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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.5
“A warrior believes in an end she can’t see and fights for it. A warrior never gives up. A warrior fights for those weaker than herself. It sounds like motherhood to me.”
I'm a fan of Kristin Hannah's writing, and I've been meaning to read The Four Winds ever since it was published four years ago. Somehow it took me a lot longer than expected to finally do so... Probably because part of me worried about how I would react to it after seeing more than one mention of just how bleak and depressing this story was. And there is no doubt about it that The Four Winds is one of the most depressing stories I've read in a while. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it almost felt like the author researched just about ever bad event that happened in the time period, and then dumped it all on the main characters. It's one thing to read about characters trying to overcome a bad situation, but when you pile up too many tragedies it's hard not to become desensitized to it all. On top of this, I found the characters to be quite cliche and I kind of wish they would have been developed more... There was a lot of repetition going on with certain interactions and events appearing over and over. As for the characters: I absolutely hated the selfish daughter Loreda and the way she kept behaving. Elsa wasn't much better to be honest her constantly repeating that she is ugly and not worthy... This also made the ending even less credible, because after everything you've read it's hard to believe she finally finds her self-esteem. I wasn't a fan of the ending in general to be honest; I actually already suspected it was coming and it seemed the author wanted to go in this direction to add even more tragedy. Like I said before, I was already completely desensitized by then, and the only thing the author got from me was an eye roll and a sigh. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad. I did love Ant and the grandparents, and I loved learning more about the time period. Still, sometimes less is more, and this story would have benefitted from a little less tragedy and more hope. I can't say it was my favorite Kristin Hannah, but I'm still glad I finally read it.
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
drpthy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
kailiyahknight'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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, and Alcohol
bubblebot's review
- 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
the book will affect how i view some things in the future. it has caused change in me and that is the biggest compliment i can give a book.
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
imchelsi'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
4.5
Kristin Hannah tends to write books that take place over several years and are a snapshot of people living their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed following the story throughout the years and loved seeing how the two main characters grew. The setting was very well researched and had me super invested. I even found myself learning a lot about the time period.
Ultimately, a very touching story highlighting issues that are still very important today! Highly suggest keeping tissues on hand.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
trifi's review
Update: so I got bored and stuck in a place where I had nothing else to do and no wifi, and this was the only book on my phone. I ended up finishing it and it was actually better written than it seemed from the first couple of chapters? not sure how I feel about this tho, I don't think I like it very much.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death
trapdorr'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexism
geminisoul's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Pregnancy
Minor: Bullying, Miscarriage, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Deportation
anniesbooknook'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
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death and Pregnancy
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Deportation
courtofbooksanddogs'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
4.5
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism