Ant Martinelli is Elsas son and Loredas younger brother. This may not be the book for you. And so Ive always been fascinated by this idea of the people who stay on land for generations and pass it down, and for whom that land is a big part of their identity. Businesses have been devastated and so many people have lost work. Life in California is not at all what the migrants expected, what advertisements had led them to believe. The past few years have been difficult, with the Great Depression, an on-going drought and frequent dust storms ravaging the lands. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. The Four Winds: A Novel | IndieBound.org By 1934, Loreda is 12 and has a difficult relationship with her mother. Elsa ends up doing seasonal field work for larger farms. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Four Winds : A Novel by Kristin Hannah (2023, Trade Paperback) at the best online prices at eBay! who recently moved to Cambridge, MA. How do we face our own dark times? . When Elsa gets pregnant, her father disowns her, and Rafe's parents (Tony and Rose) tell him to marry Elsa. In my travels after that book and talking to people, I really began to understand how much that story of female courage and womens lost history resonated with people, Hannah says. Although the story dragged along, the ending was abrupt and I felt, cobbled together. How does the treatment of migrants in California during the Great Depression mirror the treatment of immigrants today? 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. How do you think future generations will judge the America of today? 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. Download the entire The Four Winds study guide as a printable PDF! 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. I belong to a book club, run by a dear friend. THE FOUR WINDS - Reading Group Choices Over time, she comes to view Rose and Tony as her real parents, as they love and support her in a way that her birth parents never did. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. She wished shed never read The Age of Innocence. He employs underpaid migrants as farm laborers and sets up an encampment for them on his property. When Jeans baby dies in childbirth, Loredas anger at the inequity of their situation boils over, and she runs away. What did you think about the ending and Loreda returning back to California to attend college? 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. Loreda says theyre like a plant that can only grow in one place. Lets discuss what Loreda is saying here. When money runs low in the winter, Elsa starts standing in the food lines for assistance. He's taught one or two classes a semester in the journalism and mass communications department at Cal State Long Beach since 2006. He has dreams of moving to a big city and having adventures but is forced to give up his chance to attend college in the city after Elsa becomes pregnant. Theyd sewn their lives together in the silent way of women unused to conversation. While the characters in The Four Winds go through hardships as well, theres more of a sense of pioneering spirit and resilience that I found uplifting and engaging to read about. In this tale, Kristin has written a survival story about resilience, love, family, courage and the American Dream. Then, slowly, he closed the door behind him. Fighting for any kind of social equality or radical change often requires great personal sacrifice. eNotes Editorial. 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. 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. 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 the 1930s, communism and socialism were on the rise, partially in response to the grinding poverty, joblessness, and despair. Massive dust storms pummel the region, covering everything in layers of grit and dust and causing an epidemic of lung disease. Did he make it to California? As the situation worsens, Elsa is forced to make a decision to stay and fight or leave for the uncertain and unfamiliar lands in the West. 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. Jack Valen is a member of the Workers Alliance, a Communist Party organization dedicated to improving conditions for workers across the country. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Do you think sharing these stories will make a difference to future generations? 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? It is men like Mr. Welty that Jack and the Workers Alliance are attempting to stand up against. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows. It is Jeans memory that inspires Elsa to commit to going on strike. 1 May 2023 . 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. It is his optimism and childish sense of wonder that inspires Loreda and Elsa to remain strong, and they are both fiercely protective of Ant. Check out my book club questions here. What would you have done if you were in Elsas position? I hold The Nightingale as Kristin Hannahs best work but this one does come a very close second. Why do you think Rose and Tony are so determined to stay on the land? The Deweys and the Martinellis become vital support for each other, sharing food, funds, and resources as needed. Overtones of America's present political struggles echo throughout the novel's events. She understands the impossible odds her mother faces and the sheer tenacity it takes to simply keep the family together and put food on the table. Rafe is unhappy, drinks heavily and dreams of going West to pursue new opportunities. Why do you think Loreda decides to decisively shoot Milo, a horse that she loves? Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. If you listened to the audiobook, did anyone else notice how the narrator pronounces drought as DROW-TH a bunch of times? Sturdy. Join the Conversation Follow on Instagram Add Kristin's Books to Your Goodreads List, COPYRIGHT 2023 KRISTIN HANNAH. At times this book feels a little too ready for Hollywood. Unlike any other person in her life, he made her feel valued. Ant represents the thousands of children who were forced to endure the hardships of hunger, poverty, illness, and prejudice during the Dust Bowl migrations. What do we know now that people didnt know then? Why is that? What has been glamorized, and what grittiness has been left out or effectively captured? In yourself? Were you surprised that Elsa set off without her in-laws? In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinellilike so many of her neighborsmust make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. 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. But as winter approaches and darkness descends, Ernts fragile mental state deteriorates. Books became Elsas escape, and she carries a deep love of reading with her throughout her life. Why do you think Rafe abandons his family instead of just saying hell go find a job and send money home? 