"Come in," she said. Elsa oversleeps the next morning, waking to find the entire Martinelli family has eaten breakfast and is busy with farm chores. Ed. How have the Dust Bowl and going west been treated by the American imagination (perhaps in song or cinema)? "The Four Winds" is epic and transporting, a stirring story of hardship and love that is likely to lead to a film adaptation (Hannahs previous best-selling novel, "The Nightingale," is getting a film adaptation later this year starringDakota and Elle Fanning). California is promised as the land of milk and honey and opportunity. Do you have sympathy for how broken he felt by the poverty and hardship? An Italian immigrant, Tony and his wife, Rose, came to the United States with only a few dollars and some grape vine cuttings. Different translations give . Did it add to the experience of the book? Elsa, fearing the violence will break the strikers spirits, picks up Jacks megaphone and exhorts the workers to stay united. She is ready to strike. Do they intend to exclude Elsa, whom they perceive as just a workhorse? Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesuss life that focuses on his humanity,The Book of Longingsis an inspiring, unforgettable account of one womans bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. In yourself? In The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, Elsa Wolcott is a woman trying to raise two children on farm in the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl following the Great Depression. Download the entire The Four Winds study guide as a printable PDF! Businesses have been devastated and so many people have lost work. The locals shun the new visitors and label them as dirty Okies. And the only opportunity is a life of poverty. There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going.". Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history. See the archives. Indeed, she only ends up marrying Rafe as a result of a surprise pregnancy. As the Dust Bowl ravages Texas, one woman must make a choice: Leave the farm that has been her familys livelihoodor stay and risk succumbing to cyclones of dirt. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows. At the heart of many of those texts lay the twin passions for land and family that undergird much of the narrative of The Four Winds.. The second date is today's Issues such as immigration, whether between states or nations, and income inequality, are also in the mix. What do you think the idea of owning land and working the land means to people? What does she learn by becoming a mother? Day after day, they worked together, prayed together, held their growing family together through the hardships of farm life. (9091) Do you share a similar bond with the women in your lifeeither as a mother, a daughter, or a daughter-in-law? One day, Rafe abandons them with only a note. What good came from all this unexpressed longing? When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. For those listening to the audio edition, here are some questions for you about the audio experience. However, after Rafe abandons his family, it becomes clear that he is a cowardly man who does not know how to put his dreams into action. Rose Martinelli shows Elsa to her new roomRafe's bedroom; he will sleep in the barn until they are marriedwhile Rafe vows to try to be a good husband. In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsalike so many of her neighborsmust 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. How do you think these perceptions have changed over time? Anyway, not a big deal, just wondering. Peter Larsen has been the Pop Culture Reporter for the Orange County Register since 2004, finally achieving the neat trick of getting paid to report and write about the stuff he's obsessed about pretty much all his life. Hannah mixes in a variety of historical facts as she tells this familys story and show the technology progressing in that era. "Hope is a coin I carry. It also occurred to me while reading it that, given the strong and complicated mother-daughter relationship in this book, that this could be a great mothers day gift or a good book give to your mom to read together, if youre looking for an activity to do with them remotely. Texas, 1921. I make wine from grape cuttings that I brought here from Sicily, and the wine I make reminds me of my father. How do you think future generations will judge the America of today? She misses her mother. Thank you Kristin for hours of enjoyment while listening to The Four Winds! The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is a historical novel about the Dust Bowl and subsequent westward migration by drought-stricken farmers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I really enjoy yourBook club suggestions and Book Club Questions, Preview: The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin, Q&A with Peng Shepherd, Author of The Cartographers, Book Club Questions for Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, Q&A with Maxine Mei-Fung Chung, Author of the The Eighth Girl, Q&A with Ann Mah, Author of The Lost Vintage, 10 Book Club Books to Read in Summer 2023, Book Club Questions for Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, Review: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, Book Club Questions for The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes, Book Club Questions for Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, (Updated April 2023) Reeses Book Club Picks: Entire List, Book Club Questions for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Book Club Questions for Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. The police lob tear gas, and Weltys thugs beat Jack senseless. