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A review by kenziithefox
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
3.0
I really struggle with my final thoughts on this title. It was such a beautiful read right from the start of the story. The history lesson that proved twice as effective than my middle-school classes in understanding the Dust Bowl and what it did to America is just...absolutely stunning. If I were to just rate this title on the experience of the Dust Bowl I would easily give this one a 5/5, but those were not the only parts of the book.
In the beginning of Four Winds we start off strong with a female lead who is cast away from her family because of a personal choice and starts anew with a brand new family. From there we learn about the Dust Bowl and how it affected her, the farm, and her family. The imagery Hannah uses for some of these scenes involving the dust and the sheer desperation is just...magical. I almost felt like I was there. The way she cried and how much it hurt when she had to make bigger decisions was so powerful I cried. But, there were many things that just didn't click well with me. Things I didn't understand.
There is a time in the book, much later in the story when the female lead has a choice to make and she ends up struggling in a high-poverty location. Around that time I remember feeling kind of put off from the story, not understanding why she did things and how historically correct anything the author wrote. The side characters aside from maybe one or two didn't feel very impactful or necessary. Especially the young man which is introduced far later in the story. It felt rushed, unnecessary, and really, quite rude considering the ending. There was no connection and it felt like added fluff, and nothing sustainable. The end was just as rushed, leaving the reader wondering who, what, when, and how. Then consider the why. Just... a lot of why.
But, I understand this is based on the 1920s and back then they didn't have the technology we have today. They didn't have the same education and choices we have today. So, in large most of the decisions DO make sense, but it left the reader, or at least me just questioning the story as a whole. If I were to judge this book on the first twenty chapters I would say it was amazing. But after that, it just felt like something was off.
In the beginning of Four Winds we start off strong with a female lead who is cast away from her family because of a personal choice and starts anew with a brand new family. From there we learn about the Dust Bowl and how it affected her, the farm, and her family. The imagery Hannah uses for some of these scenes involving the dust and the sheer desperation is just...magical. I almost felt like I was there. The way she cried and how much it hurt when she had to make bigger decisions was so powerful I cried. But, there were many things that just didn't click well with me. Things I didn't understand.
There is a time in the book, much later in the story when the female lead has a choice to make and she ends up struggling in a high-poverty location. Around that time I remember feeling kind of put off from the story, not understanding why she did things and how historically correct anything the author wrote. The side characters aside from maybe one or two didn't feel very impactful or necessary. Especially the young man which is introduced far later in the story. It felt rushed, unnecessary, and really, quite rude considering the ending. There was no connection and it felt like added fluff, and nothing sustainable. The end was just as rushed, leaving the reader wondering who, what, when, and how. Then consider the why. Just... a lot of why.
But, I understand this is based on the 1920s and back then they didn't have the technology we have today. They didn't have the same education and choices we have today. So, in large most of the decisions DO make sense, but it left the reader, or at least me just questioning the story as a whole. If I were to judge this book on the first twenty chapters I would say it was amazing. But after that, it just felt like something was off.