Kristin Hannah's latest book, The Four Winds, follows the story of Elsa and her children Loreda and Ant. Having been abandoned by Elsa's husband, Elsa faces a bleak existence in Texas with her in-laws, attempting to save her family and their land from the dismal reality of life in the Dust Bowl. The time comes when Elsa must make a change if her family is to survive, so she follows the lead of countless others and heads for California for the possibility of an improved life.

I am sure that there is a great deal of historical accuracy in this book, as in Hannah's previous books. And while it is most definitely a story of resilience and determination in the face of adversity, it was difficult to read heart-rending event after event over the course of the majority book of this size without glimpses of a brighter future. Were I to pick this book up at a different time than what we're currently experiencing, I might have enjoyed it more, but in the current state of unrest in the nation, this was more of a bleak read than I was prepared for. If readers go into the book expecting that, they may enjoy it more than I did.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Kirstin Hannah really is an incredible writer. You feel like you are in the story and her characters and settings are richly detailed. I was really enjoying this one when it suddenly took a sharp left. And by sharp left I mean romanticizing Communism. This started to read like state endorsed propaganda. Bad Capitalist. Good Communism. I was seriously rolling my eyes. Thankfully I know that Communism NEVER works no matter how much it is idealized. I enjoyed this book before it went in this direction. I'm thankful that I was educated in a time when the truth about Communism was taught and the countless millions who have lost their life under this ideology.

This is a story of Elsa and her family caught in the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years in the Texas panhandle. I was eager to read more and more of this book looking for the happy moments, but it was just so depressing, there weren’t many. I loved Elsa’s relationship with her in-laws, and how tough she was even though she didn’t see herself that way. I had a hard time, however, with the beginning of the book. Her relationship with her own parents and the way she ended up with her husband, I found really implausible and almost gave up. I’m glad I stuck with it, the book did get a little better, but I felt like the opening was just a rush job to get Elsa’s character set up in the situation for the rest of the book to take place. I felt the author manipulated the character a little clumsily at the beginning in order to make the rest of the book work. That opening and just how gloomy the rest of the book was made it difficult for me to fall in love with this book.

Hannah doesn't disappoint with her newest historical fiction set in the Texas dust bowl. A family struggling to survive through unimaginable hard times. As they set out in a journey to better their lives, but only to be treated as outcasts. This epic was hard to put down. I highly recommend it to all readers of Hannah and fans of historical fiction.

The Four Winds is the story of Elsa Martinelli and her family. Elsa’s in laws immigrated from Italy to Texas to farm the land and live the American dream. Rejected by her biological family, Elsa finds comfort in the arms of a younger man, becomes pregnant, and marries him, moving to his family’s farm. It is the Great Depression, and they are living in the dust bowl. It has not rained in years, it is boiling hot, and most families are leaving for the hopes and dreams they have of a better life on the west coast.

After Elsa’s son nearly dies from dust pneumonia, she finally decides to head to California with her two children. Although the grass is greener there, their lives do not seem to be any better than their farm in Texas. They must live in squalor, pick cotton for a living, and take government handouts to survive. The lure of communism is ever present.

Ms. Hannah does a remarkable job of placing the reader in the time and place. It is easy to empathize with the characters, who struggle with important decisions and do what they believe is right. The writing is exquisite and realistic. At no point did I find the story overly predictable; however, I did speed read sections that were repetitive or lengthy. If the story is appealing to you, and you are a fan of Kristin Hannah, I recommend picking up this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Kristin Hannah for an advance reader copy.

4.2. This book is very well done but extremely heartbreaking and tragic. I really liked Ms, Hannah's The Nightingale, but found The Great Alone lacking. This is in the middle. A little hard to get engaged in the very beginning but got better as it went on, likely due to the subject matter and extreme difficulties the characters faced from a sad upbringing for Elsa (from a wealthy town family) the main character, and the perils she, her husband and his family and their children faced in the Great Depression from the drought and destructive dust storms and elements encompassing the Texas Panhandle, going from a good life to poverty and starvation, to the trip out west to Califirnia to find steady work where they were exposed to more poverty, loss and additionally discrimination as 'migrants.'. With all of the dire consequences and fierce struggles to survive with which the characters had no control, the novel shows how compassion, fierce determination, resilience, and love can triumph. There are similarities to The Grapes of Wrath in the story being told, and Kristin Hannah does as good of a job as she can. This is not a novel for the faint hearted as it is difficult to digest, yet it is a realistic historical fiction of what transpired during the Depression for many families from all over the country. Good writing, research, and excellent character development. Highly recommend. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review

