#rafe martinelli

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The Four Winds: A Review of Kristin Hannah's Bestselling Novel Calling all readers and book lovers! Have you read Kristin Hannah's latest masterpiece, The Four Winds, yet? If not, then you are definitely missing out on a literary gem. This epic novel, set during the Great Depression, is a powerful testament to the human spirit and how resilience and hope can shine through even in the darkest of times. But don't just take my word for it. With its spot at the top of various bestseller lists, it's clear that The Four Winds is a must-read for anyone who loves great American literature. At the core of The Four Winds is the indomitable and inspiring character of Elsa Wolcott. The novel opens in Texas in 1921, where Elsa finds herself at a crossroads in life; at 25 years old, she is considered too old to marry and is stuck living with her parents, with no real hopes for the future. But chance intervenes when she meets Rafe Martinelli, and she decides to marry him despite barely knowing him. Fast forward to 1934, and Elsa is a mother of two and struggling through the hardships of the Great Depression. Her marriage to Rafe is crumbling, and they are on the brink of losing their farm due to the drought and dust storms that are ravaging the Great Plains. Elsa is faced with a heartbreaking decision: stay and fight to keep her land or leave with her children for the promise of a better future in California. Hannah's writing style is both lush and poetic, making the reader feel as though they are living through the Dust Bowl themselves. The descriptions of the dust storms and their aftermath are hauntingly vivid, and Elsa's struggles are heart-wrenching. Her journey from a timid and resigned young woman to a fierce and determined fighter for her family is one that captivates the reader from start to finish. It's impossible not to root for Elsa and feel a connection to her struggles as she battles against the elements, poverty, and societal pressures. But The Four Winds is not just a tale about one woman's fight for survival. It's also a commentary on the larger issues of the time. Hannah has managed to capture the social and economic hardships of the Great Depression, with the divide between the haves and have-nots growing ever wider. The novel sheds light on the struggles of farmers during the Dust Bowl, and how they were often forgotten by the government and left to fend for themselves. The novel also touches on the issue of migrant workers in California and the brutal conditions in which they worked and lived. One of the most poignant parts of The Four Winds is Hannah's portrayal of the role of women during this time. Elsa is not just a passive victim; she is a survivor who learns to take control of her own life and fight for what she believes in. Her journey is a testament to the power of women and the strength that they possess even in the most dire of circumstances. Hannah has created a character that will serve as an inspiration to readers everywhere. In conclusion, The Four Winds is a tour de force of American literature. Hannah has crafted a novel that is both a sweeping historical epic and an intimate portrayal of one woman's struggle for survival. It's a poignant reminder of the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit. With its spot at the top of various bestseller lists, it's clear that The Four Winds is a must-read for anyone who loves great American literature. So what are you waiting for? Grab a copy and get ready to be swept away by the winds of change. "Don't miss out on the opportunity to experience the book that will change your life! Order your copy today or get a 30-day free trial of Audible and start listening now. Take the first step towards a happier, healthier you." Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details)

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The Four Winds | Kristin Hannah | Published 2021 | *SPOILERS*

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 as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance. 

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 whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation. 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras - The Great Depression. 

Elsa Walcott is a fairly well-to do young lady, in a good family, living near the Texas Panhandle. Already 25 years old, she is considered a spinster despite her young age. But the year is in the 1920s, and typically women would have become married and mothers by that age. 

On a whim, she meets Rafe Martinelli, a young 18-year-old Italian boy whose parents emmigrated to the United States to give Rafe a better life. But, the two of them begin a whirlwind love affair, and Elsa becomes pregnant with Rafe’s child. The day before he was meant to leave for college and a new life, Elsa’s father drops her off on the Martinelli farm and tells Rafe’s parents, Rose and Tony, that Elsa is their problem now. 

Despite their better judgement, they welcome Elsa in and 9 months later, Elsa welcomes a daughter, whom she names Loreda. The story then fast forwards 13 years later. Elsa is still married to Rafe, living on the family farm. Elsa is 12 years old, and they have a son named Anthony, they call him Ant. There was a third son, who was stillborn and is buried in the family cemetery beside Rose and Tony’s three deceased children, all girls. 

Rafe is still a dreamer, also putting these thoughts into Loreda’s head. Loreda and Elsa don’t get along, like many teenage girls with their mothers. Elsa is a no-nonsense woman now, but despite all of that, her love for her family is fierce. But, soon, Texas is hit with a massive drought, and their land begins to die around them. Rafe can’t take anymore of this, even though Elsa was going to agree to leave for California in search of a new life, but after spending the night drinking, Rafe left in the middle of the night without word of where he was going or when he’d be back. 

Along with the drought, the family begins having to deal with the dust storms, effectively living right in the middle of the dust bowl. When Ant becomes sick with what they’ve dubbed dust pneumonia, Elsa knows that in order to save her children, she will have to move on. On Black Sunday, the day that a massive dust storm blew into the town, blowing black topsoil all over the towns and across states, even as far as Washington, DC., Elsa knows the time is now. 

Grabbing Ant from the makeshift hospital in town, the three of them begin moving toward a better life in California. Taking with them as much as they can, they enter over the border of California, and see lush green all around them for the first time in years. Unfortunately, Californians are not as welcoming as Elsa thought. They find a migrant worker camp, and settle in and despite wanting to move on, it is the only place they can afford. 

They find as much work as they can, even Loreda having to take off school during the cotton picking season in order to help make money. But when a massive storm causes flooding in the camp, they are saved by communist volunteers and taken to a hotel in order to stay. On advice from Jack, the leader of the communist party near them, they go to the Welty worker camp, and are offered a cabin to stay in, for $6 rent per month. 

Elsa, grateful for the opportunity to be given work first since she lives in the camp, realizes that the owner is allowing them to live on credit only, not accepting any cash and won’t allow the Martinelli’s to follow the crops across the state in search for work as they would have to give up their shelter. 

Elsa is massively in debt with the owner of the camp, but when cotton picking season begins, they are given work, though they begin working well under minimum wage. Elsa begins working with Jack, whom she also has fallen in love with, and the family begins fighting for fair wages for the workers, and they begin using their right to peaceful protests, though this ultimately leads to Elsa being shot after trying to step up for the workers. 

Though the hopsital in town refuses to work on the immigrants, Jack tells the nurse that she needs a doctor now, or there will be trouble. Elsa can feel her body shutting down, as they were unable to remove the bullet. Elsa dies, and Jack takes Ant and Loreda back home to Texas, along with Elsa’s body where she can buried on the land that she loved for so long. 

Several years later, Loreda is now 18 years old and returning to California, to go to college as the first Martinelli to do so. She knows that her mother loved her, and though it is hard to be without her, she now is living her life with her mother in mind, who had found her voice too late in life, and that cost her her life. 

Discussion Questions 

1. “Hope is a coin I carry...There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going.” What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? In what ways does hope anchor us in the moment, and in what ways does it push us forward? Do you or your family have any keepsakes that represent your family’s hope for the future? When the going gets tough, we hold onto hope that everything will work out. For the Martinelli’s, it was a coin that gave them the hope. For others, it is something else that they hold onto, whatever brings them the comfort they need in order to move forward. 

2. “But we women of the Great Plains worked from sunup to sundown, too, toiled on wheat farms until wew ere as dry and baked as the land we loved.” The stories of women have largely gone undocumented throughout history, and this era is no different. It is changing, slowly, and women’s courage and determination and victories are being brought to light. How are women’s stories different? Why do you think they’ve gone unreported for so long? Do you think sharing these stories will make a difference to future generations? It’s true that despite working just as long and just as hard as men, women were not recognized as being particularly hard workers during this time, and even today. Women were too afraid to step up for themselves during this time, as is evident in Elsa’s character - she was beaten down too much over her entire existence in the world that she couldn’t stand up for the things she truly believed in. 

3. Life was very different for unmarried young women in earlier generations. Expectations for their future were sharply defined. How is Elsa shaped by these expectations and her failure to meet them? Do you think it would have been the same for her in New York City? Did you feel compressed by expectation when you were growing up? Do you think these societal mores were designed to keep women “in their place”? How difficult is it to defy both family and society in a small town? I firmly believe that there is someone out there for everyone, and this is true for Elsa. Elsa was beaten down by her family, and then by her husband 30+ years, that Elsa didn’t realize that she was an attractive person. Other people saw it all the time, but she never truly believed in what they saw. Would her life have been different elsewhere? Absolutely. New York City was the city of dreams for many people, even back then. 

