The Four Winds were . She stops at a gas station, but the man is rude to her because of her disheveled appearance after days of driving and camping out. Rafe is the eldest son of Ward Cameron, the older brother of Sarah and Wheezie, and the stepson of Rose Cameron. The Four Winds begins in the Texas panhandle in 1921 when twenty-five-year-old spinster Elsa gets pregnant and is disowned by her parents and forced to marry Rafe Martinelli, an Italian who is part of "the other" immigrant community that Elsa's well-heeled family dislikes. Shes reminded of the girl she used to be. The first week of March, winter is finally over and Loreda turns thirteen. Never seen or heard from again, I would have liked . They listen in on the meeting, but then the sound of truck engines and a spray of headlights cause the men to disperse. Through September, the heat refuses to let up, with temperatures reaching up to 115, and the plants continue to die. With most women being married by the age of 20, Elsa worries about the prospect of spinsterhood. . Elsa oversleeps the next morning, waking to find the entire Martinelli family has eaten breakfast and is busy with farm chores. Elsa meets Rafe at the same barn, and they have sex again. Afterwards, Elsa tries to comfort Loreda, but she refuses to be consoled. They run into another farmer, Will Bunting, who says the bank has foreclosed on his land, and hes leaving for California in hopes of finding work and new opportunities. Theres so many migrants coming to California that people are desperate for work. A line of workers are outside hoping for work, and Mr. Welty shows up to explain that hes cutting wages by 10% that year. The Four Winds. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. This holds true when the Bible refers to the "four winds.". The Four Winds is divided up into four sections, each detailing events from (roughly) that year. Theyll also be paid sixteen dollars a head for livestock. There are several mysteries Outer Banks still needs to answer, including what happened to Sarah and Rafe's biological mom. Then, he disowns Elsa and leaves. They take over, and together they travel into town. in CA. We've been in dire straits before; we will be again. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. As the four seasons in turn shall say their piece, so the four winds too shall never cease. He explains that it was what drove him to do the work he does. She becomes a farmer with her husband's family, though he leaves them, and they struggle with the unending drought. Similarly both Elsa and Loreda are disgusted by the camp and the people in it until they realize they will have to be exactly one of those people. Ten days after dropping him off, Ant is feeling better. In the prologue, the narrator makes a pointed statement about how saying are always about men or a man. He is portrayed by Drew Starkey. Elsa stops at a gas station in time to see a hunger riot nearby as a mob attacks a grocery store belonging to the local mayor. In 1921, as a sickly, homebound teen, Elsa dreams big. To save money, spend a night in a tent camp with other migrants, only to learn that wages for migrant work are so low that they'll have to stay there indefinitely. As they wait in line, Mr. Welty shows up at the office. When a tear-gas bomb is thrown, the workers head for the fields to sit peacefully, but then Elsa is shot. Loreda is someone who wanted something to believe in, and when all she had was her father and his pipe dreams, then thats what she believed in. Later, on the fields, fences have been put up, a tower has been erected and men with guns roam the field. Loreda interrupts their conversation and tells them that she thinks they should strike. I knew this would be a big hit for 2021 and that's why I included it in my huge must-read book club picks for 2021 list. The next day, Elsa goes to inquire at a house and is offered some work scrubbing floors, along with a firm warning not to speak unless spoken to. Instead, her actions speak for themselves. At the heart of the story is Elsa Wolcott, a tall, awkward girl who suffered rheumatic fever as a teenager. They talk to a couple, Jeb Dewey and his Jean, who have been living there for nine months with their kids. Loreda and Ant head toward town along with Stella and her younger sister, Sophia. Elsa now has only $20 ($7 less than when theyd arrived), after these many months of labor and despite the need to save up for winter. Elsa is initially too proud to want relief, but Jean and Jeb push her to sign up because she needs to wait a year from the date she signs up on. Instead he shows her how to float in the water. As the people flee, Elsa turns back to get their truck. Afterwards, Jack and Elsa return to the cabin to greet the anxiously awaiting kids. Elsa is led into Welty and in front of a boarded-up hotel. She continues driving through the winding mountain roads of the San Joaquin Valley, surrounded by lush greenery. Life is good for many years for the family until there was a drought and many farm families paid a high price for the way in which they had been farming. Elsa debates what to say to the kids. Still, he gives the Martinellis some free licorice for the kids as a kindness. The next morning, Jack wakes Elsa with a kiss. Loreda: Daughter of Elsa and Rafe. The doctor recommends leaving Ant at the hospital for at least a week or two, but he also says that if they really want to save Ant, they need to leave Texas for somewhere with clearer air. At times this book feels a little too ready for Hollywood. By March, Loreda is now 14, and Elsa has wracked up a considerable amount of debt. Jean names it Clea, after her mother. On Christmas morning, Elsa reveals that she has a letter from Rosa and Tony and small gifts for the kids. At 18, Loreda prepares to return to California to go to college.). Elsa rides up to take them home. She gives a overly-simplistic justification of it to her mom (that she just wanted to be pretty) likely