G1220 Book Review of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

 

Name of Book: The Four Winds

Author: Kristin Hannah

ISBN: B087ZXSPGJ

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Type of book: Great Depression, 1930s, classes, family, wealth, farming, Italian-American, dreams, propaganda, advantage, Dust Bowl, California, Texas

Year it was published: 2021

Summary:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

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

Characters:

Main character includes Elsa Martinelli, originally a wealthy and cloistered young woman who wasn't wanted or loved by her family. She ended up getting married to an Italian-American and became like a daughter to her inlaws, staying and trying during Dust Bowl.  Other characters include Elsas in-laws who are tender yet firm and refuse to abandon the farm. There are also Elsas son and daughter and friends that Elsa makes in California, and a lot are very heartbreaking stories. 

 
Theme:

I think the main idea is the importance of stability and how much we depend on nature to sustain us and our bodies and dreams. I also think another theme would be the importance of treating people with compassion and respect, no matter where they come from. 

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Elsas and her daughter's points of views. What I found remarkable is in a way this is a switch from THE GREAT ALONE; THE GREAT ALONE focused a lot on the daughters experience of the wilderness, and very little can be seen through mothers. THE FOUR WINDS, on the other hand, is a lot on mothers survival and attempts to help the family thrive. There are no weak points in the story, and each aspect, be it the beautiful language describing the scenery or life during 1930s or even characters will not be forgotten anytime soon. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People's Choice award for best fiction in the same year. Additionally, it was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week. Her novel, The Great Alone, was also voted as Goodreads best historical novel of the year in 2018.

Kristin's highly anticipated new release, The Four Winds will be published on February 9, 2021 (St. Martin's Press). The novel is a sweeping, emotional story of love, family, and survival, set in Texas and California during the dark days of The Great Depression. It is a portrait of one indomitable woman who will do anything to keep her family together.

The Nightingale is currently in production at Tri Star, with award-winning director Melanie Laurent set to direct a cast led by Dakota and Elle Fanning.

Firefly Lane, starring Katherine Heigl, Sarah Chalke and Ben Lawson, is set to premiere on Netflix in early 2021.

Opinion:

There aren't enough words in English language to describe the beauty, splendor and darkness within this story. As a pre-teen I loved Christopher Pike, in particular his novel WHISPER OF DEATH, but THE FOUR WINDS BY KRISTIN HANNAH, far surpasses my favorite novel and has embedded itself deep in my heart. THE FOUR WINDS will make you cry, scream and rage throughout the story. It is also nothing like THE GREAT ALONE, her previous novel. As I was reading it, I couldn't help but think of the humanity within the story and of how much we put labels to separate us or not help others. If I will do a 2021 best book list, this will be destined as number one. 

This was given to me for a review

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)