4. “She’d wished she’d never read The Age of Innocence. What good came from all this unexpressed longing? She would never fall in love, never have a child of her own.” Literature is, quite honestly, the opening of a door. Through that door, Elsa saw whole other lives, other futures. What books influenced you when you were growing up? Did any novel and/or character change your perception of either yourself or the world? Did you identify with Elsa and her journey throughout this book? In what way? I don’t think any books truly changed me in ways that The Age of Innocence changed Elsa. However, the majority of Kristin Hannah’s books have given me a new perspective, as most of them have a female character that does’t believe in her own self worth, and I don’t believe in mine a lot of the time. 

5. “She had to believe there was grit in her, even if it had never been tested or revealed.” This sentence highlights Elsa’s essentially hopeful nature, even though she doesn’t believe in herself. Her family and her world have pared her down to inconsequence. Does this idea resonate with you? Have you seen it at work in other people? In yourself? I have seen it - I have seen people overcome some of the worst situations you can imagine. 

6. In 1920s America, there was significant prejudice against Italians; we see that prejudice in Elsa’s own family. What does Rafe represent to Elsa on the night they meet? Is it simply sex and loneliness? Or do you think there’s something deeper involved? Another small defiance against her parents’ small-mindedness? What does it say about Elsa that she went with Rafe so willingly? I think in the beginning, Elsa was simply attracted to the attention that Rafe was giving her. I think it was the same for Rafe. Italians weren’t widely accepted, and though he had another woman on the back burner, Elsa was the first woman he had been with, as was Rafe the first man for her. But, she was able to grow to love Rafe, but I also think it had to do with her own insecurities. She settled for Rafe in the long run when she didn’t need to. 

7. “My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family. We plant, we tend, we harvest. I make wine from grape cuttings that I brought here from Sicily, and the wine I make reminds me of my family. It binds us, one to another, as it has for generations. Now it will bind you to us.” How are people connected to the land that they occupy? What about the land they farm? Describe that unique and complicated connection. Land is something that many of the settlers coming to America have - it is the first thing that they would purchase, and from there, they built their lives around the land they occupy. 

8. Motherhood changes Elsa in almost every way. What does she learn by becoming a mother? What does she learn about motherhood from Rose? How does motherhood strengthen a women? How does it weaken her? How does Elsa remain “herself” after giving birth? How does she change? That she has a love for her daughter coming from her that she has never once experienced before. Elsa loves her children deeply, without condition, unlike her own family. Rose ultimately became the mother that she never had, but truly deserved in her life. 

9. Few things can break a woman’s heart like motherhood. “Elsa grieved daily for the loss of that closeness with her firstborn. At first she’d tried to scale the walls of her daughter’s adolescence, irrtational anger; she’d volleyed back with words of love, but Loreda’s continuing, thriving impatience with Elsa had done worse than grind her down. It had resurrected all the insecurities of childhood.” If you’re a parent, did this passage resonate with you? Why? Absolutely. Motherhood challenges every ounce of patience you have in your body, and for me, that wasn’t a whole lot to begin with. I love my children wholeheartedly, and again without conditions. I would do anything for them, including laying my life on the line in order to save theirs. There is nothing I wouldn’t do. But, I am the other to two girls - my oldest is 6 and my youngest is 2. My 6 year old fully believes that she is a grown woman, and she tests me daily. We are still learning and growing together, because I do not have this motherhood thing figured out. Her challenging boundaries has ground me down so much that sometimes I act out at her without intending to. I would never lay a hand on my child, though, so I use my words which I think is almost worst. 

10. The adolescent years can be especially difficult on mothers and daughters. Did you dislike Loreda during these years? Did you understrand her? I don’t dislike Loreda. She is a child, and believes that she knows everything there is to know about life when she does not. Loreda was learning, just like everyone else. Her father is partially to blame for the life that Loreda was living, the dreaming she was doing. 

11. “Tony and Rose were the kind of people who expected life to be hard and had become tougher to survive...They might have come off the coat as Anthony and Rosalba, but hard work and the land had turned them into Tony and Rose. Americans. They would die of thirst and hunger before they’d give it up.” Do you think this attitude is a common thread in those who across generations have come to chase the “America Dream?” Why is land so important to that dream? How does one “become American”? Learning the American way was how you became American. For many immigrants during that time, many of them changed their last names to something more American sounding, as it gave them better chances in order to thrive in the country. 

