How well does the narrator, Julia Whelan, fit the characters personas? Anas pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Romes occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. How do Elsas and Loredas actions embody this idea? The first time I heard it, I assumed it was a mistake, but the second time I started wondering if there are people out there who just pronounce it that way. 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. Does this idea resonate with you? Sturdy. He took off his cap, twisted it in his hands. In 1921, Elsa Wolcott is a 25-year-old unmarried woman who is not particularly pretty and too tall for most men. If you havent read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah yet, I highly recommend it! Lets talk about the climax of the story. Did Elsas married sisters survive? Your email address will not be published. Whats the definition of a warrior to you? Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. Rafe, has become distant and something of a hard drinker, and after he abandons them, Elsa reluctantly leaves with her children for California with the promise of steady work. 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? . She becomes a farmer with her husband's family, though he leaves them, and they struggle with the unending drought. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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? After a year I just sort of gave in and threw away most of what I had done, she says. Why is it a risk to associate with them and what is Elsas hesitation? If youre looking for a feel good type of book. 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. A time of abundance. Loreda climbs the windmill to grieve, and when Elsa tries to comfort her, Loreda won't accept her love and sadness. publication in traditional print. 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. She was Rafes wife, but she was not a viewpoint character, and it was not in any way her story. "The Four Winds" (St. Martins Press, 464 pp., *** out of four stars) plays out against the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl that together gutted the American economy and turned beloved farms into ruins. Free shipping for many products! Jack takes her to the hospital, but the damage is too severe. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows. One of the things that was so amazing to me in doing the research was the vast majority of these families who had these Dust Bowl farms, they stayed in the area. Was he as trapped by his familys expectations as Elsa had been by her own? 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. I think the narrator does a good job with it, and its easy to listen to. The death of the baby is the last straw for Loreda, who hates their life there. The Four Winds. date the date you are citing the material. Before she departs, Rose and Tony announce they won't be going. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. Loreda Martinelli is Elsas spirited daughter. What does Rafe represent to Elsa on the night they meet? Elsas character arc follows a well-worn path, although no less engaging for its familiarity. During the Dust Bowl, while many families went west in search of work and a better life, most of them stayed behind on their parched farms. Why do you think Loreda takes on her fathers mindset instead of her mothers? Rafe is unhappy, drinks heavily and dreams of going West to pursue new opportunities. Why do you think that is? 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. Why does Rafe leave and what is he chasing out west? date the date you are citing the material. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions. Businesses have been devastated and so many people have lost work. It's not until she sees Jean die from typhoid and Welty casually decrease the wages for its workers that Elsa realizes she must join in the fight. Rafe Martinelli is Elsas husband. Embittered by their terrible luck in California, Loreda resolves to take her mothers body back to Texas and bury her on the farm, in the land she grew to love. In Kristin Hannahs recently released The Four Winds (published February 2, 2020), Elsa is a woman trying to raise two children on a Texas farm as they watch the lands dry out and as relentless dust storms ravage everything in sight. I think thats when it really became the story I was meant to tell, and the story I want people to read.. Loreda is initially cold toward her mother, as she blames her for her fathers growing depression. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history. Did any novel and/or character change your perception of either yourself or the world? 2 . She had to believe there was grit in her, even if it had never been tested or revealed. (9) This sentence highlights Elsas essentially hopeful nature, even though she doesnt believe in herself. Rafe is her only surviving child, and she admits to having spoiled him as a result. . 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. While Rafe runs away from those responsibilities, Elsa faces them head-on. How do we face our own dark times? The Four Winds is set in the Texas panhandle as the Depression and the Dust Bowl environmental disaster. A solitary child unused to the company of others, Elsa learns the power of having a support network, a lesson reinforced by Jean Dewey and other migrants in the squatters camp. And you couple that with the reality of the impacts of climate change. Back home, Elsa tells Tony & Rose first, and they blame Rafe. The Martinellis farm, which previously yielded plentiful supplies of wheat, dies under the scorching sun. Despite Loreda's interest in the cause, Elsa firmly resists. It binds us, one to another, as it has for generations. In this tale, Kristin has written a survival story about resilience, love, family, courage and the American Dream. I love to read and review various genres with a focus on contemporary fiction, historical fiction with some mysteries/thrillers and also select nonfiction and memoirs. Would they have fared better in Texas? 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. After Elsas death, Loreda returns to the Martinelli farm in Texas. The ending was terribly sad, but true to life. What about the land they farm? All 68 characters in The Four Winds are listed by chapter with character descriptions included. What does it say about Loreda as a person that she chooses to do this? Why is land so important to that dream? The two women often fantasize about better times, and they promise to go dancing and drink gin together someday when their situations have improved. "Come in," she said. Ant represents the thousands of children who were forced to endure the hardships of hunger, poverty, illness, and prejudice during the Dust Bowl migrations. 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. Why did Elsa initially refused to move away from the farm? What do you think about Rafe? Do you think the way Elsa sees Loreda is accurate? Jack helps the Martinellis move into a cabin on camp for a large farming operation, Welty Farms, while also encouraging Elsa to unionize its workers. It is Rafes closeness with Loreda that turns her against her mother, as she comes to view Elsa as the one holding her father back from achieving his dreams. Elsa thought the childrens grandparents would join them on the journey but they refuse to leave behind the land. How does it weaken her? 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. How will it be different. She dies giving a voice to the workers. Roses dreams for the next generation are ultimately obtained through Loreda, who will be the first Martinelli to attend college. Word Count: 2203. How did this treatment impact her later relationships and her search for love? Do you have a favorite quote or scene in the story? Theyd sewn their lives together in the silent way of women unused to conversation. (1) What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? 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. As the drought continues, their animals die and supplies run out. "The Four Winds" (St. Martin's Press, 464 pp., *** out of four stars) plays out against the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl that together gutted the American economy and turned beloved . Elsa is likewise drawn to Jacks forceful personality, but she sees his ideas as dangerous. What are your thoughts on this and the similarities to the present day? What do Jack and the Communist union organizers offer the migrant workers, and Loreda in particular? Thanks for the great review. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. For those listening to the audio edition, here are some questions for you about the audio experience. Rafe opened the door and stood in the opening, his face dusty. There will be spoilers so for more context about the book, check out my spoiler-free review first. After falling ill during her childhood, Elsa was told she had a weak heart, and her family kept her isolated. After 1936/37 did work pulling cotton improve for the workers? We plant, we tend, we harvest. Rafe's abandonment of his family is based on a widespread phenomenon that occurred during the Dust Bowl era, as increasingly destitute and desperate men abandoned their families in order to. When money runs low in the winter, Elsa starts standing in the food lines for assistance. Although the story dragged along, the ending was abrupt and I felt, cobbled together. 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. Kristin Hannahs The Four Winds, 'Mike Nichols: A Life', Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. And I really began to want to write a quintessentially American novel about some story of lost history that I thought would be as emotional and as inspiring as The Nightingale.. Americans. 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. There are greater forces in the world than love and dedication, however. Their relationship, though short-lived, makes Elsa feel truly loved by a man for the first time in her life, and she acknowledges that Jacks passion and desire for her have made her a stronger person. At 18, Loreda prepares to return to California to go to college.). Why do you think theyve gone unreported for so long? Most of the things that come up are facts that youd probably heard about in history class, but having it placed into the context of a vivid and expansive story really brought to life a time period that Ive never really spent much time thinking about. Her love of the Martinelli farmas well as the Martinellis themselvesbuttresses her in times of hardship. 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. Kristin Hannahs last novel, The Great Alone, was about a family taming the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. 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. Edit: Someone in the comments mentioned that its mentioned at some point that people in that area pronounced drought as DROW-TH at that time in that case, I love that the narrator included it in the audiobook! Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. In a very real sense, its sort of the core of it, she says. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. A big theme of the novel is obtaining the American Dream whether its through financial independence of owning a farm or traveling to California in search of a better life. How does Elsa remain herself after giving birth? Jack admires Elsas warrior spirit, and he courts her over the course of their acquaintance. 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. What lessons can be learned from this time in history. She wished shed never read The Age of Innocence. After trying to convince Elsa to leave behind the farm, Rafe eventually leaves the family behind. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is a historical novel about the Dust Bowl and subsequent westward migration by drought-stricken farmers. At last, the choice she has struggled with for monthsto stay on the farm or try her luck in Californiahas been made for her. Jack Valen is a member of the Workers Alliance, a Communist Party organization dedicated to improving conditions for workers across the country. However, Tonys tenacity eventually proves fruitful, as the land recovers with the help of the new farming techniques instituted by the Conservation Commission. The strength of Hannah's prose brings the characters to life in a way that will make you unable to tear yourself away from them. The doctor advises Elsa to get out of Texas. What do we know now that people didnt know then? 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. What did you think of Loreda as a character and how her relationship with Elsa shifts throughout the novel? As the drought continues, their animals die and supplies run out. Climate disaster is a threat, then and now. Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Four Winds! Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsas tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive. Lets talk the impact of Elsas pregnancy on all parties involved. 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. Why was it so important for Loreda to get her mother back to Texas, even if at such a high cost? What I keep hearing and what I believe to be true is that its a really good book for people to read right now. Interestingly, Elsa believes herself a failure as a mother for her inability to pull her family out of poverty, but Loredas perspective is quite different. For more detail, see the full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary. After a grueling journey across the Mohave Desert, Elsa finally reaches the lush fields of Californias San Joaquin Valley, and she is hopeful for the first time in months. "The Four Winds - Characters" eNotes Publishing Hannah mixes in a variety of historical facts as she tells this familys story and show the technology progressing in that era. My land tells its story if you listen. Overtones of America's present political struggles echo throughout the novel's events. Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop Books-a-Million, Kindle B&N NOOK Apple Books eBooks.com Google Play Kobo. Elsa is reluctant to leave Texas, as she has found the only true happiness she has ever known on the Martinelli farm. The second is the date of When Elsa gets pregnant, her father disowns her, and Rafe's parents (Tony and Rose) tell him to marry Elsa. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. It becomes apparent that there is no way to ever crawl out from under the debt burden, especially when Welty systematically cuts wages. T he main themes in The Four Winds are prejudice, love and family, and the American dream.. Courage is fear you ignore. Discuss this. 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. Rafe is younger than Elsa by several years, having just turned eighteen on the night of Elsas twenty-fifth birthday. Prior to his work with the Okies, he tried to help organize undocumented Mexican laborers. publication online or last modification online. I mentioned this in my review but its eerie how the hardships presented in The Four Winds remain today and even more so due to the pandemic. If you'd like me to review your book, contact me! He's taught one or two classes a semester in the journalism and mass communications department at Cal State Long Beach since 2006. And Im glad that wasnt a big focus of the novel. How did she finally come to understand her mother and her choices through a new lens? However, Elsa dies feeling as though she has finally found her voice, and she tells Loreda to continue being brave and believing in the American dream once she is gone. With biting dialogue that holds nothing back, The Four Winds is classic in its artistry. 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 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. The Four Winds is a historical fiction novel that tells a survival story centered around a mother and her daughter. She is just as attached to the land as her husband, Tony, and she views it as a legacy that she can leave for her family. Did you feel compressed by expectation when you were growing up? Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. She sees early on that the land is dying and tries hard to convince her family to leave for California, though much of this desire is based on the fanciful notions that Rafe has instilled in Loreda about living in a big city and becoming famous. 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. What on earth happened to Rafe and Ellas family? I hold The Nightingale as Kristin Hannahs best work but this one does come a very close second. Cora will do anything for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. Q&A with Sarah Penner, Author of The Lost Apothecary. Thats not to say this book has no substance, its just that its not that kind of book. 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. In a wild, remote corner of Alaska, the Allbrights find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. 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. In what way? She runs away and hitches a ride with Jack Dewey, who works for a Communist organization, Workers United. Kristin Hannah had spent a year researching and writing an early draft of her new novel when she realized shed gone astray. One of Tony's friend and neighbor. 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. Elsa describes him as a man who believes in two things: God and his land, both of which fail him during the long Dust Bowl years. After a week-long dust storm, Ant is severely ill due to inhalation of dust. Initially hesitant of Jack and his ideals, Elsa ends up falling hard for himand experiences romantic love for the first time. They lived in a dugout shelter for several years as Tony learned how to work their land (implied to have been obtained via one of the Homestead Acts of the early twentieth century), eventually becoming successful farmers. All of that hardship, its remarkable and its inspiring, Hannah says. Would you have had the courage to do the same? The pandemic-fueled economic collapse is often compared to the Depression. Another small defiance against her parents small-mindedness? Tony and Rose were the kind of people who expected life to be hard and had become tougher to survive. Rosalba: Martinelli: Rafe's mother. How do Elsa and her family remain unbroken even while enduring crippling poverty, food and shelter insecurity, and living in a town that is hostile to them? That all said, like Hannahs other novels, The Four Winds is fairly plot driven, and I wouldnt recommend it for anyone looking to read literary fiction. She wants to join, despite her mothers prohibition, and sneaks out at night to attend meetings. Her dreams of a better future are interrupted (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. I just found that journey of a woman finding her voice to be incredibly powerful.. Were different voices and tones used effectively? 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. There, Elsa discovers a tight community of fellow migrants, and she befriends Jean Dewey, who shares resources and survival tips. Unlike Rafe, who never seemed to care about Elsas desires or interests, Jack is respectful of her boundaries, and when the two become intimate, he ensures that Elsa enjoys herself as well. A first-person narrator announces, "Hope is a coin I carry.". How did the story work for you on audio? Aka: Lolo. She is eventually picked up by Jack Valen, a union organizer who takes Loreda to a union meeting. Lets discuss Loredas new found activism and how that carried on to every decision she made going forward. 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. 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.. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. How is Elsa shaped by these expectations and her failure to meet them? He fantasizes about traveling and adventure, filling Loredas head with similar fantasies. She had hoped to send him to college so that he could truly live the American dream, but she is ultimately grateful that Elsa came into her life instead. Issues such as immigration, whether between states or nations, and income inequality, are also in the mix. They befriend Jean (who is pregnant) and Jeb Dewey, who show them the ropes. Why? The locals treat them badly, are afraid of them. Loreda, too, skips school during cotton-picking season to help, though Elsa's ardent wish is for Loreda to go to college. I think that has real messages for today.. Elsa is resilient, and readers will be drawn to her devotion to her children and her tireless efforts to keep her family well, efforts that bring her to pack them up and head west. . Before she started writing, Hannah says she did extensive research in order to be as accurate as possible about the history and the people about which she planned to write. How does Hannahs description of the experience of migrant workers traveling from the South to California compare with the modern day treatment of immigrants looking for work? The Four Winds : The Fiction Addiction September 7, 2020 The Four Winds The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, tells the story of Elsa Martinelli and her family through many hardships and struggles. "Hope is a coin I carry. 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 similarities? 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. How does she change? However, she does not let her experiences in California break her spirit or prevent her from living life to the fullest, and she carries both her fathers dreams and her mothers hopes with her as she becomes the first Martinelli to attend college. It had resurrected all the insecurities of childhood.". When the squatters camp is destroyed by flooding, Jack and his colleagues are the only help the migrants receive. Elsa sat down on the edge of the bed, unable suddenly to catch her breath. Describe that unique and complicated connection. How is it the same? Or is she partially to blame for being ostracized? How have the Dust Bowl and going west been treated by the American imagination (perhaps in song or cinema)?