The Four Winds

"The Bestselling Hardcover Novel of the Year."--Publishers Weekly

From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them.

My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.”

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.

By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.

In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.

The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

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480 pages

Average rating: 8.07

2,512 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Marel
Apr 24, 2025
Excellent book about a tough period in history.
MusicMama22
Apr 24, 2025
8/10 stars
Beautiful yet heartbreaking historical fiction about a lost era in American History. We owe so much for to the brave men, women, AND CHILDREN, who fought for unions.
Anonymous
Apr 19, 2025
10/10 stars
Wow, this book was so emotionally hard to read, but so, so good! It was close to home as my grandparents WERE these characters. They both came to California from Oklahoma. My grandfather had hopped a train. My grandmother come over by car with her family. Kristin did such an amazing job describing the dust that I couldn’t breathe while reading this. The best part of listening to the audio book was the interview with the author and the narrator. They discussed and reminded us that however bad it can get for humans we are resilient. We not only live through the hard times we shine and are made better. I highly recommend this book. If you can get ahold of the audiobook for the interview.
KKnutzen
Apr 08, 2025
8/10 stars
What a heavy read, but what an amazing story about the Dust Bowl period.
chevy4me24
Apr 08, 2025
10/10 stars
Beautifully written novel of the 1930s. The heart felt details in this book (although some was fiction) brought you to that era as if you were there, yourself. From the The Dust Bowl to the Workers Strike in California, I now have a new insight of this time in history. Not to mention the little bit of romance thrown in there to complete the fullness of my expectations. I, however, wished for a better ending where they ALL returned home. Great book to read for Mothers Day.

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