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a womans only option, the future seems bleak. However, she puts her duties as a mother ahead of all else, and she knows that she must leave in order to protect Ant. The Four Winds tells the story of Elsa Wolcott, a young woman born and raised in Texas during the boom years of the 1920s. (Photo by Kevin Lynch). Was there anything in particular that you feel you learned or which surprised you. In this tale, Kristin has written a survival story about resilience, love, family, courage and the American Dream. There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going. (1) What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? The Four Winds is a historical fiction that recounts a survival story centered on a mother and daughter. He regularly covers the Oscars and the Emmys, goes to Comic-Con and Coachella, reviews pop music, and conducts interviews with authors and actors, musicians and directors, a little of this and a whole lot of that. Spoiler Alert:Please note that the discussion guide below contain spoilers to the book. Q&A with Sarah Penner, Author of The Lost Apothecary. If you havent read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah yet, I highly recommend it! Rafe's fianc. One day, Rafe abandons them with only a note. And through her marriage, which turns out to be difficult, the embracing of her in-laws and motherhood and becoming a farm wife, she really goes through this journey where she becomes fearless and a warrior. At times this book feels a little too ready for Hollywood. Rafe likes to dream big, and he constantly talks about moving to Hollywood or traveling the world. Jean and Jeb Deweyand their four childrenare fellow migrants that Elsa befriends at the ditch campsite. Unlike any other person in her life, he made her feel valued. They might have come off the boat as Anthony and Rosalba, but hard work and the land had turned them into Tony and Rose. I figured I was missing something here that makes sense! Book club questions for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah takes a deep dive into all the major events and character development in this epic read. What has been glamorized, and what grittiness has been left out or effectively captured? Fighting for any kind of social equality or radical change often requires great personal sacrifice. Hannah hopes that readers will love Elsa as she does. Elsa soon realizes that Welty's camp is designed to keep their workers poor and indebted to them, but she doesn't want to risk her job. Even if they didnt speak of their love, or share their feelings in long, heartfelt conversations, the bond was there. She has the capacity to dream big and embrace change like her father, but she also has her mothers stubborn determination and fierce protective drive. Conversely, do you think the way Loreda sees Elsa is accurate? ahh awesome thank you! It had resurrected all the insecurities of childhood.". With The Four Winds, Hannah has penned another survival story, this time about a family in the Great Plains struggling through the difficulties of poverty and famine during the Dust Bowl in the years after the Great Depression. In the margins of Hannahs story as she initially conceived it, there was the character Elsa, a young woman whod grown up feeling unloved and unworthy, who found meaning as the mother of two young children. The first day of the strike is successful despite Weltys threats of a further pay cut, but the next day, the strikers are met with law enforcement and hired vigilantes. When the strike finally happens, Elsa propels it forwards when Jack is incapacitated, but Elsa is shot. During the COVID- 19 pandemic, Americans were faced with many of the same challenges of the Great Depression. Elsa is a dutiful, hardworking woman who always does her best for her family. Decisions Julia made or voices that stood out? If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original THE FOUR WINDS Characters By Chapter: EDITOR: Christina Hale . As an avid reader I found this book compelling and informative. Its a great book to chat about, and Ive included some discussion questions below if youre needing ideas on topics. What did you think of Elsa as a character, and did your perception of Elsa shift throughout the novel? Theyd sewn their lives together in the silent way of women unused to conversation. After a year I just sort of gave in and threw away most of what I had done, she says. Does it reveal anything about the grit that literally fills their bodies? After 1936/37 did work pulling cotton improve for the workers? Why does the Martinelli family stay under such brutal conditionsthe heat, the dust storms, the lack of food, and the dying livestock? Ant Martinelli is Elsas son and Loredas younger brother. Ernt Allbright came home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. It is likely that readers of The Four Winds, which arrived on Feb. 2, wont be able to imagine this story told any other way, so strong a character is Elsa as she fights for survival and finds her own strength in a tale that reaches from the Dust Bowl to the migrant camps of Californias Central Valley in the mid-1930s. How does her lack of self-esteem color her relationships with her husband and eldest child? Overtones of America's present political struggles echo throughout the novel's events. Poor simplistic review. Were different voices and tones used effectively? This post contains links to products that I may receive compensation from at no additional cost to you. We plant, we tend, we harvest. So even the 30s were so long ago, I think people will see some of our societys current problems made an appearance then as well. Hannahs writing is at its strongest when she takes us into the vivid hardships of the drought, as overuse of the land results in storms of topsoil that flay skin from muscle and fill the bellies of staggered cattle with dirt. publication in traditional print. To save money, spend a night in a tent camp with other migrants, only to learn that wages for migrant work are so low that they'll have to stay there indefinitely. Were you surprised that Elsa set off without her in-laws? If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($2, $3, or $5) or joining the Patreon! Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. She moved in with his family, and together they made a healthy living, raising two children while they worked the earth. She runs away and hitches a ride with Jack Dewey, who works for a Communist organization, Workers United. Sam Shepherds work or Truman Capotes work denies the power of the kindness of strangers you may want to read Cold Millions by Jess Walters and then be that kind person who reaches across to do great good work. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the newcomers lack of preparation and dwindling resources. In short, thats how the locals pronounced it. It is changing, slowly, and womens courage and determination and victories are being brought to light. Its the first of Hannahs books to be adapted for American TV or film, though by the end of the year The Nightingale, starring Elle and Dakota Fanning as the books sisters, is expected to be released. She wants to join, despite her mothers prohibition, and sneaks out at night to attend meetings. Massive dust storms pummel the region, covering everything in layers of grit and dust and causing an epidemic of lung disease. Unlike Elsas birth mother, who only viewed Elsa as sickly and deficient, Rose teaches her how to be strong and capable, instilling in her the importance of hard work and family. Ant represents the thousands of children who were forced to endure the hardships of hunger, poverty, illness, and prejudice during the Dust Bowl migrations. Her death is a breaking point for Elsa, who finally realizes that the cruelty and injustice the migrants have faced must be combatted rather than merely endured. In a wild, remote corner of Alaska, the Allbrights find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. Over time, Elsa finds her place on the Martinelli farm, and the baby (name Loreda) is born. As the drought continues, their animals die and supplies run out. And as the novel sort of progressed, I became more and more interested in Elsa, and her sort of difficult journey from insecure and unloved to a woman finding her own voice, she says. The phrase "four winds" is used principally to describe the whole of the earth or heaven. It is Rose who supports Elsa through her years on the farm, offering wise counsel about how to deal with Rafe, how to raise children, and how to cope with grief. They are disheveled and unkept by the time they arrive, and people are rude to them. Or is she partially to blame for being ostracized? Did you dislike Loreda during these years? I havent finished the book so Im kind of sad I asked the first question. This strains their marriage, and Elsa acknowledges that Rafe never really loved her in the way that she came to love him. At 18, Loreda prepares to return to California to go to college.). She watches as the lands around her crack in their perpetually parched state and the hopelessness threatens to breaks the spirit of those around her. Its been a while since I read it, but I recall finding The Great Alone a little dreary, preferring mostly the beginning parts before the book really gets underway. I found it very depressing and had to force myself to finish it, Just started The Four Winds and Im wondering where Elsa would have found a copy of Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure given the times and small town she lived in. The Four Winds is also a true historical fiction novel, bringing in bits and pieces of historical facts from the time periods it covers. . Did they lose theyre business? Why is land so important to that dream? He even offers a system where tenants can pay their rent and buy goods at the on-site store on credit, which they then pay off by working on the various Welty farms. However, it quickly becomes clear that Mr. Welty is not a benevolent individual but rather a cruel and manipulative man who entraps his workers in a cycle of debt that forces them to accept increasingly low wages. The events in the book reflect a sense of pioneering spirit and resilience that is bespoke with determination, love for self, love for family, survival, and the American Dream. "The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is a captivating, heartbreaking tale of a family who will do anything for each other and everything to survive. Free shipping for many products! What does she learn about motherhood from Rose? The story of our family. One of Tony's friend and neighbor. Despite Elsas promise that their stay in the camp is only temporary, the scarcity of work and the meager wages force them to settle in for the long haul. I think the narrator does a good job with it, and its easy to listen to. Ant experienced extreme sickness from the impacts of the dust storms, which finally forces Elsa to make the decision to move the family to California. The Four Winds is an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of Americas most defining eras the Great Depression. Stella's uncle. Despite Loreda's interest in the cause, Elsa firmly resists. (1) What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. There are greater forces in the world than love and dedication, however. Her deep-seated insecurities make her eager to please others, and she is quick to ingratiate herself with the Martinelli family. When word of a strike begins to spread, Mr. Welty implements increasingly cruel measures to ensure that his workers cannot organize, including rescinding their federal aid and installing a gun tower in the cotton fields. For more detail, see the full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary. Graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore. with degrees in English and Communications. Why is that? All around them, people pack up and leave for greener lands and jobs out West, but what actually awaits out there is uncertain at best. What about the land they farm? Jack admires Elsas warrior spirit, and he courts her over the course of their acquaintance. Alaska, 1974. What does it say about Elsa that she went with Rafe so willingly? How is the modern world different? Chapter 5 Summary. Word Count: 2203. Loreda has many of both Rafe and Elsa's best traits. Hear a sample of The Four Winds audiobook on Libro.fm. She believes that Elsa is the one inhibiting their dreams and