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The Four Winds
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
238 posts | 248 read | 2 reading | 91 to read
The Four Winds, by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah, is an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America's most defining eras--the Great Depression. "If I close my eyes, I can still taste the dust..." Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods. The crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinellilike so many of her neighborsmust make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman who will discover the best in herself in the worst of times.
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Hannah_11
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

This book was so powerful. A raw, beautiful story of hardship, struggle and overall a mothers love. #pick

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Karisa
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this historical fiction book on audiobook so much. It reminded me of stories my grandmother still tells of her family who had come over to California from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. She was born in CA—the youngest of 9. The events and people captured in this novel bring the Great Depression to life vividly.

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mpensees
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

It takes a special author to write about difficult things but keep you reading.

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Honeybeebooks
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

Elsa is a woman often denigrated by her family. She embarks on a hasty affair. When she becomes pregnant, she marries into a Texas wheat farming family. After years of plenty, the drought begins and the dust storms devastate the farm and family. Elsa drives to California with her two children, but instead of opportunity they find hardship, hunger and hatred. This was a difficult read in the best way. A powerful painful novel. A 4 ⭐️ pick.

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Julsmarshall
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

Wonderful! Another evocative, emotional, and moving novel from Hannah. She does such an amazing job of dropping you down in the middle of a time and a story and making you feel apart of the narrative. Her descriptions of the dirty, dusty, destructive windstorms were harrowing and not something I‘ll not soon forget. I listened on #audio (fantastic!) and read my copy to make sure I finished. BookspinBingo #blackout @TheAromaofBooks

alysonimagines I really liked this novel, too—so powerful and heart-wrenching! It was actually my first Kristin Hannah read, so I may try more of her books in the future. 10mo
julieclair Congrats on your blackout! Well done! 👏 10mo
TheAromaofBooks Fabulous progress this month!!! 10mo
47 likes3 comments
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Julsmarshall
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Reposting for @Andrew65 Love a #Readathon especially one where you can choose your own goals. It is a long weekend in the US and I plan to take full advantage 😄 To join by Friday, just post your goals. Mine will be to finish books from my June #BookspinBingo board-maybe black it out?

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TheLudicReader
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

This is a tough one to review. It was easy to read, but the writing wasn‘t anything special. I loved some of the characters, but sometimes they sounded too modern for a story set in the 30s in the Dustbowl. The ending felt manipulative and like it was trying to get me to cry…which I did not. It‘s a soft pick, but I am looking forward to next week‘s book club discussion.

Prairiegirl_reading The one Kristin Hannah book I have read felt emotionally manipulative too. I don‘t care for that. 11mo
TheLudicReader @Prairiegirl_reading I don‘t think I would read anything else by her. 11mo
Prairiegirl_reading Yeah, same. I know so many rave about the nightingale but I‘m not interested anymore. 11mo
40 likes3 comments
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AliceCullen
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
Pickpick

Tragic from beginning to end. Elsa is a young woman on a journey to find love, or anything resembling it after growing up in a loveless home. She finds it most in her children whom she raises in the dust bowl before enduring more hardships after leaving Texas for a “better life” in California. The author admits historical timeline was manipulated a bit to fit her narrative, but I loved the story so I give it a pass.

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Maallen
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

Loved this book! Enjoying Kristen Hannah quite a bit, even if she does seem to write really tragic endings.

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LisaLovesToRead
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

This was a great book! Hannah did her homework and made many of the historical details come to life.

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Bevita
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

Another great read by this author. The Dust Bowl was so awful and so were the Californians. It is so hard to see the humanity in others. Loved it.

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SiameseCatsRead
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

This is by far one of the best #historicalfiction novels I've read in a very long time. Set during the Great Depression, we meet a family that encounters so many hardships that your heart breaks bit by bit for them. It is through all these trials and tribulations that we see growth In each character by the end of the novel. I won't lie, the end of the novel is a tear-jerker. Well worth the hype and a read.

