Kristin Hannah’s writing has gotten better with each book. The Four Winds seems to be a culmination of decades of writing just to get to this point. Her research is impeccable and writing is rich.
The Four Winds is a masterpiece. One of those once every couple years books that we call the Great American Novel. This one gets to the heart of what is wrong with America. Set during the Great Depression, Elsa and her children are force to migrate to California from the dust storms of their home in Texas. Promised a better life in the land of milk and honey, they leave Texas in the hopes of being able to live the American dream.
However, when they get there, they find that the prejudices that still plague America are in full force. Blamed for all that is wrong, the Okies take jobs and bring crime and disease to California. Sound familiar? Paid slave wages to pick cotton for hours, and forced into a lifetime of debt, Elsa and her children barely survive. It is beyond heartbreaking and a true lesson in the fact that America really has not progressed from those prejudices from nearly a century ago.
I won’t lie, there is not happy ending with this one. This is not a beach read and you won’t walk away with a smile. But, historically this one is so important. And, if you want to truly understand and acknowledge the prejudices that still exist in our own country in regards to immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America, I highly recommend this one.
Book Review – The Four Winds
Life In The Falls 