does not understand how her mother can work so hard around the farm for so little payoff. The adolescent years can be especially difficult on mothers and daughters. Years later, when Loreda is 18, she bids a final farewell to Elsa and the farm as she heads back to California to attend college, the fulfillment of her mothers most important wish. But when Elsa and her family arrives to the state, they instantly realize reality is much different. How well does the narrator, Julia Whelan, fit the characters personas? who recently moved to Cambridge, MA. Comparing the devastation of the farm to the hardships of the camps, what do you think was harder for Elsa and the family? He took off his cap, twisted it in his hands. Did you identify with Elsa and her journey throughout this book? The Four Winds is set in the Texas panhandle as the Depression and the Dust Bowl environmental disaster. Unloved by her family, she falls for the sweet words of Rafe, a younger man who woos her but is not ready for the responsibility of fatherhood. At first shed tried to scale the walls of her daughters adolescent, irrational anger; shed volleyed back with words of love, but Loredas continuing, thriving impatience with Elsa had done worse than grind her down. What happened to Rafe? Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. Through that door, Elsa saw whole other lives, other futures. It is Ants bout of dust pneumonia that ultimately forces Elsa to journey to California, as the constant dust storms put his health at further risk. In a very real sense, its sort of the core of it, she says. Elsa finally releases all of the pent-up anger and grief she has held in for the sake of her children and decides to commit to helping Jack Valen organize the migrants into a strike. Now it will bind you to us. (51) How are people connected to the land that they occupy? What does the Martinellis' lucky penny represent in The Four Winds? How does it weaken her? Why do you think theyve gone unreported for so long? Prior to his work with the Okies, he tried to help organize undocumented Mexican laborers. In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. I listened to the audiobook and loved it. Have you seen it at work in other people? Thirteen-year-old Leni, caught in the riptide of her parents passionate, stormy relationship, has little choice but to go along, daring to hope this new land promises her family a better future. They have a complex relationship that develops and changes as the story progresses in ways that will challenge you to think about your own relationships. Climate disaster is a threat, then and now. The Four Winds centers on one family caught up in the epic sweep of history, and, in the process, it addresses themes of hardship, discrimination, economic inequality, and the American dream. In 1921, Elsa Wolcott is a 25-year-old unmarried woman who is not particularly pretty and too tall for most men. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021. What lessons can be learned from this time in history. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers. In 1935, the three of them embark on the ride towards California. Her daughter, Loreda, returns home to Texas. One note the pronunciation of drought as drouth is deliberate and the reason is addressed in the story. A gangly, awkward spinster with no self-confidence, Elsa is forced by her circumstances to find the strength and courage she never knew she had and confront a life marred by seemingly endless tragedy. When Elsa meets Rafe, everything changes but not in the way either expected. What did you think about their romance? What did you think about the ending and Loreda returning back to California to attend college? This story, about family, love, & struggle during the Dust Bowl, captivated my interest from start to finish! 1. 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. Eventually, however, even Elsa is forced to admit that the way the migrant Okies are being treated is unjust. Rafe is younger than Elsa by several years, having just turned eighteen on the night of Elsa's twenty-fifth birthday. Lets talk about the climax of the story. If you listened to the audiobook, did anyone else notice how the narrator pronounces drought as DROW-TH a bunch of times? Elsa is reluctant to leave Texas, as she has found the only true happiness she has ever known on the Martinelli farm. The cynical part of me thinks that this book overly optimistic when it comes to the kindness of strangers and some of the plot occurrences rely on people just happening to be in the right place at the right time. I wrote it for at least a year, and Elsa was kind of a peripheral character, Hannah says. In her early research into the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, she realized that as a woman born in Southern California and raised there and in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives still today, she didnt know much about the struggles faced by people in that time and place. She becomes a farmer with her husband's family, though he leaves them, and they struggle with the unending drought. Nevertheless, I think its worth suspending your disbelief and judgement to just sit back and enjoy this sprawling, tender and engaging historical tale. (The Detailed Plot Summary is also available, below), (The one-paragraph version: During the Dust Bowl in the Texas Panhandle, Elsa Wolcott is a woman who dreams of going to college, but gets pregnant instead and has two kids. She feels restless and destined for spinsterhood. A gangly, awkward spinster with no self-confidence, Elsa is forced by her circumstances to find the strength and courage she never knew she had and confront a life marred by seemingly endless tragedy. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Discuss the shift in thinking that happens between generationsthe freedoms longed for and the sacrifices required. While both these novels are survival stories, The Four Winds is the one Id recommend if youre on the fence between the two of them.
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