12. There is a strong thread running through this novel about man’s connection to the land. During the Dust Bowl, while many families went west in search of work and a better life, most of them stayed behind on their parched farms. Why do you think that is? They believed that things would get better. They spent years loving the land, working on the land, and I understand it being difficult to give it up. It was something they worked hard for, that they earned through that hard work, that nobody wants to truly give it up. 

13. What bonds Loreda and her father? What dreams do they share? Do they intend to exclude Elsa, whom they perceive as just a workhorse? Or is she partially to blame for her being ostracized? How does her lack of self-esteem color her relationships with her husband and eldest child? Loreda and Rafe were both dreamers. Rafe never wanted a life on the farm, and his indiscretions with Elsa kept him from moving on. 

14. What do you think about Rafe? Was he as trapped by his family’s expectations as Elsa had been by her own? Did you expect him to leave? I didn’t expect him to leave. His parents made sure that he stuck by Elsa after what happened, and ensured that they took Elsa in as their own. But I do think he was as trapped by his parents hopes and dreams for him, as Elsa was by her own families, just in different ways. 

15. How would you describe the Texas landscape the author paints? With its dust storms and earth dry and zigzag cracked, is it like any you’ve known? I’ve only been to one part of Texas, which was El Paso. It was sticky hot and unpleasant when I went. It was mountainous, but not in the lush green moutnains you would think. It was truly a desert, so that was what I had imagined when I thought of the area they lived in, which was roughly abot 6 hours away. 

16. “Even if they didn’t speak of their love, or share their feelings in long, heartfelt conversations, the bond was there. Sturdy. They’d sewn their lives together in the silent way of women unused to conversation. Day after day, they worked together, prayed together, held their growing family together through the hardships of farm life.” Do you share a similar bond with the women in your life - either as a mother, a daughter, or a daughter-in-law? With your friends? Why do you think female bonding is so important to women? I think at one time I did, but unfortunately, I don’t really have any true ties to any women in my life. Of course, I do have my mother, grandmother and my older sister. Yes, I’m tied to them, and I’d do anything for them. So, in a sense, yes I do with them. But with friends? After having children, a lot of my friends stopped inviting me to do things because I wasn’t as available as I was prior to having children, so I’ve grown used to just being around the family I was born into, and the family that I created. 

17. Why does Rafe leave and what is he chasing out west? Do you have sympathy for how broken he felt by the poverty and hardship? Should Elsa have agreed to go with him? How does Elsa aim to fill his void, and why does she believe she loves him even after the abandonment? I do feel like he felt that there was nothing he could do, other than to move on. Rafe was a wayward man, stuck in a place for far too long. However, I don’t have sympathy for him as a man abandoning his family when everyone was struggling, not just him. 

18. Why does the Martinelli family stay under such brutal conditions - the heat, the dust storms, the lack of food, and the dying livestock? Does it reveal anything about the grit that literally fills their bodies? What choices do they have, and what might you have done during the drought? Were you surprised that Elsa set off without her in-laws? Would you have had the courage to do the same? They held onto hope. 

19. How have the Dust Bowl and “going west” been treated by the American imagination? What has been glamorized, and what grittiness has been leftout or effectively captured? Elsa compares them to the early pioneers in their covered wagons. Is that an accurate comparison? California was considered the land of milk and honey, and the government in California wanted people to come there to work, but they didn’t expect ALL of the migrant workers that they got, thousands of people per day. 

20. Life in California is not at all what the migrants expected, what advertisements had led them to believe. The locals treat them badly, are afraid of them. Why is that? How does the treatment of migrants in California during the Great Depression mirror the treatment of immigrants today? How is the same? How is it different? Because California is filled with terrible people, even now. It was already a well-off state, so anyone who came from anything less than them were dirty, diseased, etc. 

21. How do Elsa and her family remain unbroken even while enduring crippling poverty, food and shelter insecurity, and living in a town that is hostile to them? Would they have fared better in Texas? Unbroken? That family was so broken the entire time they were in California. Elsa had to worry about feeding her family, giving them shelter and then eventually finding herself in debt thanks to the Welty farm. 

22. What do Jack and the Communist union organizers offer the migrant workers, and Loreda in particular? Why is it a risk to associate with them and what is Elsa’s hesitation? They gave Loreda the hope that she had been holding onto since her father put it into her head. Jack represented the need that there should be a better life for the people that came into the state to work, to give to their families. They believed in the real American dream, and got others to believe in it as well. 

