The Four Winds

Kristin Hannah is one of my favourite writers, and reading her latest book, The Four Winds, was a compulsion, not a choice. And I am glad to tell you all that it didn’t disappoint. The only thing I regret is not reading it sooner. What I love about Hannah’s writing (and there is so much to love) is the vivid imagery she creates. Each line, each paragraph she has crafted, is like a photograph or a painting. Those pictures, they sear into you. I could not just see the hundreds of acres of the Martinelli farm with the golden stalks of wheat reaching for the sky, but I could also taste the fruit from their garden, smell the fecund earth, and when the drought hit, taste the dust on my lips. Feel the sun scorch my skin. The master craftsman that she is, Hannah, engages all your senses with her writing, which makes the reading experience so much more immersive. The Four Winds is a work of historical fiction set during the American depression. Even when times were good, they weren’t particularly great for Elsa. The middle daughter of a wealthy Texas family, she suffered the scorn of her parents and her siblings simply because they did not consider her beautiful or worthwhile. She craved for her parents’ love and approval, and their constant rejection of her needs shaped the woman she became. An illness during her teenage years kept her from completing high school and giving up on her dream of going to college someday. For twenty-five years, Elsa kept to her room and to herself, books being her only salvation. Then one day, she put on a red dress she had sewed with her own hands, cut off her limp blonde hair and made her way to a speakeasy. A single decision that would forever change the course of her life. Elsa is the heroine of this tale, and like so many of Hannah’s other heroines, she is strong (you have to be to live on a farm and then survive the drought years and the inhumane conditions of the migrant camps in California) and brave (even though she doesn’t believe it). Elsa is a survivor. A warrior. But perhaps what stands out most is her ability to love unconditionally: her children, her family. In essence, this is the story about motherhood. Even though their relationship does not begin on a pleasant note, Elsa and her mother-in-law, Rose, grow to form a deep, indelible bond over time. In Rose, Elsa finds the mother she always wanted. When the time came for Elsa and her children to say goodbye to Rose and Tony, her father-in-law, the quiet farmer, who treated her with nothing but kindness and respect from the day she landed on their farm, I was crying with them. It’s all about the family we make, after all. At the heart of this book, though, is the relationship between Elsa and her fiery daughter Loreda. Unlike her mother, Loreda has stars in her eyes. At thirteen, she dreams of seeing the world, going to college, becoming a writer. She knows there is a vast universe out there, and she isn’t going to experience it if she stays on their farm, losing herself to the labour of surviving each day, like her mother. When her beloved father leaves, abandons the family at the height of the depression, Loreda blames Elsa. Every insult, every horrid thing Loreda throws her way is compounded for Elsa by her deep-seated belief that she is unworthy of love, and yet, not even for a second does she stop loving her daughter. Mothers are simply the best, although, how my heart hurt for her. When the situation on the farm becomes untenable, Elsa packs her two children in their truck and drives them across the desert to California, leaving behind the land and the family she has grown to love. Home. The only one she has known. On hitting the San Juan valley, they spot the lush rolling hills and fields swelling with crops. The family thinks their hard days are behind them, only to realize the worse is yet to come. In great, painful detail, Hannah highlights their life in the migrant camp, every hardship, every humiliation they face. Throughout it all, Elsa puts on a brave face, even though she doesn’t feel courageous and does whatever she can for the survival of her children because that’s what mother’s do. And it is here that Loreda discovers the warrior her mother is. The book is powerful, gut-wrenching, with a climax that will make you reach for the tissues. I was straight up sobbing. The book is one emotional roller-coaster ride. There are other books written about the great depression, the most famous being Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. But few highlight the experience of women, their contribution towards creating a more equitable society, or simply all the silent work they did to just keep their families surviving. And it is through their actions that they speak the loudest. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction, loves a great story and is a sucker for gorgeous prose. Just be prepared to cry your eyes out.

Makes a good read

Fantastic book. Goes through the trauma of the great depression and the oppression of workers in great detail

Kristin Hannah never fails. She's a phenomenal writer, and at this point, she's also become an auto-buy author for me. The story follows the trials of a young girl who is forced into marriage out of sheer cruelty. It hurts to see how much damage families can inflict on their children at times, and reminds you that if you are from a good home, you're one of the lucky ones. The strength of the protagonist, her ability to keep going in the face of so much hurt, and most of all, her relationship with her children, at once human and beautiful- it's a pleasure to read. I read the Nightingale last year and took a month to recover from it, this will be the same. Lovers of historical fiction, give this book a chance. It will touch your soul and break you and mend you all over again. Absolutely beautiful.

I rarely write book reviews, but this book made me write one. May be at least one person who need this book in their life would read it. Our protagonist Elsa(I would love to meet her in person, that's how much I fell in love with her. ) who from childhood is made to believe that she is just a underdog and believe that she is not capable of anyone's love. Raff was 18 and Elsa was 25 then. They get married under circumstances in which Elsa conceives a child before their marriage. Elsa's parents abandon them and she discovers her life's truth(No spoilers here) The place were Elsa lives is affected serious drought and famine also followed by great depression. Raff fed up their situation abandons Elsa and their two kids - Loreda and Ant. A beautiful journey unfolds exploring the mother-daughter, mother-son relationship. Did Elsa stood in the resilient times and got through it. READ IT. IN A SINGLE STRETCH. "YOU WOULD LOVE THE JOURNEY IN THIS FAT AND FLUFFY BOOK."

This is the story of Elsa Martnilli who lived in the Dust Bowl, troubled by the drought, in a period of the Great Depression. She was brave, courageous, knew how to fight for her rights and believed that love is what remains… It made heave a melancholic sigh. There were parts of the book that made me chant ‘this is unfair’. It gave me goosebumps to read about atrocities of those Americans, how they survived. Life is full of hardships, the only thing that keeps you going, is courage to do the right thing.

Highly recommended. I just received my book. The book has the best print and paper quality and is received on time in good condition. I bought it for ₹400 from uRead( seller). First half of the book is a bit slow as some people might find it repetitive, but the author is trying to make readers feel the problems of human beings during the Great Depression and developing the characters as well. The book is truly a gem as you get to know the depth of the characters. Just loved it. This book might teach you the blessings you have in life. A must read.

This was a pirated version! Extremely disappointed with the retailer/publisher. From whatever source this had come, this was not good. The content in book, the story was a cracker of soul. But extrinsic quality of the version which I claim it, as pirated is worst