The Four Winds

By: Kristin Hannah

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 15 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The Four Winds, an instant New York Times bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, is a deeply moving story about the strength and resilience of women and the bond between mother and daughter, by the bestselling author of The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah.

She will discover the best of herself in the worst of times . . .

Texas, 1934. Elsa Martinelli had finally found the life she’d yearned for. A family, a home and a livelihood on a farm on the Great Plains. But when drought threatens all she and her community hold dear, Elsa’s world is shattered to the winds.

Fearful of the future, when Elsa wakes to find her husband has fled, she is forced to make the most agonizing decision of her life. Fight for the land she loves or take her beloved children, Loreda and Ant, west to California in search of a better life. Will it be the land of milk and honey? Or will their experience challenge every ounce of strength they possess?

From the overriding love of a mother for her child, the value of female friendship and the ability to love again – against all odds, Elsa’s incredible journey is a story of survival, hope and what we do for the ones we love.

©2021 Kristin Hannah (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Powerful and compelling." (Delia Owens, number one international best-selling author of Where the Crawdads Sing)

"A rich, compelling novel of love, sacrifice and survival." (Kate Morton)

"A masterclass." (Karen Swan)

Beautiful but depressing

Good heavens the first half of this book is depressing beyond all reason. The main characters just can't seem to catch a break. However it developes well and the history is very fascinating.

Brilliant story and narration

I loved this book from start to finish. It did make me feel guilty about my lovely life though. Women today are so lucky that women like Elsa came before us.

Miserable, Captivating

I was captivated from the get-go. Kristin Hannah sets the scene and character of Elsa beautifully. The stunning performance of the narrator certainly contributed too. Julia Whelan always manages to bring another dimension to the characters she reads. Don't get me wrong, this book is the misery Olympics. However, I do respect the author’s choice here, as the Great Depression and Dust Bowl period were exactly that; absolutely unrelenting and miserable. By the end, I found myself absolutely desperate for hope, just a scrap, for these poor characters. But Hannah does not yield. In fact, she punches you in the guts one last time and leaves you absolutely wrecked. Nice. Despite the unrelenting misery, this book still comes highly recommended by me. It’s an incredible story of motherhood, female power, grit and determination. Well worth shedding a tear or two over.

An amazing and super important book!

The book is an amazing piece of art. After the first 5 minutes of the book I paused it and debated with myself whether I want to continue or not. I didn't really like the voice of Julia, by the end of the book I loved it and I think she is so gifted. This book had taught me so much!!!

Perfect

Great story indeed. A one story which touched my heart in a long time. Love it.

it's great

a story of love, heartbreak, survival, true beauty, courage and hope. it's exhausting but worth it.

best yet

I found every single moment of this book to be excellent, believable, relateable and yet inately horrifying. highly recommended

The relationship between mother and daughter and how it evolves

A real tear jerker and a true story of love and the undeniable human spirit

Great listen

The narater did an excellent job the way she portrayed the characters were as if you could see then. The emotion she used help make the book come to life.
It a beautiful story about hardship, love, loss, disappointment and finding

Breath taking

I think I held my breath for almost all of the second half of the book. The story is a brilliant commentary of this point in history. The characters so very real and the performance spot on. I will definitely look for more work by this author and narrator.