23. In the 1930s, communism and socialism were on the rise, partially in response to the grinding poverty, joblessness, and despair. The Communists claimed that “communism is the new Americanism”. Can you understand why people believed in that? What do we know now that people didn’t know then? How do you think these perceptions have changed over time. Absolutely. Everything about the party was about giving hope to other people. 

24. Discuss the shift in thinking that happens between generations - the freedoms longed for and the sacrifices require. The Great Generation was shaped by the Great Depression and World War II. They willingly sacrificed for each other and did what they could to help. How is the modern world different? How do we face our own dark times? Everyone is all about themselves nowadays. The generation I just read about is absoltuely the greatest generation there ever was. Although, we are also living in a time when poverty is high - the cost of living, groceries and everything is so high now that many people are finding themselves homeless. 

25.  How does the Great Depression setting of The Four Winds compare to America during the pandemic? What lessons of resilience and healing might be embedded in this story? How might others’ struggles inspire us? Do you have any family stories from the Depression? My grandmother was born at the tailend of the Depression, in 1938, so there isn’t any stories. If there were, it would come from people who have been long gone. My grandmother, at this point, is the oldest living member of her family, as her parents and her siblings have been deceased for several years now. 

26. They say that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. During the COVID-19, Americans were faced with many of the same challenges of the Great Depression. Did we learn from previous generations? What differences can you see in the two difficult times? What similarities? How do you think future generations will judge the America of today? Absolutely not. Nobody quite understands the hardships. There is a divide of people who believe the pandemic was created by the government to deal with the massive population, while others became hermits because they believed the pandemic was the end of times. I think this is the same. 

27. “Courage is fear you ignore.” Discuss this. How do Elsa’s and Loreda’s actions embody this idea? Fighting for any kind of social equality or radical change often requires great personal sacrifice. Courage and fear are absolutely one in the same. It is possible to be courgeous and fearsome at the same time. 

28. Fighting for any kind of social equality or radical change often requires great personal sacrifice. How does Elsa represent the courage it takes to stand up and make trouble and be counted? Elsa knew how dangerous it would be when she decided to stand up for her people. And she paid the price with her life in the end. 

29. Why was it so important for Loreda to get her mother back to Texas, even if at such a high cost? How did she finally come to understand her mother and her choices through a new lens? Texas was home, in a way that California never would have been. It was where the people who truly loved her awaited their eventual return, and though life was hard there, life was worse in California, and she wanted her children to go back to the family. 

30. Did you find the end of Elsa’s and her family’s journey satisfying? Where do you think Ant and Loreda ended up? How do you see Loreda’s life being like her mother’s? How will it be different? I didn’t find Elsa’s end satisfying. She deserved to live, to use the voice that she found too late, especially after everything she went through with Rafe. We never did find out what happened to him, and I would love a small follow-up story on him to find out what he was up to while his wife and children struggled. In the end, I hope he never made it to California, or anywhere out West and struggled in his own life and paid for what he had done. But, Elsa’s death I think was necessary for Loreda to see exactly what Elsa spent years fighting for. She wanted Loreda to have the life that she never got to have. And in the end, I think she will. She was returning to California, to the land of promise, in order to create that new life for herself. 

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An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression: a time when the country was in crisis, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them. My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family. Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage was a woman?s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.By 1934, the world has changed: Millions are out of work, and drought has devastated the Great Plains.

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From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them.?My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.?Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman?s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and

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Kristin Hannah – The Four Winds

Excerpt on the back page: ‘an in incredible journey of survival, hope and what we do for those we love, set against Americas Great Depression of the 1930's and the Dust Bowl, considered to be the worst environmental disaster in American history........ '

1921 Texas, The Plains, Elsa lives with her parents & sisters in a big house. She is 25, unloved by her parents, too tall, too thin, not as pretty as her sister and too old to get married.  She loves reading books and wants to go to college but her father reminds her she isn't clever enough.  One night  filled with courage she sneaks into town to go to a Speakeasy.  She meets Rafe Martinelli, an encounter which will change her whole life and estrange her from her family for ever.

