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A review by _askthebookbug
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
5.0
• r e c o m m e n d a t i o n •
"You are of me, Loreda, in a way that can never be broken. Not by words or anger or actions or time. I love you. I will always love you." - Kristin Hannah.
The Four Winds educates the readers about the Dust Bowl incident that lasted for six years in America back in the '30s. Six long years of poverty, starvation, death and drought that eventually led people to make countless sacrifices, to sell their precious lands and to bury their animals. Never did I imagine that she'd write something that could possibly be more intense than The Nightingale but The Four Winds claws at your heart. A novel that's gut-wrenching yet utterly hopeful, a feat that only Hannah can pull it off gracefully. I went in with zero knowledge of the Dust Bowl and this novel forever changed my perspective about hardships and love. Very quickly into the book, I realised that like every other story that she writes, this one too is about women. And to me, this was enough to march through the book.
Elsinore has been told all her life that she isn't meant to be loved and that her ugliness will eventually turn her into a spinster. But an unexpected sweet encounter with Rafe Martinelli gives her a new family, one that'll accept her for who she is. Just when she falls into a comfortable routine with her children, in-laws and husband, the Dust Bowl brings in severe drought, upending their lives forever. Six years of being hungry and poor sent people to other cities for job opportunities but were treated like dirt by fellow Americans. They were made to pick cotton for low pay and had to live in camps which were infested with diseases of all kinds. Thousands lost their lives during this period, and Elsa's story (fictional character) gave me goosebumps. The Four Winds is about perseverance and compassion even in the face of difficulties. I struggled with many chapters as I read about how people had to forgo their ancestral and hard earned lands, to having to put down their animals so as to end their sufferings etc. This is the story of friendships, love, acceptance and courage - something that we all need in our lives.
It also happens to be Hannah's finest work.
5/5.
"You are of me, Loreda, in a way that can never be broken. Not by words or anger or actions or time. I love you. I will always love you." - Kristin Hannah.
The Four Winds educates the readers about the Dust Bowl incident that lasted for six years in America back in the '30s. Six long years of poverty, starvation, death and drought that eventually led people to make countless sacrifices, to sell their precious lands and to bury their animals. Never did I imagine that she'd write something that could possibly be more intense than The Nightingale but The Four Winds claws at your heart. A novel that's gut-wrenching yet utterly hopeful, a feat that only Hannah can pull it off gracefully. I went in with zero knowledge of the Dust Bowl and this novel forever changed my perspective about hardships and love. Very quickly into the book, I realised that like every other story that she writes, this one too is about women. And to me, this was enough to march through the book.
Elsinore has been told all her life that she isn't meant to be loved and that her ugliness will eventually turn her into a spinster. But an unexpected sweet encounter with Rafe Martinelli gives her a new family, one that'll accept her for who she is. Just when she falls into a comfortable routine with her children, in-laws and husband, the Dust Bowl brings in severe drought, upending their lives forever. Six years of being hungry and poor sent people to other cities for job opportunities but were treated like dirt by fellow Americans. They were made to pick cotton for low pay and had to live in camps which were infested with diseases of all kinds. Thousands lost their lives during this period, and Elsa's story (fictional character) gave me goosebumps. The Four Winds is about perseverance and compassion even in the face of difficulties. I struggled with many chapters as I read about how people had to forgo their ancestral and hard earned lands, to having to put down their animals so as to end their sufferings etc. This is the story of friendships, love, acceptance and courage - something that we all need in our lives.
It also happens to be Hannah's finest work.
5/5.