I struggle at times to identify the difference between the quality of a book and how I feel reading it, knowing that just because I might not like a topic does not discredit the content itself. The Four Winds epitomized this struggle for me as I try to decide whether or not I “like” a book that focuses on the Dust Bowl and all the arid conflict it entails.
Elsa is born into a wealthy family living comfortably in Texas, but after a costly decision in her mid-twenties, she’s ostracized and finds a new home with her husband and his parents. The Four Winds is an account of Elsa’s life as a mother and survivor, scraping by during the Depression in the dust-wrecked land she’s grown to love.
About half-way through the novel (this is a loose estimation) the narration starts to shift between Elsa and her daughter Loreda. In the author interview at the end of the audio book, Kristin Hannah notes the importance of inter-personal conflict for a story, and who else could still be in conflict during such hard times than a mother and daughter? The switching narration provides additional insight and dimension and was easy to follow as the story moved back and forth.
I appreciated how the characters surprised you with their actions and that the mother/daughter relationship depicted didn’t feel trite or stereotypical, but was raw and realistic. Even with strong characters, I struggled with the setting and couldn’t seem to lose myself in the narrative. Much like Grapes of Wrath, it takes a strong writer to paint a reality so stark the reader feels it, and on more than one occasion I felt compelled to drink the water they could not.
The pace of the novel felt slow and laborious at times, but the last quarter of the book seemed to fly by. The ending was very unexpected in my opinion and I appreciated how Hannah ends her tale. It’s hard to reconcile my apathy towards the setting, and at times the characters, with an appreciation of the writing style. I think it’s an important aspect of history and provides perspective for what it is to struggle, but a hard topic to read about. Overall I thought it was a good book, but not one I was overly wowed by.
Personal rating: 6.5/10
Recommend? Maybe
Re-read? No
Time: 1:45