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ecloete's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A beautifully written book about a mother's spirit to endure during the Great depression...
A beautiful story of love, courage, hope.
A beautiful story of love, courage, hope.
gamergirlangie's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh. I wanted to like this book. I did. I think it just wasn't for me. I was so bored with it. I read another review that said it was like Kristin Hannah, the author, read every historical event for the Dust Bowl/Great Depression and crammed them into the book to ensure the characters experienced everything. It was very repetitive to me and very depressing. I know it was a very sad time in America, but I think with a work of fiction, you need to give the reader hope. I did not find that here.
I do appreciate that the author showed me America through a lense that I would not have previously thought of. I did not realize how much prejudice those going to California experienced. It was actually very interesting how many similarities there are with today's time. I'm sure the author meant to do that. The prejudice we feel towards minorities and those who fall outside of the picturesque America we see. Our country blames a lot of their misfortune on these impoverished and underprivileged groups, even today. Maybe that's why I didn't like it.
There is so much going on in our country today with wage and class disparity, along with racism and discrimination. The rich always seem to get richer, and the poor get poorer. One thing I learned and took away from this book is that in capitalism, the rich need the poor to stay poor. They need someone to work the jobs they don't want, such as cotton picking, in this example.
I also would've loved for the author not to throw the romance in there at the end. Elsa, the FMC struggled and dug through the trenches of being a single mother in such a hard time, just to find a man there in the end to make it all better? I wish she would've been a strong feminist icon without needing men to rule her life. That's literally how the book starts out: women are the doers who get things done, not the men. Then she finds that she is actually "loved" by finding a man? Ugh.
OH! I almost forgot. I also hated the teenage girl. Loretta, or whatever her name was. She was literally the WORST.
I do appreciate that the author showed me America through a lense that I would not have previously thought of. I did not realize how much prejudice those going to California experienced. It was actually very interesting how many similarities there are with today's time. I'm sure the author meant to do that. The prejudice we feel towards minorities and those who fall outside of the picturesque America we see. Our country blames a lot of their misfortune on these impoverished and underprivileged groups, even today. Maybe that's why I didn't like it.
There is so much going on in our country today with wage and class disparity, along with racism and discrimination. The rich always seem to get richer, and the poor get poorer. One thing I learned and took away from this book is that in capitalism, the rich need the poor to stay poor. They need someone to work the jobs they don't want, such as cotton picking, in this example.
I also would've loved for the author not to throw the romance in there at the end. Elsa, the FMC struggled and dug through the trenches of being a single mother in such a hard time, just to find a man there in the end to make it all better? I wish she would've been a strong feminist icon without needing men to rule her life. That's literally how the book starts out: women are the doers who get things done, not the men. Then she finds that she is actually "loved" by finding a man? Ugh.
OH! I almost forgot. I also hated the teenage girl. Loretta, or whatever her name was. She was literally the WORST.
jorithomp's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
sydinreallife's review against another edition
3.0
I absolutely adored The Great Alone - is one of my favorite books of all time!
The Four Winds fell a bit flat for me.. I had trouble relating to the characters and felt they were rather two-dimensional. The trials the Martinelli's went through were thoroughly interesting to read about, and I didn't know much about the Dust Bowl period of America. I learned a lot in this respect, but the overall tone of the novel just didn't sit with me very well
The Four Winds fell a bit flat for me.. I had trouble relating to the characters and felt they were rather two-dimensional. The trials the Martinelli's went through were thoroughly interesting to read about, and I didn't know much about the Dust Bowl period of America. I learned a lot in this respect, but the overall tone of the novel just didn't sit with me very well
triciadea's review against another edition
5.0
I put off writing a review of The Four Winds because, honestly, I was all up in my "feels." I couldn't formulate the words to say what I wanted to say. I'm still not sure that I can. I don't know that I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been a choice for a book group read. I really knew nothing about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and didn't really care about it. I'm not a history person at all, but I love historical fiction. I'm an oddball, I admit.
This book tore me up. I was pulling so hard for Elsa and her family. And my heart kept breaking. Over and over and over. And it wasn't just from time of the dust bowl and the hardships it brought.... I was brokenhearted for the girl Elsa had been. Parents have the power to shape who you become, and I feel her parents failed her. But they also showed her who she would not be.
Elsa reminds me of my mother in many ways. My mother and Elsa were both single mothers. They both made sacrifices for their children. Everything they both did was so that their children could have a better life. I don't often say I have a favorite book, but this one will always top my list.
This book tore me up. I was pulling so hard for Elsa and her family. And my heart kept breaking. Over and over and over. And it wasn't just from time of the dust bowl and the hardships it brought.... I was brokenhearted for the girl Elsa had been. Parents have the power to shape who you become, and I feel her parents failed her. But they also showed her who she would not be.
Elsa reminds me of my mother in many ways. My mother and Elsa were both single mothers. They both made sacrifices for their children. Everything they both did was so that their children could have a better life. I don't often say I have a favorite book, but this one will always top my list.
ajamessuperreader's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mce_reads's review against another edition
5.0
I don't think I've read an account of the great migration so I appreciated this story as I felt that I learned something. The characters and storyline are gripping.
edhammell's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Kristin hannah does it again
dstruhs's review against another edition
4.0
It was a slow start to the book, but it pulled me in a few chapters in.