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runrina11's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death
mkhudson86's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Violence
Minor: Animal death and Child death
msennflinn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Child death
tormerritt's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.0
I really thought I was going to enjoy this one as I loved The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. I'm unsure where to start as I am terrible at writing reviews, but this book felt bland.
The characters felt cliché or stereotypical. The events in the beginning of the book felt believable, but it gradually became unrealistic. It was difficult for me to push through because it is definitely a slow-paced read and the entire middle of the book felt repetitive and redundant. It had a predictable ending as well. Overall, I was expecting far more from this one, but was rather disappointed.
The characters felt cliché or stereotypical. The events in the beginning of the book felt believable, but it gradually became unrealistic. It was difficult for me to push through because it is definitely a slow-paced read and the entire middle of the book felt repetitive and redundant. It had a predictable ending as well. Overall, I was expecting far more from this one, but was rather disappointed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal death
katlynmoran's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Minor: Animal death
laurenleigh's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Now that I’ve finally finished this, I’ve read the last three publications by Kristin Hannah. I was moved by TheNightingale, but these last two didn’t do it for me. If I had to sum them all up, it would be easy: “The hits just keep on coming.” Le sigh. This was not an enjoyable read. It was just one tragedy after another, which left me feeling tired, overwhelmed, and sadly, desensitized. By the time I reached the denouement, I had little energy left to really care all that much about what happened to these characters. There were certainly elements in this novel that I found enlightening, moments that left me feeling very grateful for all that I have and often take for granted. And I suppose I found the exploration of mother/daughter relationships interesting. But that’s pretty much all I got out of this. I’m not at all bummed it’s over. Maybe I’ve just been reading too many tough topics lately!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Gun violence and Blood
mandi4886's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
theoverbookedshelf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Police brutality, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
gingerkathrynreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Death, and Animal death
linesiunderline's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
There’s something about a new Kristin Hannah title that always calls to me. Maybe it’s the promise of a long story to really get lost in, or the idea that maybe this will be the book that will make me get what all the fuss is about. I’ve read 3 of hers now - The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and this one, and I’d say of the three, this one falls in the middle in terms of my ranking. For reference, The Nightingale was still in the 3⭐️ range for me, and The Great Alone left me with very mixed feels.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia