The Four Winds

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Average customer rating 3 (3 comments)

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Although THE FOUR WINDS is marketed as a novel for adults, for me it's writing style is more young adult, which is not usually to my taste anymore. That is not to say that this is a bad book. It is just more to my 13-year-old taste, especially since many of the chapters are written from a teenager's point of view. THE FOUR WINDS reminds me of a John Jakes novel I read when I was 13. This novel begins before the Great Depression. Elsa has grown up lonely and unloved. She later marries a younger boy and moves to his parent's farm in Texas. Skip a few years now to the time of the Depression. Elsa has two children, and her husband has run away. She stays there on the farm with his parents and tries to fight the horrible drought and dust storms. After her son is hospitalized with dust pneumonia, Elsa and her children move to California. But their life there becomes even worse. Out of necessity, Elsa becomes involved with Communists who want to strike against the field owners, who were not paying their workers enough to feed their children or pay rent. Prepare for a depressing read from beginning to end. Once or twice a good thing happens, such as when a security guard gives Elsa $5. I wasn't pleased with THE FOUR WINDS, but you may be, so read other reviews.

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I wasn't forwarned, but smart enough to get this book from the local library. All it is is juvenile romance fiction. It's quite corny. I was skipping paragraphs and then entire pages by the third chapter. I'd call it "offensively stupid" if it weren't for the fact that some people actually like this kind of drivel. For the record, I'm a 68 year-old retired lineman, definitely not in the target market. Still, it's a sobering disappointment to think that this stuff makes big bucks on the best seller lists. There's so much great literature out there it makes my head spin, and it's not hard to find. The best thing about this book was the bike ride to and from the library. bp

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This book is about the depression years. Even during the depression, Elsa's indomitable spirit shines through. I waited and waited for a happy ending but alas since the book is based on true events I had to wait for the epilogue for some semblance of happiness. The book could have been shorter but otherwise a well-written book.