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The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Historical fiction

The Four Winds

Book of the year

Each year thousands of members vote for our Book of the Year award—congrats to The Four Winds!

Repeat author

Kristin Hannah is back at Book of the Month – other BOTMs include The Great Alone and The Nightingale and The Women.

by Kristin Hannah

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Quick Take

From the Texas plains to the California coast, this Depression-era tale follows a family striving for a better life.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Rugged

    Rugged

  • Illustrated icon, Marriage_Issues

    Marriage issues

  • Illustrated icon, Quest

    Quest

Synopsis

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.

Why I love it

You will not be able to put The Four Winds down. Literally. I’m a working mom with three young kids, and I read this 450-page book in 36 hours. The characters are unforgettable, the storytelling is captivating, and the parallels to life right now are notable. It is Kristin Hannah at her absolute best.

The Four Winds takes readers to the Dust Bowl, where Elsa Martinelli lives with her in-laws, drunk husband, and two young children. Struggling to survive in every way—physically, mentally, and emotionally—Elsa must make hard choices for the sake and well-being of her children. Should her family stay and try to survive the drought or head west to California, where word of work, sun, and prosperity seem like the Promiseland? Spanning two decades, The Four Winds is a portrait of the grit, courage and sacrifices made by ordinary people trying to achieve the American Dream.

The Four Winds speaks to our deepest desires—to be loved and wanted, to be understood, and to make a difference. I found myself drawn to the gamut of emotions the characters experienced and was moved to tears at multiple points. As in The Great Alone, the land is like an extra character in the book, adding depth and complexity to the story. Kristin Hannah clearly did her research, making this the kind of historical fiction you want to press into the hands of all your friends. It is a masterpiece, and I’m already certain it will be one of my top books of 2021.

Other books by Kristin Hannah

400+ pages
The Courting of Bristol Keats
Pictures of You
Intermezzo
The Dagger and the Flame
The Wild Huntress
The Pairing
The Wives
A Short Walk Through a Wide World
Just for the Summer
The Familiar
The Book of Doors
The Fox Wife
The Women
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
Family Family
Ruthless Vows
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
The Future
What the River Knows
What We Kept to Ourselves
The Fragile Threads of Power
The River We Remember
Shark Heart
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Warrior Girl Unearthed
The True Love Experiment
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
Yours Truly
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Hell Bent
A Wilderness of Stars
A Fire Endless
Babel
Before I Let Go
Bloodmarked
Foul Lady Fortune
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
The Attic Child
The It Girl
The Change
Part of Your World
Kaikeyi
The Cartographers
Peach Blossom Spring
A River Enchanted
The Postmistress of Paris
The Book of Magic
Apples Never Fall
The Night She Disappeared
Damnation Spring
Sisters in Arms
One Last Stop
Firekeeper's Daughter
The Four Winds
Black Buck
The City We Became
Legendborn
Pretty Little Wife
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Magic Lessons
Star Daughter
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes
Notes on a Silencing
A Good Marriage
The Library of Legends
The Sound of Stars
Yes No Maybe So
Anna K
American Dirt
Not So Pure and Simple
Dangerous Alliance
The Glittering Hour
Red, White & Royal Blue
When the Stars Lead to You
The Great Pretender
Ninth House
Imaginary Friend
The Goldfinch
Permanent Record
The Chestnut Man
This Time Will Be Different
The Rest of the Story
Storm and Fury
Free Food for Millionaires
The Golden Hour
A Nearly Normal Family
Summer of '69
Ask Again, Yes
All the Light We Cannot See
With the Fire on High
We Hunt the Flame
Wicked Saints
Sky Without Stars
Beyond the Point
Opposite of Always
Enchantée
The Gilded Wolves
Kingdom of Copper
On the Come Up
Unsheltered
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
The Oracle Year
Circe
The Astonishing Color of After
The Philosopher's Flight
The Great Alone
The Woman in the Window
Pachinko
The Nightingale
400+ pages
View all
The Courting of Bristol Keats
Pictures of You
Intermezzo
The Dagger and the Flame
The Wild Huntress
The Pairing
The Wives
A Short Walk Through a Wide World
Just for the Summer
The Familiar
The Book of Doors
The Fox Wife
The Women
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
Family Family
Ruthless Vows
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
The Future
What the River Knows
What We Kept to Ourselves
The Fragile Threads of Power
The River We Remember
Shark Heart
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Warrior Girl Unearthed
The True Love Experiment
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
Yours Truly
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Hell Bent
A Wilderness of Stars
A Fire Endless
Babel
Before I Let Go
Bloodmarked
Foul Lady Fortune
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
The Attic Child
The It Girl
The Change
Part of Your World
Kaikeyi
The Cartographers
Peach Blossom Spring
A River Enchanted
The Postmistress of Paris
The Book of Magic
Apples Never Fall
The Night She Disappeared
Damnation Spring
Sisters in Arms
One Last Stop
Firekeeper's Daughter
The Four Winds
Black Buck
The City We Became
Legendborn
Pretty Little Wife
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Magic Lessons
Star Daughter
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes
Notes on a Silencing
A Good Marriage
The Library of Legends
The Sound of Stars
Yes No Maybe So
Anna K
American Dirt
Not So Pure and Simple
Dangerous Alliance
The Glittering Hour
Red, White & Royal Blue
When the Stars Lead to You
The Great Pretender
Ninth House
Imaginary Friend
The Goldfinch
Permanent Record
The Chestnut Man
This Time Will Be Different
The Rest of the Story
Storm and Fury
Free Food for Millionaires
The Golden Hour
A Nearly Normal Family
Summer of '69
Ask Again, Yes
All the Light We Cannot See
With the Fire on High
We Hunt the Flame
Wicked Saints
Sky Without Stars
Beyond the Point
Opposite of Always
Enchantée
The Gilded Wolves
Kingdom of Copper
On the Come Up
Unsheltered
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
The Oracle Year
Circe
The Astonishing Color of After
The Philosopher's Flight
The Great Alone
The Woman in the Window
Pachinko
The Nightingale