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lillythebluepaladin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Okay… I really want to give this at least a 4,75🌟 review, but I really can’t. Had to take some stars away for the three n words in this book. That was very much uncalled for, and if that word is something that you really don’t want to read, or racism is something that you just don’t need in your life right now, then definitely skip this. Take care, a book is not worth your mental health❤️
This book and it’s journey is a HARD READ, long and hard and so challenging, but the ending was nice and satisfying. This book will make your throat dry!
Many negative reviews talks about how annoying they found Elsa’s lack of confidence and how much she found herself ugly, but they forget how easy it is to view yourself as an ugly and boring person worth nothing, when those are the opinions thrown upon you your entire life. I saw a lot of myself and my own traumas in Elsa’s attitude, and it made sense for her to only gain confidence and self worth when she did, which was sadly so late in her life. She did everything she could to be the best mother possible, and this book has even made me want to work on some of my own familial relationships, which I did not ask for omfg rude
Loreda’s transformation from an annoying brat of a preteen, to a young confident woman who wants to see change in the world, and who finally learns to love and appreciate her mother was a wonderful transformation, and I really started to love her in the second half of the entire thing. She was a wonderful big sister, and an awesome commie feminist.
So yeah, Kristin Hannah is a great writer.
But again, ma’am what the fuck, three n words?!
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
kdailyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexism, Violence, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
dice_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Colonisation
elyssajoh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
filipa_maia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book broke my heart so many times and in so many ways: the tragedies that Elsa keeps encountering in her life are endless. How can someone be so resilient? I love the way Elsa is described, always so fragile, someone from whom people don't expect much in life... but I loved her since the day she bought that piece of red fabric. So many times, throughout the entire book, I feared so much for that family's survival... I was always on the edge. I understood how much I was "living" this story when that hairdresser gave Elsa and the kids some clothes... I felt that act of kindness as if it happened to me.
I can't stress enough how much I love Elsa's character. A woman who was put down and beaten up by life (and everyone around her) but somehow pulled trough. I don't feel like she was happy for one moment her entire life, but that never stopped her. She raise her kids and gave them the most important thing - love - and with that a future. This is what a truly strong female character looks like!
I can't wait to read another Kristin Hannah's book!
P.S.: Historical fiction is not very easy to read. If you're not interested in history, this might not be your kind of book. But I love to discover more about other countries' past. The way Kristin Hannah ends the book is brilliant: reminding us that we've faced bad things in the past and this will too pass, but we should never forget the old saying "When we forget the past we are doomed to repeat it".
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Alcohol
savleigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Sexism and Death of parent
mandi4886's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
theoverbookedshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Sexism, Police brutality, and Abandonment
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
linesiunderline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Here’s what I appreciated about The Four Winds:
- Excellent sense of place: Hannah is very good at this. In my opinion, the sense of place was one of the redeeming aspects of The Great Alone. Here, you can see / smell / taste / hear / feel what it might have been like to live through the Dust Bowl.
- The relationship between Elsa and her daughter felt true and complex and I thought it evolved in a believable way.
- The pacing at the start made it hard to put down and drew me in immediately, which is one of my fave reading feelings.
Not so much:
- Tragedy upon tragedy upon tragedy (which I’m sure is pretty realistic given the historical period), but that’s what put me off with The Great Alone so it felt a little deja vu to me.
- At times it was super melodramatic and overwritten in the emotional department.
Will I keep reading Kristin Hannah? Probably. Her books are right for a certain reading mood, and that’s enough for me.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
megloveswords12's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content