The bestselling author of The Great Alone returns with an epic tale set during the Great Depression. Elsa Martinelli must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west to find a better life in California—where unbeknownst to her, migrant workers are organizing to resist injustice unfolding amid the Dust Bowl's economic and social crisis.
... a captivating, heartbreaking tale of a family who will do anything for one another—and everything to survive. The strength of Hannah’s prose brings the characters to life in a way that will make you unable to tear yourself away from them. You will celebrate their triumphs, mourn their tragedies, and commend their bravery. Through it all, it is easy to feel Hannah’s desire to honor those who lived and fought through this devastating time in history. The Four Winds is also an ode to the strength and ferocity of mothers, and a declaration that sometimes, love is the only thing that holds us together.
This exquisite novel follows Elsa through nearly two decades of hardship, including the Dust Bowl, droughts, the Great Depression, migrant farming in California, and a devastating flood ... Through Elsa's eyes, readers travel through the Great Depression era and experience firsthand the difficulties faced in the Great Plains. Historical fiction readers will become immersed in this poignant story by Hannah...and will enjoy witnessing Elsa's transformation from fragile, insecure girl to fearless, resilient woman.
Like a wise and imaginative teacher, Kristin Hannah imbues past events with relevance and significance ... The story builds to epic proportions over its four distinct parts. The spare writing in the 1921-set first section imparts the starkness of Elsa’s childhood and the barrenness of the landscape, like a Dorothea Lange photograph come alive ... With biting dialogue that holds nothing back, The Four Winds is classic in its artistry. Overtones of America’s present political struggles echo throughout the novel’s events. These indomitable female characters foreshadow the nation’s sweeping change through their fierce commitment to each other and to a common, timeless goal.
