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carissa230's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Great Depression and Dust Bowl was a hard time for the United States. The Four Winds is a look at what it was like for one family to survive.
Elsa had a rough childhood, never felt like she fit with her family, and was always looking for her place in the world. One night she meets a young man and they procreate. As soon as her parents find out they dump her at his parents house and pretty much never speak to her again.
Elsa finds her place in the world among this new family and is thriving helping run the farm. When the Dust Bowl hits Texas they are hit hard. Elsa has to decide what is the best thing to save her family. When she decides to take her children and move to CA she thinks this is the beginning of a new life for them. Little did she know that they would be treated like pariahs.
As the families in CA grow more and more desperate to survive, the ones that have are getting more aggressive with the have nots.
It is sad to see how in some ways history is repeating itself with people blaming immigrants for their problems.
Graphic: Police brutality and Abandonment
Moderate: Medical content and Murder
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
marlenealina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual content
emmadub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hannah has such a great skill in telling stories while the backdrop tells another. This is a story of a mother and her children. This is a story about the Great Depression. This is a story about finding yourself and reclaiming your own identity. It is also a story about farmers and activists. This is a story about power and sisterhood and personal growth through pain. And it is a love letter to the south and those who have learned resilience and courage through making the south their home.
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Abandonment
kitty03'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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Death of parent
amnda527'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
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Police brutality
tashreads2manybooks'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: Police brutality
bobbijopmh'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death and Child death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Excrement, Police brutality, and Grief
Minor: Blood
corinnab'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
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Sexism, and Police brutality