The Situation: It is 1921 in small-town Texas, and Elsa has just turned 25. At her age, it is expected that she already be married, maybe even with a child. But due to an illness she had when she was younger, her family has more or less kept her locked away, always insisting that her health is too frail and too delicate for her to participate in many normal, social activities. It also does not help that Elsa is not considered to be particularly attractive, unlike her two sisters, and to Elsa's family, appearance is everything. Desperate for a love she knows nothing about, Elsa meets Rafe Martinelli, the first man to pay any attention to her, and it is not long before she is pregnant, and forced to marry a man she knows nothing about, and move in with a family that only knows hard work. By the time her daughter is born, Elsa's determination has earned her a place at the Martinelli's, and she feels a sense of belonging she never received from her own parents.
The Problem: Thirteen years later, the Dust Bowl is in full force. The land has dried up, people are out of work, banks are foreclosing on homes and farms, and dust storms have become a terrible nuisance. Elsa, much like her in-laws, insists she will never leave Texas, despite all chances of survival literally drying up in front of her. Rafe has always longed for adventure, something he has now passed down to their daughter, Loreda, and insists that leaving is the only option. As Elsa holds onto her belief that things will someday get better and turn around, she watches the animals die; her husband slowly disappear into himself; and her daughter become more dissatisfied with their life, ultimately blaming their entire situation on Elsa and her lack of big dreams and vitality. It is not until the dust storms start to threaten their health that going west to California begins to look like their only option. But the land of "milk and honey" will have its own challenges as the hardships continue, but in a different way.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel that begins in 1921, and then jumps to the mid-1930s and the height of The Great Depression. Elsa was born into a well-to-do family that cares little for her, so when she becomes pregnant, there is no hesitation to drop her off with the family of the father and abandon her for good. Despite being told all her life that she is too weak, too frail, and too delicate for most things, Elsa works hard on the Martinelli's farm and becomes the daughter her husband's parents never had. Hard work is what the Martinelli's are all about, and it is something that will follow Elsa everywhere she goes. The book gives the reader an up-close look at the desperate times that were The Great Depression, specifically the Dust Bowl in Texas, and the hard living of migrant workers who made the trek out to California. No matter the state, things were tough, and people mostly had to lean on each other to make it through.
My Verdict: Every book I read by Hannah is of a certain quality that is hard to pin down. There is something about her writing, or the way she approaches subjects - or maybe it is her vivid settings - that is at a level above. And yet, while the three books that I have read are each on the same level of quality, they are also wildly different from one another, and each one is able to hold its own and be its own entity. The places in The Four Winds are almost their own characters, with Texas and its devastating dust storms and lack of rain, and then California and its seemingly perfect landscape and views, that are only hiding the lack of work, high prices, and prejudiced residents. Nothing comes easy in either place, but Hannah makes them unique experiences, allowing the reader to wonder which is better: to stay where you are and wait for the suffering to be over, or move on in the hope that things will be better elsewhere, while knowing they could end up worse. Fans of Hannah's other novels will not be disappointed, and neither will anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
Favorite Moment: Loreda treats Elsa terribly for a good portion of the book. But there are moments here and there where the mother and daughter are able to come to an understanding. Loreda may remain a spitfire, but she does eventually come to respect Elsa and recognize her strength.
Favorite Character: I did not think I was going to like Rose, Rafe's mother, at first, but she quickly become my favorite. I just wish the reader got to see more of her.
Recommended Reading: Naturally, I recommend both The Nightingale and The Great Alone.
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