The Four Winds is a fictional novel based on the events that
occurred during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. More specifically,
how one woman from Texas - Elsinore (Elsa) Wolcott - made exceedingly
difficult decisions to try to keep her children alive during the
1930s.
Elsa Wolcott lived her childhood in solitude. Defined as medically fragile
and as "not nearly pretty as her sisters" the story opens as she is turning
25 and facing a future as a spinster.
"There was a pain that came with constant disapproval; a sense of having
lost something unnamed, unknown. Else had survived it by being quiet, by not
demanding or seeking attention, by accepting that she was loved, but
unliked" -excerpt from The Four Winds
Elsa had learned to entertain herself by reading and survived the cruel
comments by making herself as invisible as possible while her family carried
on in an otherwise tight-knit group. Things started to fall apart when she
informed her family that she wanted to attend college in Chicago. Her family
was relatively affluent and cultured but the answer from her parents was a
resounding no. They continued to define her as ill. She quietly returned to
her room upstairs to her reading.
The next morning, while walking through town to the library, Elsa stopped
at the mercantile where she was told about a piece of red silk. The store
owner wanted Elsa to inform her beautiful sisters of this dress material.
Instead, Elsa bought it for herself.
The resulting red dress, glittery silver headband and an secret attempt to
enter a speakeasy during the days of prohibition changed
everything.
Elsa responded to the first attention she received. And Raffaello
entered her life. Very quickly, Elsa went from being the daughter of the
in-town-living, Christian, daughter of a successful business man who sells
tractors to the farmers to the wife of a young, Italian, Catholic son of
struggling farmers.
Elsa became a farmer's wife. A mother. And she became a part of a
family.
The years pass. In 1934, the Great Depression had been in full swing. And
it was an extraordinarily hot August. Unknown to Elsa and her family,
the Dust Bowl is coming.
As the heat and dust settled in for months, and then years, Elsa had to
decide whether to remain on the "farm" (now a pile of dust) with her family
or escape to California for work.
How the Story Impacted Me
I had some vague awareness of both the Great Depression and of the Dust
Bowl. I knew that both were disasters. And I knew that my grandparents were
frugal - saving every little thing in case it would be needed as a result of
their experience (or their parent's experiences) during this era. My
grandparents have been gone for a long time now. And I wish I knew their
stories. But I don't.
Now I realize how very little I know of that era and what people went
through trying to survive the times. I was aware that the Dust Bowl
occurred. For some reason, I imagined that nearly the entire US was in
drought for a single growing season. I did not realize that it spanned the
middle US states, hitting Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico the
hardest. And that it lasted for years. I knew that crops were killed.
I did not realize the enormous toll it took on all livestock and wildlife.
And I did not realize the extent of human lives lost. Of course, the death
toll was not accurately recorded during these crises but it is thought that
hundreds to thousands died of Dust Pneumonia alone. And several hundred
thousands fled the plains area to try to survive.
This story impacts me now as I consider the current happenings in the US.
Wild fires, droughts, and torrential spring rains during planting season is
impacting agriculture. As is the current economic situation. Many farmers
and ranchers are in a tough situation as I type this. Reading this book now
reminds me of the time I read the book Jaws on my first trip to Florida and
visit to Cocoa Beach. I was afraid to enter the ocean for fear of what might
be lurking. I am currently concerned about food supplies, our farmers and
ranchers, and what disaster may be lurking next.
Do I wish I hadn't read this book. My answer is a resounding NO. I am glad
to have read this book and recommend it to others. It is a story of a woman
who had not received unconditional love as a child and who not only gave
unconditional love to her children but who would die for them to save them.
It is the story of navigating parent-child relationships. It is a story of
proud, hard-working people who just wanted to be able to take care of
themselves. Their tenacity and willingness to work hard despite the odds
inspires me. Despite the very tough topic and times, this book was filled
with love stories.
Bits from Author Kristin Hannah
Ms. Hannah wrote her Author's Note in May 2020. In the three years that she
was writing this book the pandemic arrived in the US. Imagine that. Writing
about the death, famine, and destruction of the dust bowl during the death,
near-famine, and destruction of the pandemic.
The Author notes that the timeline is not completely accurate in her
fiction. She includes a
suggested reading list
on her website for more historically accurate information. Ms. Hannah also
mentions having taken a tour of "Weedpatch" camp in Arvin, California. And a
novel by Sanora Babb titled
Whose Names Are Unknown. I find it interesting that Babb's manuscript was submitted in 1939 and was
not published until 2004. Read more about that
here. I will be
reading Ms. Babb's book.
Other Books of Interest
Reading about the dust bowl reminded me of another famine. The potato
famine. Like the Dust Bowl, I had known that a potato famine in Ireland
occurred. But I had no idea of the extent of it until I had read
Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly. You can read my review of that
historical fiction
here. I highly recommend it and have read it more than once.
Apparently, the Review This Reviews! contributors are Kristin Hannah
fans. Our previous reviews are listed below:
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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