I should have known when I read The Nighingale that my love for Kristin Hannah as an author was only going to intensify after finishing it. She is an exceptional writer who has the ability to deeply move readers with her emotional depictions of incredible characters, oftentimes women, and to date, I’ve read The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and now, The Four Winds.
I figure The Nightingale will always be my favourite Kristin Hannah novel because it is such a beautiful story, but until I’ve read all of her works, I shall keep my suspicions to myself.
My mom is also an avid fan of her work, and she told me she has read The Four Winds. I trust my mother’s taste in books and decided to give it a read, and now that I’m almost finished it, I wanted to share my honest thoughts.
The Four Winds tells the story of Elsa, a young woman who is seriously lacking self-confidence and any inkling of love from her terrible family. Without ruining the plot, she finds herself living and working on a wheat farm in Texas during the Great Depression, and she must navigate her newly rerouted life while facing tremendous hardships.
The genre of The Four Winds is historical fiction, much like most of Hannah’s works. I did not realize how much the book discusses agriculture prior to reading it, so that was a lovely surprise, although I’m a bit embarrassed to admit the thought didn’t even cross my mind despite the book cover showing wheat stalks.
Not my finest moment, but oh, well.
Elsa’s journey is positively worth reading, and I doubt any of Kristin Hannah’s works will ever be deemed as a ‘rid’ by me. I am really enjoying it, and if you’re a fan of historical fiction, farming, or the beauty in staying strong and overcoming hardship, this book is for you.
Photo by Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash
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