The Four Winds

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is heartbreaking and educational. Over and over again, it feels like a punch to the gut as you grieved for the characters and their struggles during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. I thought that I had a good understanding of that time period, but I really didn't grasp what life was like for people in the Midwest and what it was like to be a migrant worker in California. So many of the issues Hannah weaves into her narrative are timeless, which perhaps is why the book weighs so heavily on the reader. I was captivated from the beginning because the story of Elsa and her family is not just a historic retelling-- it's about connection, worth, and motherhood. It's about tenacity and the will to survive. The only reason it's not a five star read is that I didn't like one of Hannah's ending details. I'd still wholeheartedly recommend the book.

Happy reading--