Author: Kristin Hannah

Year of Publication: 27th January 2021

PLOT: 5/5

CHARACTERS: 5/5

WRITING: 5/5

CLIMAX: 5/5

ENTERTAINMENT: 5/5

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Plot:

The Four Winds” opens in 1921 in northwest Texas. The Great Plains are in a drought, and millions of people are jobless. As crops fail, water runs out, and dust threatens to bury everyone, farmers are fighting to maintain their land and their means of subsistence. The Dust Bowl era, one of the worst parts of the Great Depression, has descended with a vengeance.

Elsa Martinelli, like so many of her neighbours, is forced to choose between fighting for the land she loves and moving to California in quest of a better life at this uncertain and frightening period.

The eldest child of a middle-class family who treats her like an unattractive heirloom is Elsa Wolcott. Elsa’s uncaring parents keep her isolated in her room while she reads because they claim she is too weak to handle any social engagement. She is frequently told that “no man of consequence wants an unattractive wife” as a 25-year-old miserable spinster.

Elsa, though, is just a yellow wallpaper strip away from a mental collapse. Her heart beats with the pounding force of unfulfilled longings and unattained goals.

Elsa sews a scarlet outfit that exposes her knees after being inspired by the scandalous tale of Fanny Hill and storms off for a night of amorous adventure. She achieves her goals for a little period of time, but it soon becomes clear that her knowledge of how sex actually functions is severely restricted due to the novels she has read.

This enormous downpour of groans and embarrassment is merely a prelude intended to change Elsa from imprisoned virgin to outcast mother. She emerges as a traditional Hannah heroine ready for the perilous exploits that lie ahead, freed from the constraints of her bedroom and the draining control of her parents. We are in the midst of the Great Depression when “The Four Winds” takes back up in 1934, and Hannah lets her tale bake in the clear sky. One farm after another falls into disaster as a result of a conspiracy of terrible weather, bad agriculture, and bad government.

Such tragedies are difficult to dramatise, but Hannah succeeds in making the heat radiate off these pages as the drought drags on. Examples include the evaporation of water, the withering of seedlings, and the boredom of unemployment. She also creates terrifying dust storms that persist for days, altering the landscape, burying homes, and filling lungs out of pure physical horror. Elsa must choose between staying on her estate and risking famine or leaving for California, the land of milk and honey where there are plenty of jobs.

A generation will be defined by the heroism and sacrifice of one unbreakable woman. The Four Winds is an unforgettable portrayal of America and the American Dream.

What I liked about/didn’t like about the book?

It’s a really wonderful tale about a family struggling to get by. I fell in love with Elsa right away—her fire and her flaws—and I desperately wanted her to find safety for her family.

To avoid spoiling your reading experience, I won’t disclose much, but I must warn you that this will not be a smooth or simple voyage for you. You will be hurt, broken, shaken, slapped, and crashed by it. Because it is truthful and authentic, it is so powerfully painful. People’s mental and physical stamina are put to the test by the tragedies they experience, along with the despair, grief, starvation, and helplessness.

It’s moving, poetic, startling, heartbreaking, and tear-inducing!

Who should read this?

If you enjoy reading gritty historical novels, this should be your next purchase. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, which occurred in Texas and California from the early 1920s to World War II, were two of the darkest periods in American history. This book is a harrowing, difficult, and painful read about the tragedies, poverty, starvation, unemployment, and sacrifices made during this time. It is meticulously well-researched, filled with all the gory details of a time period as viewed by a woman, a mother, and her family. This book should be read by everyone.

Final Verdict

I loved reading this book. Highly recommended.