s easy to visualize the characters and relate to them. The story has so many levels – family, love, loss, loyalty. I’m only 1/2 way through the book, but if you’re a woman over 40 years old, this book is for you. I can’t wait to see how it ends!
JONAS RIBAS –
Excelente romance ambientado no período da grande depressão Americana e do Dust Bowl na região do Texas panhandle, abordando o sofrimento e as mudanças dos aspectos sociais, econômicos, educacionais, migratório e de sáude, vivenciados por uma família de moradores daquele local
Daniella Gurrea –
No puedo creer que me salga mas barato un libro importado! y en inglés!!!
Gail D. –
I enjoy Kristin Hannah’s books. This one did not disappoint.
Marianne Corvah –
This novel will take over 400 pages to bring one to complete utter tears! So poignant with the parallel of today’s democracy hanging in the balance with the great depression. The fact that this country of immigrants turned its back on immigrants and suffered in devastating poverty. People who lived good lives lost it all. Well done. Hannah’s talent is unrivaled.
smilline –
Manchmal etwas langatmig, aber naturgemäß sehr bewegend. Ich konnte sehr gut in die Zeit eintauchen, mich mit den Frauen identifizieren. Ich habe einiges gelernt. Auf jeden Fall lesenswert.
Jeff –
Enjoyed the book but a little depressing. I guess that is to be expected because it is about the Depression and Texas dust bowl.
Jjspina –
The Four Winds is an epic historical novel that takes the reader back to The Great Depression and a family who suffered through it all. This involves the greatest generation of all, for they were the strongest, most resilient and determined to make a life for themselves despite the dire circumstances of nature, other events, and heartache.
This was a tough book to read because it involved so much heartbreak as the author takes us through the daily life of this family and all their struggles. The main protagonist Elsa is a woman who has been unloved by her family, mistreated by her husband and not accepted by her daughter. All Elsa wants is to love and be loved, something that she has desperately needed all her life. She struggles to be a good wife, mother, and eventual daughter-in-law when she moves in with her in-laws after being ostracized by her parents when she realizes she is pregnant.
Elsa discovers that she is loved and needed by her mother- and father-in-law but not appreciated by her husband for what she is, a hard worker who is determined to make a good life for herself and her family. It was difficult to watch Elsa with her struggles and how she never gave up even after her husband abandoned her and their two children.
There is mention of how the immigrants from one state to another were mistreated and shunned by others, exploited by the cotton and fruit plantations, and forced to grovel and somehow survive reminiscent of some of the problems in our society today.
An unforgettable and epic read that I highly recommend. Be prepared to feel the heart wrenching despair of the characters told expertly through this amazing author’s prose.