I haven't read many books about the dust bowl (I hated The Grapes or Wrath) and was a little worried about this topic. Kristin Hannah brought made this hard topic so tangible and relatable telling it from Elsa's point of view. The book begins with Elsa's history. She leaves a unloving family for loving and loyal in laws although her husband is a dreamer. Her children are her greatest loves. She leaves Texas in hopes of finding a better life in California after the dust bowl threatens to kill them all. Little did they know so many others flocked to California for the same reason. The Californian's thought they were trash - similarly to the Mexican migrant workers that had been run out before this. It was striking to read how these poor people treated like trash. Hannah's descriptions brought so much empathy to the situation. It was wonderful watching Elsa grow from a "sickly" young woman the warrior she could be. This book reminds me of American Dirt in that both are stories of mothers who will do what it takes to help her children survive in horrible circumstances. I highly recommend this novel. Kristin Hannah does not disappoint.

The best book I’ve read in a long time. I fell in love with each of the characters, and Kristin Hannah’s writing transported me to this time period. I couldn’t put it down, but was sad when it ended.

Kristin Hannah is an amazing writer and this novel is no exception. I wanted to love it, truly love for it for its heartbreaking story and powerful characters. But it was just so depressing. I had such a hard time reading this story because it seemed to be so overwhelmingly sad. The last 50 pages or so were inspiring and it was rewarding to see Elsa find her strength.

You've heard about the Great Depression. Maybe studied it a bit in school? There is no way for you to possibly know the hardships that families went through at that devastating time, but Kristin Hannah's gut-wrenchingly realistic historical fiction puts you there. Your heart aches with Elsa as her family breaks her down in isolation. You feel her hope when she meets the dashing young Rafe, and her fear when she is suddenly thrust into a new life with a family she didn't know she needed. Following Elsa and her children on their journey to California and experiencing the poverty, hunger, loss, and horrifying injustice at the hands of the greediest people is something that will rock you to the core and leave you absolutely shattered with tear-stained pages. I devoured this book in just a few days, and highly recommend it.

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)

4.5 stars. I was super excited to get approved for this on Netgalley.. I figured if the writing and story were done half as well as The Nightingale I was in for another great read and I was not disappointed! While not a light read, it was hard to put down and I finished it in one afternoon.

The Four Winds was an utterly heartbreaking book to read -- especially during the times we are in right now. It was such a beautifully written book, but it was painful to make my way through. At times, I thought I would have to stop reading because I didn't think I could take anymore with everything else currently going on in the world. Elsa's struggles overwhelmed me. I guess that just goes to show what a great writer Hannah is. She made me feel with this book (and her others). While it wasn't my favorite book to read, it was a great historical fiction book that taught me a lot and made me fall in love with its characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Honestly? I requested it based just on my history with Kristin Hannah and her books...I have loved any that I have read and she is an author I will continuously read throughout my life. This one threw me for a loop, however, as it was nothing like any I have read. First off, I immediately felt for Elsa and her strained relationship with her parents AND herself. She grew up feeling unloved and pretty and that pretty much stayed with her. One night of passion with a boy who made her feel pretty even just for awhile turned into a few more times and woops, Elsa is pregnant. Well, back in those days there was no question. Rafe had to forget about his fiance and forget about his getting out of there to go to college. His mother was devastated because she wanted better for him but they moved Elsa in, they got married and she proceeded to teach Elsa how to become a good wife and mother. Flash forward to a teenage daughter who I hated so much I could barely read about her and how she treated her mom, a husband who still doesn't love his wife like he should and a dream to get away from what is happening in Texas at the moment...dust storms, droughts, and a son who cannot handle the dirt that is accumulating in his lungs and you have a book that kind of hurts my heart for this woman. I mean literally, my heart hurts when I think of how she might have felt. Much more happens and I won't give any away but I was starting to think that nothing good was going to happen to her in her life and it was really making me mad so I was going to give this book only two stars for the longest time...it was at 92% that I decided I could feel the author wanting to also get out what life would have been like for the real people who lived in that time and I started looking up pictures online. Within that last 8%, so much changes ( I won't lie and say it was all good) that it shot up to a 4 star book. Don't get me wrong, I am still really pissed off but the book make me FEEL and that is what I like.