Its 1934, Elsa has a 12yr old daughter Loreda and a son Ant 7yrs they live with her in-laws on a farm in Texas.  Their life has been good but things have been getting harder & disaster is about to hit the land.  The great depression has hit America, temperature has reached 104° day in and day.  The ground is baked dry, crops have died, animals & people are dying from hunger and thirst and from lung infection.  The winds whip this dry earth into a bowl of dust, a mile long, coating people & places in its wake.  One day Elsa’s husband up & leaves to go to find work and to make a better life for himself.

Elsa loves this land but staying could kill her son, she knows she has to move to California, the land of milk & honey & promise of jobs. But the reality is worse, harsher, the people greedy, cruel & condemning.  Living conditions are brutal as millions flood into California but amongst this desperation bonds of friendship are made & people share what meagre supplies they have with others.  Living in fields in tents & working, if you are lucky, for a meagre pittance.   This story will tug at your heart strings as you follow Elsa on her journey.  It's about human resilience, especially women, during these times.

What an amazing book & such amazing characters.  It will stay in my mind days after I have finished it and is my recommended book of the year so far.  My one problem - what do I read now?

review by Lindy

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An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression: a time when the country was in crisis, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them. My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family. Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage was a woman?s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.By 1934, the world has changed: Millions are out of work, and drought has devastated the Great Plains.

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She felt as if she'd just edged toward a cliff; below was a fall that could break her bones. His look, his voice. She stared into his eyes, which were dark as night and soulful and just a little sad, although what he could possibly have to be sad about, she couldn't imagine.

Kristin Hannah, The Four Winds

#boys of books #rafe #rafe martinelli #the four winds #kristin hannah #book of the month #readwithjenna #boys #books #quotes #lit #reading #book quotes #lit quotes #reading quotes #romance #bibliophile #book lover #bookish #bookishness #elsa martinelli #the dust bowl #prose #beautiful prose #metaphor #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #booklr #readers of tumblr

[signal-failure]

The Four Winds

The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, tells the story of Elsa Martinelli and her family through many hardships and struggles. This is an emotional epic, all about the life in the Dust Bowl and American migration patterns.

I have to admit that almost put this book down early on because Elsa and Rafe’s romance felt flat — but I’m so glad I didn’t, because that lack of romance was kind of the point.…

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[rebeccaheyman]

An American epic, loved epically in America

Review: The Four Winds audiobook by Kristin Hannah (narr. Julia Whelan, Macmillan Audio 2021)

A few weeks ago, I saw an infographic about the most-borrowed books in libraries across the US in 2021. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah was a runaway favorite, taking the top spot for fiction from coast to coast. I immediately got on the waitlist for the audiobook, narrated by the inimitable Julia Whelan. I didn’t read the book description -- just resolved to dive in and see what the fuss was about.

Apparently the hype was about the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the injustices suffered by migrant workers trying to survive in California in the 1930s. I know, I know — it’s not the book you’d expect to take top honors in a popularity contest. But I guess a lot of Americans already knew what I didn’t: Kristin Hannah knows what she’s about.

Three-sentence summary: Twenty-five-year-old Texas native Elsa Wolcott is deemed too old and too ugly to marry, until she meets Rafe Martinelli and is jettisoned into a strange new life on his family’s farm. A decade later, when drought, dust storms, and poverty have decimated the Great Plains, Elsa does the unthinkable to save her children: she joins the hordes moving west to California for opportunity and salvation. Though life in CA isn’t what Elsa expected, it is there that she discovers the core of love and strength that has always been who she is.

It’s worth noting that a spate of negative reviews on Amzn cite Hannah’s “political agenda” in the text, but this seems to be an extremely short-sighted assessment, considering its context; communists fighting for worker’s rights feature heavily in the CA plot, but there’s an historical precedent this well-researched novel would have been loathe to ignore.

Politics aside, I haven’t learned this much about The Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the politics around the New Deal since high school, and it was wonderful to revisit this era of American history in such a dynamic, engaging way.

This un-put-down-able story of resilience, hope, family, and self-discovery is at the top of my “books to gift” list for 2022. Though I’m sure it’s equally powerful in print as audio, I can’t recommend Julia Whelan’s narration highly enough. Whatever your preferred format, get your hands on this one ASAP — like me, you’re already late to a nationwide bibliophile party.