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BittersweetBooks
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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The library. Books held the answer to every question.

Books had always been her solace; novels gave her space to be bold, brave, beautiful, if only in her own imagination.

📖📚📖📚

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mom2bugnbee
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
Pickpick

After a ridiculously long reading slump, I think I might be coming out of it. ☺

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Suet624 Yay!!!
2y
22 likes1 comment
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thecaffinatedreader
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Page 237. This book wasn‘t for me. I understand the Great Depression was just that, depressing. However, I feel like Kristin Hannah took everything unfortunate thing that could happen to one person/one family and scattered the events throughout thirty-six chapters. I felt like bailing yesterday and decided I‘d finish what I started. Loreda‘s last outburst sealed the deal. There is no depth to the characters, aside from Elsa. I can‘t. I‘m out ✌🏼

ornatelyplain Agreed! I still don‘t understand all the hype. 2y
19 likes1 comment
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Soubhiville
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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A day of book browsing with @Eyelit added these beauties to my TBR shelf. Mostly they are from Recycled Reads, Austin Public Library‘s shop. Two purchased from Black Pearl Books. I better get reading!
#bookhaul

paperwitchs Gorgeous haul 2y
Ddzmini Just added … to my tbr 🤗 2y
janeycanuck Queen of the Night is so good - hope you enjoy it! 2y
Soubhiville @janeycanuck oh good, I‘m glad to hear that! 2y
90 likes4 comments
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BooksNBowls
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

Another gut-wrencher from K. H. This story was very intriguing for me, especially because I didn‘t know much about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. I had goose bumps when I finished. K. H. knows how to capture pain, suffering, survival, and grief so well. It‘s horrifying and beautiful. #bookspin

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BooksNBowls
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah

“The four winds have blown us here, people from all across the country, to the very edge of this great land, and now, at last, we make our stand, fight for what we know to be right. We fight for our American dream, that it will be possible again.”

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BooksNBowls
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Loving my picks this month! 🤩

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Foragingfantasy
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
Bailedbailed

This book sucked. I couldn‘t finish it. All the characters were pathetic.

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OutAndAbout
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

I‘ve put this one off for so long because of the Dust Bowl setting. Hannah is so good at character development and this was no exception. It‘s a strong pick for me but definitely a tragedy so make sure you are in the mood for that.

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BookBosomed1
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

🎧 I have conflicting feelings about this 📖. It provides a compelling historical narrative about major events in the 1930s that defined American culture. I appreciate that this book veers from the male-centric view that often accompanies traditional tellings of this time in history. It also is very atmospheric. However, the author relies on heavy emotional appeals that can feel manipulative rather than engaging or informational. So, a soft pick.

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OutAndAbout
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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It turned out that a parent‘s disapproval was a powerful lingering voice that shaped and defined one‘s self image.

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OutAndAbout
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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“It still amazed her that a person could go to a store, pick our an automobile, and drive it home the same day.”

Funny. Hannah meant this to show how different things were in the 1920s. But 100 years later, we‘ve been shopping for a new car and there is NOTHING on the lots. Dealers can‘t get cars. Even ordering one is difficult. We had to put a significant amount down to buy one that‘s estimated to arrive in March.

I‘d be amazed too!

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coffeebooksandchaos
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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“The library. Books held the answer to every question.”

I‘ve barely started this book, but love this quote! 📖 ❤️

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BookBosomed1
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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I‘m really looking forward to this book being finished. Trauma after trauma - overuse of pathos. Levity would be lovely. Typically, I‘d abandon it but it‘s my Libro.fm pick for January so I keep trudging along. 🚶‍♀️🤨

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Cinfhen
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Mehso-so

This was PURE #MiseryPorn 🥺Just relentless nonstop trauma after trauma. I did learn a lot about early US Western history. Julia Whelan, while a stellar reader, has a very distinct tone and sadly all her books/characters sound exactly the same. So while she‘s Elsa in this book, I was still hearing the voices of Poppy & Alex from People We Meet on Vacation. The author‘s note was interesting, comparing Dust Bowl to Covid & idea of resilience.

