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cassiejean'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? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Animal death and Slavery
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
kochiscookin'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
3.5
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming and Miscarriage
annafieldsforever'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death and Miscarriage
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy
marycage'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
3.25
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Blood
caillahess'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
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Xenophobia, and Classism
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
ldavis519's review
- 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? No
5.0
As far as this story, I was devastated by the ending, literal tears rolling down my cheeks. However, I think it ended just how it needed to—especially thinking about doing the history justice.
I can’t wait to read another one of her novels.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Abandonment
marjeannguyen's review
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage
erinwolf1997's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Slavery, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, and Pregnancy