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Loading... The Four Winds (2021)by Kristin Hannah
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This book wrecked me. Do NOT read without tissues. ( ) "Love is what remains when everything else is gone." There are not enough books about the Dust Bowl. I know very little about this time in American history and it is something that I wish I knew more about. This story is about one such family, living on land in Texas when suddenly the rain and the water.....stop. This is not a happy story. It's a brutal, realistic, heartfelt story about family and love and what makes us strong. It puts the human spirit and sheer willpower on beautiful cruel display. It was hard to read about the treatment, the prejudice and the betrayal of those so left behind and starved. I loved it for the honesty and the hard look at human suffering at the hands of other human. Great story but be prepared, it's brutal. am so glad to have read this book. This is the ideal book when you are feeling down. Yes, the dust bowl was horrible. The struggle to stay alive during dust storms, all of the topsoil flying away, even birds dropping from the sky when caught by the storms. With no crops and food running out, cows giving brown milk, fathers deserting their families like my paternal grandfather during the Great Depression, survival is very precarious. Unloved by her parents, Elsa, the tallest and skinnest of the daughters in the family was an avid reader and wanted love so much. She took a risk and became pregnant. Her parents drop her off at the home of the young man who was responsible. Slowly, she finds love and acceptance with her new family and the husband that she married deserts her and her child when the dust storms got tough. The situation on the farm gets much worse, Elsa decides that she has to do something because the future is so bleak. She, her daughter and very young son make their way to California only to find more trouble. I highly recommend this book if you are depressed. It teaches that it is best to stand up for yourself and fight even when the odd against winning are so sttong. Every country has it's ugly secrets and at some time or other, their citizens have been treated horrendously. Its only by looking back we can look forward to a time when we hope to have finally learned from our mistakes Set during the great depression in America, the novel focuses on the strength of women and especially mother and daughter relationships. While this is historical fiction, it certainly educates and informs the reader about a time in American history when farming families were driven from their homesteads by drought, dust storms and bank foreclosures and make their way to California in the hope of a better life but find themselves living in makeshift camps , with little work to be had and what is available is badly paid and workers exploited. Having read [b:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg|2931549] I was familiar with this time in American History. The Four Winds is an entertaining , albeit long winded story, depressing by times but well written. I do think the book was a little repetitive. However as an historical fiction read, I think this one really does give the read an insight into plight of the migrants at the time and brings attention to a period in history that should not be forgotten. When I finished this novel, I realised, while we are all caught up in a pandemic at the moment, where our movements and lifestyle is restricted in order to keep us safe. It pales in comparison to what our ancestors went through and makes me grateful for the times we live in.
Hannah brings Dust Bowl migration to life in this riveting story of love, courage, and sacrifice...combines gritty realism with emotionally rich characters and lyrical prose that rings brightly and true from the first line Epic and transporting, a stirring story of hardship and love...Majestic and absorbing. AwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
"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"-- No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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