Title: The Four Winds
Author: Kristin Hannah
Published: 2021
Call #: FIC/HANNAH
http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=hannah&title=four
Let’s be
clear: this is not a book for the faint of heart! It is however, a compelling,
emotional and… necessary book. Written by Kristin Hannah, the story is set in
the 1930’s “dust bowl” of Texas with Elsa Martinelli as the main protagonist.
The central plot of the novel revolves around the struggles she and her
children encounter when the entire region and specifically the farm she is
living on, suddenly undergoes catastrophic change due to a severe and
widespread drought. Faced with almost unbearable hardships, she decides to do
what many others did as well, head for a better life in California.
This really is a historical novel as the setting and events that Elsa endures were, as unbelievable as it may seem, quite common to those in similar circumstances to hers at the time. From near starvation to disease and sickness, poverty and discrimination, it is a wonder that so many of them found a way to persevere. And yet somehow, they had the will and determination to continue on in pursuit of their dreams.
The book certainly portrays Elsa as a courageous character but also one that feels “real” in a way that, although most of us would never have to go through anywhere near the pain and suffering she does, we can still identify with her. It is this universal struggle against oppression and hardship that we can, indeed must, root for. I highly recommend this book and believe that it is an important story that needed to be told!
Blanca
Stephens
Popular Materials Assistant
Author: Kristin Hannah
Published: 2021
Call #: FIC/HANNAH
http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=hannah&title=four
This really is a historical novel as the setting and events that Elsa endures were, as unbelievable as it may seem, quite common to those in similar circumstances to hers at the time. From near starvation to disease and sickness, poverty and discrimination, it is a wonder that so many of them found a way to persevere. And yet somehow, they had the will and determination to continue on in pursuit of their dreams.
The book certainly portrays Elsa as a courageous character but also one that feels “real” in a way that, although most of us would never have to go through anywhere near the pain and suffering she does, we can still identify with her. It is this universal struggle against oppression and hardship that we can, indeed must, root for. I highly recommend this book and believe that it is an important story that needed to be told!
Popular Materials Assistant