The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

 I had been hearing a lot about this author and her latest novel, so decided to give it a try. She has found an ardent fan.

The story deals with the dust storms of the Texas panhandle during the depression and the fight for fair wages in California. It follows Elsa, who is unloved and unmarried at age 25. When she has a fast affair with a local farmer, Rafe Martinelli, she is left pregnant and expelled by her family. The Martinelli’s take her in and together fight against the land, weather, and depression of the 1930s. Eventually, Elsa must leave Texas for the bountiful of California, but she and her family find themselves despised and treated as less than human as they struggle against the greed of the cotton growers.

I was transported to another world, one only glimpsed at through dry history books. The author brought this era alive to the point. I felt the constant need to drink water during the dust storms of 1929. This is a story of human resilience, equality, fairness against the forces of nature, the struggle of the classes and the greed of some people.

I listened to the audio version of this story and the narrator helped to bring this story to life. The emotion she expressed in the reading pulled at your heart. I am already reaching for Ms. Hannah’s other novel, The Great Alone, also narrated by Julia Whelan.