The Four Winds Book Review: A Novel by Kristin Hannah

Hello reader friends! I’m very excited about the book we’re going to be discussing today. I’m going to be sharing my The Four Winds book review.

This is actually my first Kristin Hannah book. Wild, right? Especially considering that she’s a prolific author with many published works. She recently released a book called The Women and when I put myself on the library holds list at the library, I found out that there were so many people on the list that I wouldn’t be able to read it for at least a couple of months. Darn!

That’s always disappointing. So I started to search for something else I could read in the meantime. After reading the inside flap to find out what this book is about, I figured that this historical fiction book would be interesting and teach me something about the dust bowl era.

The Four Winds Book Review

So here we are! Keep scrolling to check out my full The Four Winds book review. And if you enjoyed this review, you can read some of my other book discussions here.

What is The Four Winds Novel about?

At the beginning of The Four Winds we are introduced to main character Elsa Wolcott. Although she’s a young woman of almost twenty five years old, she lives at home with her parents. From a young age her parents have ingrained in her that she is too tall and too ugly for anyone to love, so marriage doesn’t even cross her mind as an option for her.  But if she doesn’t get married and her parents don’t allow her to take classes, what kind of future does she have?

Her inexperience and wish for love set her down a path that is so, so different from what her parents want for her. She finds herself in a new family, living a new way of life on the farm. In the past she may have been a town girl, but she very quickly learns the importance of hard work and taking care of the land.

But as a drought hits the Great Plains, her family experiences the darkest periods of the great depression. Friends are leaving all around them to go to California. There’s the promise of work on the railroad. But Elsa has become accustomed to her life on the farm. Her found family doesn’t want to give up and move away. It’s a dangerous time and they are left with the agonizing choice of whether to stay or go.

The Four Winds tells the story of an indomitable woman as she realizes that the American Dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If they go off in search of a better life, it will be a long time until they come back home. And that’s not guaranteed.

Who is Kristin Hannah?

Kristin Hannah is the prolific writer of over 20 novels for women. Some of her more notable works are Firefly Lane (which was turned into a Netflix Show), The Nightingale, and The Great Alone. Her books are works of fiction, but as some of her books are historical fiction novels it appears that she does take inspiration from real events.

In What Order Should I Read Kristin Hannah’s books?

Kristin Hannah’s book are standalone novels, so you can read them in the order that you prefer. If you’re looking for a a full list of her books, you can download a printable book list on her website here.

Is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah historically accurate?

Kristin says on her website that she was working on this book during pandemic and I find that really interesting. It must have been really difficult to write a story about The Great Depression in which the characters go through so many tragedies, while the current world was experiencing it’s own hard times. She also mentioned on her website that she tried to portray the story as true to history as possible.

It is a work of fiction though, so she has taken some creative liberties with certain events in the story. An example would be the labor strike that Elsa and her children participate in, when they are working in the fields to pick cotton.

Is The Four Winds Sad?

Yes, The Four Winds is sad. It’s an indelible portrait of America during the Great Depression. It’s told from the perspective of a young woman who is doing everything she can to keep her family alive. Elsa goes through her own heartbreak, and she goes through many other difficult situations. As do all of the people around her. It’s a difficult time and the characters in this book face many difficult situations.

Is there anything Uplifting in The Four Winds?

Yes. Although there is a lot of turmoil in The Four Winds, it’s also a very inspiring story. Elsa is so strong. At the beginning, I was really worried because she and her daughter Loreda had a very difficult mother daughter relationship. But tought times make people stronger. Through the strength of the human spirit and working for a better future, the two learned to get along.

The Four Winds is a story of survival. Elsa’s life hasn’t been easy. She grew up in a household of anger and emotional abuse. She got entangled in Rafe Martinelli, the first and only boy to show an interest in her. And she made the best of her situation, learning to be a hard worker and forming a beautiful relationship with Rafe’s parents. She learned to farm and take care of the land and be a productive part of the Martinelli farm.

I loved how no matter how bad things got, she kept her big dreams for her children at the back of her mind. It would be easy to write this book off as too sad to read, because a lot of time was spent trying, and yet they didn’t achieve much success. But that’s the reality of The Great Depression. This story is realistic in that it doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending.

Is it Worth reading The Four Winds?

Yes, I believe it is. I found this book very interesting because it’s the story of a family, but it also teaches a lot about The Dust Bowl and The Great Depression. I haven’t really thought about this time period much since I was in school, so it was very interesting to read a story where the characters faced the harsh realities of trying anything and everything to find a better life. This book is worth reading because of the character development, and the fact that it dives into a piece of history that people don’t think much about anymore.

I hope I’ve demonstrated in my The Four Winds book review that this is a really powerful story and that I would highly recommend it.

Why did Kristin Hannah call her book The Four Winds?

I’m not exactly sure, but I believe that The Four Winds Kristin Hannah is referring to are the winds coming from North, South, East, and West of the United States. When Elsa and her family first move to California, they meet people from all over the country who have come to California searching for a better life.

Although they all come from different places, they are all suffering due to the lack of resources and help available to them where they live. In Elsa’s situation, she and her children are running from the dust storms in Texas because Ant has trouble breathing, and it is bad for all of their health.

What is The Message in The Four Winds?

I think there are a couple of main takeaways from The Four Winds. It is a story of strength and courage. But it is also a story about relationships and found family. Elsa grew up in a household where her parents didn’t love her, and as an adult she kept searching for that love. She says many times about how when she became a mother, that is when she truly learned what love was.

Along the way she builds strong relationships with her in laws, her children, and her best friend Jean who she meets soon after moving to California and moving into the encampment where all of the migrants have come to live.

In Conclusion

Although it is a difficult story to read, The Four Winds is a story that sucks you in and makes you root for the characters. I felt terrible for Elsa when she was living with her parents because they treated her so poorly. And I was so proud of her when she took a terrible situation and turned it around, making a new life and a new family for herself.

As I mentioned previously, this was my first Kristin Hannah book and I really enjoyed it. It felt a little bit like some of the family sagas I used to enjoy, like The Thornbirds for instance. It’s an epic novel of love, but not with a person. In this book Elsa loved her family, her children, and most importantly the land.

It’s an easy read to get through because you want to know what happens next. The historical setting is interesting and makes for a good story to read. Some people may not like this story and say it is the most depressing book, but I don’t think that’s true. I think it’s a story about a difficult time and the amazing female characters who fight for their family and their future. I’d recommend it to any of my girlfriends who are looking for an interesting women’s fiction novel to read.

xo Marian

But wait, there’s more!

Did you enjoy today’s The Four Winds book review? I have a bunch of other great book discussions on the blog here, if you’re looking for more recommendations.