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A review by midwifereading
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
4.0
A beautiful, deeply melancholy story rich with hope. The mother/daughter relationship felt personal and real. The characters have depth, and stories that beg to be followed through to the end. Hannah's ability to paint a setting is intensely immersive. I swear I could feel the dust in my throat as Black Sunday swept across the plains. I felt like I was there.
My only complaints are, 1) that the birth scenes were unrealistic, as most are, so not unexpected. Still, for a book so centered on women, it was annoying to have those scenes so stripped of power. And 2) there was a little too much telling, and not showing when it came to Elsa's emotional development early in the story. Just snippets that caught my eye that I felt could have been done a little better.
That said, the ending made me cry. Like, I had to go get tissues. Like, for real tears. The character arcs are sweeping and beautiful. I love character-driven narratives, and this book satisfied that love. Gorgeous story. Vivid setting. Characters you can root for and hurt with. Loved it!
My only complaints are, 1) that the birth scenes were unrealistic, as most are, so not unexpected. Still, for a book so centered on women, it was annoying to have those scenes so stripped of power. And 2) there was a little too much telling, and not showing when it came to Elsa's emotional development early in the story. Just snippets that caught my eye that I felt could have been done a little better.
That said, the ending made me cry. Like, I had to go get tissues. Like, for real tears. The character arcs are sweeping and beautiful. I love character-driven narratives, and this book satisfied that love. Gorgeous story. Vivid setting. Characters you can root for and hurt with. Loved it!