Reviews with content warning for Death - The Four Winds

I received a copy of this book as a gift.
"The Four Winds" follows Elsa Martinelli. Elsa has lived her entire life in Texas, and she is proud to work on the farmlands and earn a living for her family. Unfortunately, the land has been ravaged by crops, and the subsequent dust storms are becoming unbearable, especially for her youngest son. Elsa, like many people in the southern lands, must decide if she can risk staying for the land she loves, or if she must pack up and head to California in the hopes to start a better life.
This book was devastating and humbling. This history of America was not all that long ago, and it is appalling to see how quickly people turned on each other, and how greedy those with even a little bit of money were.
Elsa epitomized a strong, hard-working woman. Even when her situation felt absolutely desolate, she fought tooth and nail to provide for her children and to make the best of the situation they were in. I loved being able to read from the perspective of a woman during this time.
What stood out to me the most, and something that I think is still timely today, is the division of class. Those with money, even if it is a little bit, will do ANYTHING to keep it, even if that means mistreating their neighbors. Those at the very top will do ANYTHING to keep people in debt to them, so that people are always relaying on their "generosity". Additionally, it is so easy to lose everything, because life is unpredictable, and it is seemingly impossible odds to climb back out. Elsa finds herself unable to provide for her children, and even with meager government assistance, she is barely scrapping by. She is forced to go into insurmountable debt, or starve, and if she cannot afford to get ahead now, how will she ever get out of debt? This slippery slope is all too common today still, especially with the uncertainty that the pandemic brought.
This was my first book from Kristin Hannah, and I was blown away with how much I enjoyed it. Kristin seems to really research her novels for historical accuracy and really pours her heart and soul into the story.
I will definitely pick up more from Kristin Hannah in the future, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially more recent historical fiction.

Content Warnings

ehamlett's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

dylly_russell's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

kayleajayne's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I didn’t like the part about Dalhart, Texas. The main character’s family had been in Texas for five generations, but the Civil War house in Dalhart is just not accurate. I was born in the Texas Panhandle. Those towns were not established until the late 1890s and even early 1900s after the rail road made life there possible. Little details like the Mexican maid aren’t right. Even the wealthiest people in these towns didn’t really have maids, and if they did they weren’t Mexican. This far north didn’t see Mexican immigration until way later, after WWII. And it is so far north of land where Mexican people historically had lived since the 1500s. I know it’s historical fiction, but since I live in the area of the Dust Bowl, it irked me a little. But aside from that, the book is beautifully written to capture and weave a story about Okies and those who tried to escape destruction in the Dust Bowl. It is heartbreaking but well done.

Content Warnings