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. The level of hope and resilience and love for the land that that shows to me is just inspiring, Hannah says. They stop off at a meeting, and Loreda is inspired by the cause. Hannah mixes in a variety of historical facts as she tells this familys story and show the technology progressing in that era. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers. 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. What does Rafe represent to Elsa on the night they meet? 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 locals treat them badly, are afraid of them. For Hannah, that vindicates the decision to place Elsa at the center of the story, which like her 2015 bestseller The Nightingale, a novel about the women of the French Resistance during World War II, focuses on an epic story about women set against the backdrop of history. Why was it so important for Loreda to get her mother back to Texas, even if at such a high cost? 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. 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.". 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. How well does the narrator, Julia Whelan, fit the characters personas? 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. The Four Winds is a historical fiction novel that tells a survival story centered around a mother and her daughter. She and Jack fall in love as they help to plan a strike. After a year I just sort of gave in and threw away most of what I had done, she says. 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. She visited Dalhart, Texas, the town where Elsas story begins, and later, after driving remnants of Route 66 west to California, spent time at the Sunset migrant camp near Arvin, in order to see the conditions into which she later placed Elsa and her children. Corrections & clarifications: A previous version of this story misidentified a 2018 film titled The Nightingale. The adaptation of Kristin Hannah's book of the same name has not yet been released. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. How does motherhood strengthen a woman? I also thought it was charming that at the heart of the story is a mother-daughter relationship. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a womans only option, the future seems bleak. How does her lack of self-esteem color her relationships with her husband and eldest child? What about the land they farm? I wrote it for at least a year, and Elsa was kind of a peripheral character, Hannah says. The Four Winds Chapter Summaries - eNotes.com 5 books not to miss: Kristin Hannahs The Four Winds, 'Mike Nichols: A Life'. After 1936/37 did work pulling cotton improve for the workers? Motherhood changes Elsa in almost every way. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. 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. Elsa is reluctant to leave Texas, as she has found the only true happiness she has ever known on the Martinelli farm. I really enjoyed this novel. The book ends with her about to return to California to become the first Martinelli to go to college. What do you think happened to Rafe? How do you see Loredas life being like her mothers? Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. The Communists claimed that communism is the new Americanism. Can you understand why people believed in that? The Four Winds - Book Clubs - Kristin Hannah 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. 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. They are disheveled and unkept by the time they arrive, and people are rude to them. Did it add to the experience of the book? A first-person narrator announces, "Hope is a coin I carry.". How are the workers exploited on the Welty farm in The Four Winds? Her deep-seated insecurities make her eager to please others, and she is quick to ingratiate herself with the Martinelli family. However, he also represents resilience and strength, as he is able to find joy and levity in simple things despite the Martinellis circumstances. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah - Princetonbookreview.com 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. Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions. date the date you are citing the material. There will be spoilers so for more context about the book, check out my spoiler-free review first. Did Elsas married sisters survive? 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. 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. Summary and Themes in the Four Winds by Kristin Hannah Thank you Kristin for hours of enjoyment while listening to The Four Winds! What bonds Loreda and her father? 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. 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. Why do you think she insists on leaving school to pick cotton? With a new sense of direction, Loreda no longer wants to run away and goes home. With its dust storms and earth dry and zigzag cracked, is it like any youve known? She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. She is enthralled by Jacks charisma and the devotion of his fellow organizers to the cause of fair pay. If youre a fan of Kristin Hannah or a historical fiction fan in general, I think youll really like this book. Or losing their land? Its such a vivid read and you feel like youre right there along with Elsa and her children on this hard journey. Comparing the devastation of the farm to the hardships of the camps, what do you think was harder for Elsa and the family? The Four Winds Chapters 5-8 Summary & Analysis | SuperSummary While Rafe runs away from those responsibilities, Elsa faces them head-on. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. The Four Winds : The Fiction Addiction She begins the novel thinking that shes weak, thinking that shes uneducated, and unlovable, she says. Eventually, Elsa finds work picking cotton, and between the work and government relief money, she is able to eke out an existence. Back home, Elsa tells Tony & Rose first, and they blame Rafe. Now it will bind you to us. (51) How are people connected to the land that they occupy? Loreda is initially cold toward her mother, as she blames her for her fathers growing depression. Roses dreams for the next generation are ultimately obtained through Loreda, who will be the first Martinelli to attend college. At last, the choice she has struggled with for monthsto stay on the farm or try her luck in Californiahas been made for her. Time and again, when life threatens to overwhelm her, Elsa finds strength in those around her. Elsa Martinelli was born the daughter of a wealthy farming supply salesman. Aka: Lolo. All of that hardship, its remarkable and its inspiring, Hannah says. Lets talk the impact of Elsas pregnancy on all parties involved. Hear a sample of The Four Winds audiobook on Libro.fm. They approach the newly-arrived Martinellis in order to welcome them to the campsite, providing Elsa with valuable information on a range of topics, including the various growing seasons, when and how to sign up for federal aid, and how to prepare the campsites water so that it is safe for drinking. Kristin Hannahs The Four Winds, 'Mike Nichols: A Life', Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Loreda Martinelli is Elsas spirited daughter. "Hope is a coin I carry. How does she change? How is Elsa shaped by these expectations and her failure to meet them? After the family arrives in California, Elsa feels a mounting sense of guilt as Ant is continuously forced to take on more adult responsibilities, including picking cotton instead of attending school. The second date is today's He is a cheerful, playful boy who helps maintain his familys spirits with his carefree innocence. This is an emotional epic, all about the life in the Dust Bowl and American migration patterns. Whats the definition of a warrior to you? 