In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli-like so many of her neighbors-must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. One of the Great Depression’s darkest periods, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. Millions are out of work, and drought has broken the Great Plains. And when you do, be sure to note the parallels in disparities that exist today.

We highly recommend reading this book at your earliest convenience. In the process, she and her teenage daughter learn about themselves, their relationship with each other and what the American Dream means, and who has the right to pursue it.Ĭan Elsa save her children and herself from a life of poverty? Is there any spot from Texas to California that isn’t a miserable wasteland where she can carve out a good life? Does she have the courage to find out? In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa, like so many of her neighbors, must choose between fighting for the place she loves and leaving it behind to seek a better life for her family in California.It’s sad to think in nearly ninety years, even though much has changed, too much hasn’t when it comes to income inequality and the lack of help from a government that can do so much more to help its people.Įlsa Martinelli, the protagonist of this novel, must find a way to save her family during the devastating drought in Texas. Every day is a terrible battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive on the Martinelli farm, including Elsa's shaky marriage.

Dust storms rage over the plains incessantly. As crops fail, water runs out, and the soil breaks up, farmers are struggling to maintain their land and livelihoods. With her reputation in shambles, she has no choice but to marry a guy she hardly knows.īy 1934, the world had changed millions of people were out of work, and the Great Plains had been decimated by drought. Until she meets Rafe Martinelli one night and chooses to change her life's path. But the future appears gloomy for Elsa Wolcott, who is judged too old to marry at a period when marriage is a woman's only option. The Great War is over, the land's wealth is abundant, and America is on the verge of a new and hopeful period.

A chapter-by-chapter high-quality summary of Kristin Hannah´s book The Four Winds, including chapter details and an analysis of the main themes of the original book.

Synopsis of the four winds