TrishB I gave up on Hannah books a while ago. Realised they weren‘t for me. 2y
Cinfhen Agreed @TrishB this was my last one - it was soooo emotionally manipulative #OverIt 2y
TrishB I just read your other thread! Lol 😆 2y
See All 14 Comments
squirrelbrain I didn‘t love this one either. 2y
Laughterhp Oh man, I just got this one from BOTM! 2y
Cinfhen I know @Laughterhp it‘s not a bad book: I was really invested in the story….it‘s just SO RELENTLESS in its misery - 2y
Cinfhen It felt similar in nature to her previous book, which also was SO MELODRAMATIC @squirrelbrain 2y
squirrelbrain I liked The Great Alone, albeit it a bit unbelievable, but this one really seemed to drag. 2y
Cinfhen Funny how we all approach books differently @squirrelbrain I remember @Reviewsbylola LOVING The Great Alone and I was SO DISAPPOINTED 😔 Hey, Steph… where are you??? Miss you xxx 2y
Megabooks Thank you! Now you get why I‘m not a Whelan fan!!!! 2y
Cinfhen Yup, it was SUPER DISTRACTING for me @Megabooks 🥺😩😖 2y
britt_brooke I‘ve only read Nightingale and I wasn‘t a fan. Misery porn is right. She‘s like a slightly better Nicholas Sparks to me, which ain‘t sayin‘ much. 2y
Cinfhen This was #FoMo @britt_brooke I get why some might love this type of a story but I‘m done playing 😆 2y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen 😂 At least you tried. 2y
78 likes1 stack add14 comments
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Crystal83
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

I love this book!!! It was great!!! It had all of my emotions going!! The story and characters were great!!!

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KadeLexical
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Elsa looked at her friend. “Do you ever get tired of being strong?”
“Oh, honey, of course.”

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SheilaChew
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

The Four Winds is an epic story of one woman‘s life during the Dust Bowl in Texas and heading west to California to search for a better life. Heartbreaking and unforgettable.

2022 off to a good start - reading wise. I have time to read because I am home sick. So that‘s no fun.

Bookzombie Hope you are feeling better. 2y
SheilaChew @Bookzombie Thank you - today I am! 2y
26 likes2 comments
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Sresendez12
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Just received my January challenge from my watch so here are my goals:
*Walk 129.4 miles (about 4.1 miles per day)
*Read 1 physical book (tagged) and start tackling my first chunkster for the year
*Listen to 3 audiobooks
#bfc2022

wanderinglynn Great goals! 🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 2y
19 likes1 comment
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Nikki_E
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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August 2021

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rather_be_reading
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Fav New Releases from Fav Authors of 2021

Jensol77 The Four Winds was beautiful 2y
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DanaR
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah

I really enjoyed this book. Some Amazon reviews decided to focus on the small amount of Communist ideology in the story. Yes, there is involvement with the Community 'party', but that was also the history of the time. The book hardly 'sells' it, the focus is more on workers' rights / revealing humanity. The story itself was moving, tragic, hopeful. I definitely recommend it!

MaureenMc Ugh, I had to stop reading Amazon reviews. Glad you enjoyed the book! 2y
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DanaR
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah

Borrowed this from the library. Amazon had a lot of great reviews, but it‘s being described as a romance version of Grapes of Wrath (one of my fav books), so I‘m sold! Once I‘m finished with it, I‘ll comment on the reviews that it‘s pushing “political” views (communism?).

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Wonderwoman89
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

What a great book this was. I put off reading this book due to all the negative reviews on Amazon. Readers have said it was awful writing and nothing but a political book. However, I read it with an open mind and fell in love with the story of Elsa and the hardship she went through with her children during the Great Depression and Dust Storms. Elsa proved that a mother‘s love will win against any fight. I most definitely recommend this book.