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. There was a quiet knock on the door. I figured I was missing something here that makes sense! 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. Rafe's fianc. 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. Why does Rafe leave and what is he chasing out west? Conversely, do you think the way Loreda sees Elsa is accurate? One note the pronunciation of drought as drouth is deliberate and the reason is addressed in the story. 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. Going into the novel, I had wondered how much of the trip from Texas to California would be covered. Was there anything in particular that you feel you learned or which surprised you. (1) What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? What does the Bible mean when it refers to the four winds? She is eventually picked up by Jack Valen, a union organizer who takes Loreda to a union meeting. Overall, I liked it. So many characters, like Jean, were really two dimensional. 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. He has dreams of moving to a big city. Its not a difficult read, so if youre on the fence about it, Id encourage you to give it a shot. 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. Whereas Elsa grew up and became the mother that her children needed her to be, Rafe remained the same immature dreamer that he started out as, and the two became increasingly incompatible. The Four Winds Themes - eNotes.com Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. Elsa uses her voice to speak out against the oppressors. Rose and Tonys ability to see beyond Elsas appearance and frailty enables Elsa to rise to meet their expectations, and she becomes a strong and capable farm wife. What dreams do they share? 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. We plant, we tend, we harvest. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance 5: Loreda: Martinelli: Elsa and Rafe's daughter. PDF THE FOUR WINDS DISCUSSION GUIDE - Google Rafe opened the door and stood in the opening, his face dusty. What do you think drives Loredas anger throughout the book? What do you think prompts the changes in her behavior or in their relationship? How is it different? And so, Hannah says she steeled herself and made a fresh start. Why is land so important to that dream? 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. Thats not to say this book has no substance, its just that its not that kind of book. The Four Winds : A Novel by Kristin Hannah (2023, Trade Paperback) - eBay She would never fall in love, never have a child of her own. (8) Literature is, quite honestly, the opening of a door. Reading The Four Winds, its impossible not to notice parallels between the fictional past and factual present. What good came from all this unexpressed longing? I havent finished the book so Im kind of sad I asked the first question. Instead, they are staying to take a governmental payment to grow grass as part of a soil conservation plan to help save the farmland of the Great Plains. 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. "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. 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. Because its a reminder of the strength of the human spirit and our ability to not only survive hardship but to ultimately thrive, she says. Would they have fared better in Texas? 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. By 1933, Texas is in the throes of a severe drought. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Thanks for the great review. Her 2015 novel The Nightingale was voted a best book of the year by The Wall Street Journal, Library Journal, Buzzfeed, and The Week. After a week-long dust storm, Ant is severely ill due to inhalation of dust. Do they intend to exclude Elsa, whom they perceive as just a workhorse? 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. . The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah | Book Club Discussion Questions Jack drives them to Texas, and Elsa is buried in the family cemetery. The Four Winds is also a true historical fiction novel, bringing in bits and pieces of historical facts from the time periods it covers. I also wish Elsa would have found a way to love herself (and to feel that she is loved) separate from a mans recognition of her worth. Earned his first newspaper paycheck at the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, fled the Midwest for Los Angeles Daily News and finally ended up at the Orange County Register. Spoiler Alert:Please note that the discussion guide below contain spoilers to the book. If you havent read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah yet, I highly recommend it! 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. She and Loreda clash often, as Loreda is a youthful idealist who views her mothers survivalist mentality as a weakness rather than a strength. 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. Why does the Martinelli family stay under such brutal conditionsthe heat, the dust storms, the lack of food, and the dying livestock? When Elsa meets Rafe, everything changes but not in the way either expected. Loreda has many of both Rafe and Elsa's best traits. With biting dialogue that holds nothing back, The Four Winds is classic in its artistry. Instead, she meets and sleeps with Rafe Martinelli. Would you have had the courage to do the same? He fantasizes about traveling and adventure, filling Loredas head with similar fantasies. Did they impact your perception of the characters? Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. She becomes a farmer with her husband's family, though he leaves them, and they struggle with the unending drought. I just found that journey of a woman finding her voice to be incredibly powerful.. Kristin Hannah had spent a year researching and writing an early draft of her new novel when she realized shed gone astray. Elsa is 25, and her parents, wealthy members of the local social scene, consider her too old and too plain for marriage, relegating her to the status of spinster. Jack calls Elsa a warrior. It had resurrected all the insecurities of childhood. (66) If youre a parent, did this passage resonate with you? The town's teacher. Should Elsa have agreed to go with him? How does the Great Depression setting of The Four Winds compare to America during the pandemic?
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