The Four Winds

By: Kristin Hannah

Publication date: Feb. 9th, 2021 by St. Martin’s Press

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods. The crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman who will discover the best in herself in the worst of times. 

My Thoughts:

Historical fiction is sometimes hard to read when it portrays the reader’s own country. How many people actually want to read about the trials and tribulations of their countrymen? This is not a quick, easy read. Hannah doesn’t hold anything back in this book. All of the angst, pain, and suffering are there on the pages. The reader doesn’t have any choice but to experience those emotions right alongside the characters. This story pays homage to all of those who lived through those trials and provides modern readers with a glimpse into their world. However, Hannah ensures that the book is not all gloom and doom. It is also a book about discovery, determination, family, love, and values. There is an extensive amount of research exhibited throughout the book but it is not force fed. It is intricately woven into the plot. This book deserves to be put on the same shelf as The Grapes of Wrath.

I received an advance copy of this title via NetGalley.