As Kristin Hannah wrote in her author's note at the book's conclusion, she finished writing The Four Winds amid the COVID-19 pandemic - a time eerily similar to the times in the book. Once she noted this, I found that this was really a revelation about the book and an important one at that. It makes this book so much more relevant to current times despite taking place 90 years ago.

I found The Four Winds to be a slow burn and rather uneventful. It wasn't a very exciting book, but then again, it is a book about a woman's life during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Often, books of this nature are not especially momentous. That being said, I still enjoyed the book although the general atmosphere was sad and trying. I definitely cried, particularly at the book's conclusion. In the end, it was an inspiring book about brave women and undying hope. I know I will remember Elsa for years to come.

The cover was a disappointment. The last few Kristin Hannah books had beautiful, alluring covers. I thought this one fell flat, although I realize that the Dust Bowl, Great Plains, and the Great Depression do not necessarily provide a beautiful aesthetic. Speaking of huge disappointments, in her acknowledgements, Hannah thanked the police for keeping us safe, which is a sentiment I do not approve of nor think is true. It truly left a bad taste in my mouth.

Like previous novels of Kristin Hannah, this one was very good. The character's, the plot, everything just draws you in as a reader.
The ending was a bit heart wrenching, but fitting.

Kristin Hannah has always been a favorite author. So when the opportunity arose to read her newest book I knew I had to jump on it.

Of course it was great. Everything she writes is gold. And this didn’t disappoint. The writing was vivid and flawless, the story was beautiful, the characters were top notch.

Hannah’s writing is and always will be something that sticks with you days after reading. Four Winds was no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wowwww this book. This book smacked me over the head and left me beaten and broken. It made me angry, it made me cry, it made me feel like I needed a shower and a drink of water. And I wasn’t sure at first how I felt about all that because it’s been a while since a book has emotionally affected me in that way...but I guess that all points to the work of a really good author. The plot was bleak and depressing and gritty, and sometimes that felt like too much for me. It’s clear to me that Hannah was very angry when she wrote this, particularly the last few chapters. I’m angry too. I don’t think I will ever revisit this book, but man it was well-done. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for the roundhouse-kick this book did to my emotions.

Loved this book! If you are reading this review, you are thinking about buying it - so do it.

I received an ARC and would like to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley . This did not impact my review.

I was torn about reading this book. I love this author, and am so rarely disappointed by her stories. However, the background of the story - the time period, the struggles. etc are not my usual preference. So I went into this book with some skepticism.

Well, I was hooked from the beginning. I needed to know what happened next. This was one of those "stay up too late because you keep saying one more chapter" books. I loved all of the characters and the story felt so real. I wanted it to go on and on because I was so engrossed in their journey.

I was transported to a different time, and the people felt real to me. I felt like I knew them.

This book also gave me a good hard look at how much people were suffering, and made me think about all of my blessings.

Fabulous book.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is bleak and depressing, if you're looking for a happy read, this isn't it, and I recommend going into this book when you know you are wanting a book like this because I think it will influence how you feel about it. The book realistically looks at the impact of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl on farmers in the Texas panhandle and elsewhere. It did take me a while to get into this story. The first half, for me, moved slow and felt like there wasn't a direction the story was taking. And I wasn't crazy about the ending, I guessed what was going to happen, but it didn't feel like it quite fit perfectly with the characters opinions from the rest of the book.

However, after 65% I became much more engrossed and liked how Hannah explored the topics she did. I also felt the story pull together at this point. The examination of mother and daughter relationships during the early teenage years was thorough. I loved this aspect of the book. Hannah writes with so much emotion and insight, and captures reality perfectly, even when it is hard and heavy.


This book was absolutely amazing! I fell in love with the characters and it was so well written and researched. Probably one of my favorite Kristin Hannah books.