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Minibooktalks16
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah

Book 22 for 2021

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Blackink_WhitePaper
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

The story is heartbreaking with strong woman character. The delicate strands of mother-daughter relationship is beautifully portrayed. This story tells us the lessons we have to learn from the history about the environmental crisis, hard times, when to stand up, when to escape and to hold on. It‘s all about the dreams, love friendship, family, heart aches struggle and hope. One of my fav reads of 2021 4.5🌟
#wintergames2021 14hrs #bookspinbingo

32 likes1 stack add3 comments
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TheBookStacker
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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I just started this and I can already tell I‘m going to love it and give my copy to my mom and then recommend it to every person who will listen to me.

AmyG It‘s really a good read. 2y
kplovesbooks Haha! Such a good book! You'll need tissues before you're through though! 2y
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rather_be_reading
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Only 4.99 right now!

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rather_be_reading
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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My fav time of year!

rjsthumbelina My only problem was I have 2 accounts (both BFFs), and there was only 1 of these that I didn't already own! 2y
63 likes1 comment
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BookedBySunrise
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Mehso-so

While I adored The Nightingale and The Great Alone, this one felt me feeling let down a bit.. Loose ends that could have been wrapped up, I didn't fall in love with the characters like I usually do in her books. The teenager daughter was annoying, words and phrases became too repetitive for me to enjoy. I enjoyed it till they set out for California. I rated it a 4 on goodreads but was very tempted to only give it a 3

Eggs Well said and I agree. Kind of trope-y in 2nd half 2y
BookedBySunrise @Eggs , I just wanted them to go back to the farm, and I wanted to know where her husband went. Second half of the book was all downhill I thought. 2y
TheHungryBookworms Awww...this is on my tbr😩 2y
BookedBySunrise @TheHungryBookworms , A lot of people loved it. But still months later it was just ok for me, my least favorite of hers in my opinion 2y
25 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Yahui07
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

This book made me shed some tears. Based on the three books written by Kristin Hannah I have read, I have to say that she knows how to write the complicate connections between mothers and daughters. However, this is not my favorite of her books I have read. 4 out of 5 stars.

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Ladygodiva7
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Book 43 of 2021.

Oh so good!!!

13 likes1 stack add
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kplovesbooks
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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No surprise at all here!! I fully expected this one to be in the Goodreads Choice Awards lineup!

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oishanee
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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What beautiful imagery; you cannot help getting irritated with Elsa's unwavering optimism even as you root for her every step of the way.

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Lcsmcat
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Pickpick

Kristin Hannah has a talent for inducing tears, and this is no exception. Have tissues handy. And I learned a lot about the dust bowl and California labor movement. You‘ll fall in love with the characters. And for more about the labor movement, read The Last Ballad, which is based on a true story.

kplovesbooks I thought for a second I was reading my own review because I started it much the same, saying she has a talent for making me cry! 😂😂🤦 ...such a heartbreaking story! 2y
AmyG I go so sucked into this one. And yes, tears and tissues. 2y
70 likes3 comments
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Lcsmcat
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Amélie doesn‘t understand that when I borrow a book I need to read it rather than play with her.

kspenmoll She reminds me of my Poe when he was little. 😻 2y
Leftcoastzen She‘s so cute!😻 2y
46 likes1 stack add2 comments
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AmyG
The Four Winds: A Novel | Kristin Hannah
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Wonderful book. The story of a woman who travels with her two children, during the dust bowl, to seek a better life in California.

#Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
Jensol77 This book is so beautiful. Elsa was such a powerful character. When she met Jack, I was so hopeful that things would get better for her. Worth reading!!! 2y
AmyG @Jensol77 Agree. I flew through this book. I was on a plane trying not to cry at the end. 2y
Jensol77 @AmyG that ending 😭😭😭 2y
Suet624 Oooh, I keep meaning to grab this at the library. Thanks for the reminder. 2y
101 likes5 comments