The Four Winds

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

This program includes a bonus interview with the author.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

#1 USA TODAY BESTSELLER

#1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

#1 INDIE BESTSELLER

"The Four Winds seems eerily prescient in 2021 . . . Its message is galvanizing and hopeful: We are a nation of scrappy survivors. We’ve been in dire straits before; we will be again. Hold your people close.”—The New York Times

"A spectacular tour de force that shines a spotlight on the indispensable but often overlooked role of Greatest Generation women."—People

"Through one woman’s survival during the harsh and haunting Dust Bowl, master storyteller, Kristin Hannah, reminds us that the human heart and our Earth are as tough, yet as fragile, as a change in the wind." —Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing

From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them.

“My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.”

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.

By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.

In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.

The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

©2021 Kristin Hannah (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

2021 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2021 Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, Long-listed

2021 Washington Post Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2021 USA Today Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2021 Read with Jenna, Long-listed

"With forceful narrative drive, Whelan delivers a compelling performance of Hannah's memorable new novel." —AudioFile Magazine

"Julia Whelan is herself a master storyteller because it’s absolute magic how she brings this novel to life for listeners. Her emotional rendering will bring tears and laughter and she portrays every character perfectly, men women and children...Have the tissues close when you put those earbuds in." —Reading Franzy

Stunning

This book is so amazing! It is heart breaking and incredibly heart warming! Julia Whelan is an excellent narrator imbuing all the emotion the author intended. It is a story of resilience, strength, faith and a family’s enduring courage in the midst of extreme hardship. Highly recommend and enjoy!!!

A Powerful Story of the Strength of Women's Spirit

If you like to feel a lot, think a lot, and cry some, read this book. The story takes place during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era of the 1930's in the panhandle of Texas, one of the hardest hit areas. I won't get into particulars, not to spoil the enjoyment from the twists and turns of the story. Nevertheless, the book masterfully tells a story about the resilience and strengths of women, strengths that they themselves are not always aware of. With a loving eye for humans and humanity, Hannah tells stories about the deep connection between people and the land they love, and the heartbreak and despair that occurs when the land fails them. Maybe, though, it is the people who are failing the land? The book speaks to the power of family bonds, mother's love, sisterhood among women, and the always complicated yet elemental relationship between mothers and daughters. Hannah writes poignantly about class disparity, misogyny, xenophobia, and how the American Way of Living can be twisted in an ugly ways to be used against its own. In spite of that, Hannah manages to end the book on a hopeful note. Even though the book took place almost 100 years ago, there are plenty of lessons in it to be learned that could apply to our times.

I have never been a history buff!!

I am a quilter and a reader. Unfortunately, the day does not hold enough hours for me to do as much of each of these activities as I would like. So, I have taken to listening to audiobooks while I quilt to feed both my passions.

This is one of the most beautifully told stories I have read/listened to in a long time. Kristen Hannah has a knack for description that sucks the reader into the pages and makes you feel like you are a part of the adventure. Her characters are rich with emotion and realism.

I could feel Elsa's rejection, cry as she became a single mother, be joyful as the Martinelli's accepted her in a way her own parents had never done. I could visualize her raging at the world when she finally found her voice and felt heartbroken when she passed away.

The legacy she left behind in her children should be another novel in the making. Thank you Kristen Hannah for this history book on the Dust Bowl , the Great Depression, migrant workers, workers rights. Thank you for this beautful story of a family with strength, faith, grit, humility, compassion and love .

Explosive!

By far my favorite of Hannah's books! IThis book and characters garner far more than five stars for me! I have loved all of her books but the characters in this book are so very real, strong, and vulnerable. We all need to find out inner Elsa!

Fabulous in Every Way

Heartbreakingly wonderful historical fiction that is incredibly relevant. The characters will stay with you for a long time. So many great lessons and strong, brave women. Loved it.

Weird verbal "punctuation"

Narrator uses audible inhalations to convey drama, stress, and a type of punctuation mark of sorts, especially when characters speak. I found it increasingly annoying as the book progressed. So much so that I will likely avoid books narrated by her in the future.

Captures every emotion

I wanted to read this book because of the topic. I remember my 98-year-old dad telling me stories of his experience during the dust bowl/dirty 30s. Kristin Hannah’s words captured many of my dad‘s memories. While I picked up this book because of my dad, Much of the book made me think of my brave mom.
The way Julia Whelan narrated the story is one of the best I’ve ever heard. She made you feel the characters that Kristin Hannah developed. This book was fantastic! Especially considering what the world is going through now, it eerily draws a lot of parallels. So many takeaways from this book. You will not regret picking this book up to read yourself or pushing play on the audiobook❤️

Excellent story about human challenges - timely

The narrator was great, and this moving story about human suffering seemed to fit the current pandemic and political time we are living in. It started to get a little slow in the beginning, but the narration was so good it drew me in and then I couldn’t wait to listen to more. Great story

Heartbreaking and Beautiful

Deep and richly developed characters, setting, and events that transport you through the journey with the story.

Amazing!!!

One of the beast books I have listened to!!!
This is an incredible story that will stay with me forever.