#the four winds #kristin hannah #book review #book recommendations #five star review #books to gift #the great depression #the dust bowl #historical fiction #fiction #amreading #books #feminist #macmillan audio #audiobooks

[kiki-reads]

The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah

5/5

My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family. Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage was a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows. By 1934, the world has changed: Millions are out of work, and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive. In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa―like so many of her neighbors―must make an agonizing choice: Fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family. The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it―the harsh realities that divided a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

I had originally skipped this book when it popped up in the 5 to choose for my BOTM. To be honest, I'm pretty sure I skipped that month. I truly regret that decision. However! Luck was on my side when it was a finalist (and winner) for the book of the year. So I chose this as my finalist book.

I do not want to give anything away, so I won't go into too much detail.

This was so tragic and so beautifully written. Each character draws you into their lives in some way; not always a good way either. Throughout the journey, you can feel each of their emotions like they're your own (not really Ant, because he's so young, but you can still feel some things from him).

If you have the chance to read this, please do so! You won't be disappointed.

#kiki reads in 2022 #fiction #historical fiction #5 stars #kristin hannah #great depression era #great depression

[readitreviewit]

The Four Winds: A Review of Kristin Hannah's Bestselling Novel Calling all readers and book lovers! Have you read Kristin Hannah's latest masterpiece, The Four Winds, yet? If not, then you are definitely missing out on a literary gem. This epic novel, set during the Great Depression, is a powerful testament to the human spirit and how resilience and hope can shine through even in the darkest of times. But don't just take my word for it. With its spot at the top of various bestseller lists, it's clear that The Four Winds is a must-read for anyone who loves great American literature. At the core of The Four Winds is the indomitable and inspiring character of Elsa Wolcott. The novel opens in Texas in 1921, where Elsa finds herself at a crossroads in life; at 25 years old, she is considered too old to marry and is stuck living with her parents, with no real hopes for the future. But chance intervenes when she meets Rafe Martinelli, and she decides to marry him despite barely knowing him. Fast forward to 1934, and Elsa is a mother of two and struggling through the hardships of the Great Depression. Her marriage to Rafe is crumbling, and they are on the brink of losing their farm due to the drought and dust storms that are ravaging the Great Plains. Elsa is faced with a heartbreaking decision: stay and fight to keep her land or leave with her children for the promise of a better future in California. Hannah's writing style is both lush and poetic, making the reader feel as though they are living through the Dust Bowl themselves. The descriptions of the dust storms and their aftermath are hauntingly vivid, and Elsa's struggles are heart-wrenching. Her journey from a timid and resigned young woman to a fierce and determined fighter for her family is one that captivates the reader from start to finish. It's impossible not to root for Elsa and feel a connection to her struggles as she battles against the elements, poverty, and societal pressures. But The Four Winds is not just a tale about one woman's fight for survival. It's also a commentary on the larger issues of the time. Hannah has managed to capture the social and economic hardships of the Great Depression, with the divide between the haves and have-nots growing ever wider. The novel sheds light on the struggles of farmers during the Dust Bowl, and how they were often forgotten by the government and left to fend for themselves. The novel also touches on the issue of migrant workers in California and the brutal conditions in which they worked and lived. One of the most poignant parts of The Four Winds is Hannah's portrayal of the role of women during this time. Elsa is not just a passive victim; she is a survivor who learns to take control of her own life and fight for what she believes in. Her journey is a testament to the power of women and the strength that they possess even in the most dire of circumstances. Hannah has created a character that will serve as an inspiration to readers everywhere. In conclusion, The Four Winds is a tour de force of American literature. Hannah has crafted a novel that is both a sweeping historical epic and an intimate portrayal of one woman's struggle for survival. It's a poignant reminder of the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit. With its spot at the top of various bestseller lists, it's clear that The Four Winds is a must-read for anyone who loves great American literature. So what are you waiting for? Grab a copy and get ready to be swept away by the winds of change. "Don't miss out on the opportunity to experience the book that will change your life! Order your copy today or get a 30-day free trial of Audible and start listening now. Take the first step towards a happier, healthier you." Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details)

[kelly81love]

ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕒 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕔@𝕤! hoy os hablo de 𝙇𝙤𝙨 𝙘𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙤 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙨 de @kristinhannahauthor Una épica y conmovedora historia sobre el vinculo entre madres e hijos y la fuerza de las mujeres ambientada en la Gran Depresión, un periodo que encierra grandes lecciones de esperanza para el presente. Muchas gracias a @sumadeletrased por el envío del ejemplar.🥰⁣ ⁣ ➡️Os dejo un avance de mi opinión.Para saber más sobre ella pasaros a leerla al completo haz click en el enlace de la Storie ➡️⁣⁣⁣⁣ ‎⁣⁣ ‎Texas, 1921. La Gran Guerra ha terminado y Estados Unidos parece entrar en una nueva era de optimismo y abundancia. Pero para Elsa, considerada demasiado mayor para casarse en una época en la que el matrimonio es la única opción de una mujer, el futuro es incierto. Hasta la noche en que conoce a Rafe Martinelli y decide cambiar la dirección de su vida. Con su reputación arruinada, solo le queda una opción respetable: casarse con un hombre al que apenas conoce.⁣ ⁣ En 1934, el mundo ha cambiado. Millones de personas se han quedado sin trabajo y los granjeros luchan por conservar sus tierras. Las cosechas se pierden por la sequía, las fuentes de agua se secan y el polvo amenaza con enterrarlo todo.⁣ ⁣ 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗶 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼́𝗻:⁣⁣ [...]Defino este libro como sentimientos a flor de piel, un libro duro que nos muestra a una mujer fuerte como todas las creadas por Hanna, son siempre personajes complejos, llenos de aristas y en continua lucha.⁣ ⁣ Con una narración bonita, cuidada y unos personajes redondos no me queda nada más que recomendar esta novela tanto para los amantes de la novela histórica como a todos los que aprecien un buen libro.⁣ ⁣ ⭐⭐⭐⭐4/5⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ ¿Os llama la atención para darle una oportunidad?🙋🏻‍♀️❤⁣⁣ .⁣⁣ #librosgram #leeressoñar #leeresvivir #leeressexy #librosmiadiccion #reseñasdelibros #letras #lecturasrecomendadas #libros #librosymaslibros #instalibro #librosycafe #sentimientos #hoyrecomiendo #bookishmerch #bookstagramespaña #read #loscuatrovientos #lovebook #novelacontemporanea #luchaporlafamilia #amor — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3wYqiI6

#Instagram #IFTTT

[lightsunbookspdf]

Download EBOoK@ The Four Winds {epub download}

??Download EBOoK@? The Four Winds {epub download}

The Four Winds

[PDF] Download The Four Winds Ebook | READ ONLINE

Author : Kristin Hannah Publisher : Macmillan Audio ISBN : Publication Date : 2021-2-2 Language : eng Pages : 15

To Download or Read this book, click link below:

http://read.ebookcollection.space/?book=B0882VNQKS

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Synopsis : ??Download EBOoK@? The Four Winds {epub download}

“My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.”Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

#fileebook

[veronica-spencer-blog]

@emma-martinelli

Stumbling upon familiar faces wasn’t exactly a difficult thing to do around Lanford, especially for someone like Veronica who had been born and raised in the small town. Unfortunately, the only familiar faces that Ronnie had been running into over the last few days were doctors and nurses at the hospital. The phone call from Rafe still played in Ronnie’s mind, assuming her best friend had just been drunk dialing or something equally irritating. But the call wasn’t a mistake and moments later, Ronnie had all put catapulted out of her bed and was on her way to the hospital, two words flashing in her mind over and over again: Emma overdosed. It was like a nightmarish case of deja vu, having received a similar phone call from her mother after Vada had died. Fortunately, unlike with her late older sister, Emma was still alive. And from the moment Ronnie had stepped foot into the hospital, she hadn’t left. Nothing was more important to her than making sure Emma got better and afterward, got help. 

Walking into the hospital, coffee in hand, Veronica walked by the front desk and waved at the nurse on call before making her way back towards Emma’s room. Veronica was well aware that she must have looked like some sort of zombie, given how uncomfortable hospital chairs were when it came to trying to get some sleep. Thankfully, coffee seemed to be lining up as a continued ally to combat any sleepiness and fatigue Ronnie was certainly due to be feeling. Stepping into the doorway, Veronica knocked gently on the door, smiling as she walked into the room. “You’re awake,” Ronnie commented, slight surprise in her town as she walked over to sit in the vacant chair beside Emma’s bedside. “I thought for sure you’d be asleep after how late we were up last night.”

#c #emma #drug tw #i'm fine #ur fine

[rofiqulbari]

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.