because she has probably tried to explain her desires and dreams to her mother before and knows its futile, or perhaps she hasnt fully figured out how to explain herself yet. She decides to wear it as a scarf. That day, Welty shows up with many armed men to announce that hes dropping the pay another 10%. In anger, she blames her mother for all that has happened to them. Welty instructs the police to arrest Elsa, but the police are hesitant. Elsa is taken aback by the low pay, vowing to search for better paying work tomorrow. Elsa is heartbroken. . Together, they block the road. by Kristin Hannah. Elsa goes out, determined to find Loreda. Elsa hurries to the train station, where the attendant Mr. McElvaine, reluctantly admits that her husband didnt have money for a ticket. Elsa is unsure if anyone will join then, but when Ike begins to move, the workers start moving and they all sit as instructed. She resolves to raise her kids better. Circumstances? Ant likens them to an Explorers Club. It just won Book of the Month's 2021 Book of the Year Award, based on votes from members . Afterwards, the woman tells the security man to stop her, but he is also a former migrant and so he gives Elsa a five-dollar bill instead. Then, a group of masked vigilantes with weapons approach Jack. Whether you're already a frequent Kristin Hannah reader, or this is your first listen from her, this story is likely to strike a chord as it is especially . The story is set during the Dust Bowl period a few years after . In late January, Jean shouts for help when she realizes the baby is coming. Better than bookmarking passages! The next day, Elsa stays asleep, too sad to get out of bed. Instead, she has spent her time in her room reading books. Rafe is engaged to a girl from another Italian family and on his way to becoming the first Martinelli to have a university degree. The doctor says he must leave to survive, so Elsa packs up the household into the car. As Rosa is comforting Elsa, she mentions that she believes that Loreda needs to be taught to settle down, and that Ant will someday go to college. Excerpt from Amazon: Texas, 1921. . Men with weapons emerge from the trucks, looking for people. It is an epic and heartbreaking detailing of motherhood and love. It's not until she sees Jean die from typhoid and Welty casually decrease the wages for its workers that Elsa realizes she must join in the fight. Elsa, Loreda and Ant all get ready to pick cotton. Hannah describes how the newspapers talk about the concerns of the non-migrant citizens who worry about the growing migrant population. Meanwhile, Rafe continues to withdraw from Elsa. Jack tells Elsa about his mother, who died in a factory fire because they boarded up the doors to prevent workers from taking cigarette breaks. She claims to be 13, but the truck driver knows shes lying. She feels restless and destined for spinsterhood. Book club questions for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah takes a deep dive into all the major events and character development in this epic read. In June, Elsa goes off to work on the fields doing cotton tending. The Four Winds " My land tells its story if you listen. The dust storms rage for the entire week. Elsa does the laundry even though it is blindingly hot and it seems pointless when everything gets dusty anyway. She talks to Jack and thanks him for his help, but she maintains her stance against communism. In mid-March, there are eight straight days of 100 degree heat, and the familys spirits begin to dampen. Rose has been a loving maternal figure to Elsa, and the two women share a strong bond. Afterwards, Loreda dreams about the life they could have there, but Rafe tells her that his parents and Elsa would never want to leave. She gives Jean some food, not knowing what else to do. The four time periods in the novel - 1921, 1934, 1935, 1936? She warns Jack to stay away from Loreda. They talk about how they all just live off welfare and have no reason to pick cotton. From her mother treating her like an invalid to Mr. Hurst never imagining that Elsa would want to wear red silk, its clear everyone sees her as sickly, weak and spinster-y. Loreda offers to get a job to help out, but Elsa says that theres no jobs. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. Loreda believes that her mother has no fight or fire, but Elsa has shown a number of times she is a fighter when she believes it is necessary. Her mother is the one to suggest it when she sees Elsa throwing up constantly. At the podium, theres a man talking about the migrant problem in the state. Jack reassures her that Natalia is with the children, watching them back at the cabin. "The Four Winds" begins in northwestern Texas in 1921. Before she could at least expend some of it by picking cotton and do something productive with her frustrations, but now that it is winter and she feels powerless, she does the only thing that she can which is to run away. Then one night as they are sleeping, a flash flood hits. Mr. Gerald then informs him that the land will be auctioned off on April 16. The cabins have mattresses, concrete floors and electricity for 6 dollars a month, and the workers there get first dibs on the jobs at Welty farm. The night she meets Rafe Martinelli changes everything in more ways than she could have ever imagined. She embraces their way of life, the hard manual . Instead, she puts him in a wheelbarrow, so she can push him the two miles into town. She excitedly tells her about the meeting she attended, but Elsa recoils at the idea of aligning with communists and antagonizing their employers. She awakes in Jacks truck, and Jack helps her into the hotel room. And when she gets home, Elsa tells herself to be brave before chopping off her hair into a chin-length bob. Elsa, instead goes to the hospital to beg for aspirin. Here begins Kristin Hannah's tale of xenophobia and Americans' fear of newcomers. When Betty Ane goes to fetch her husband Ned, Elsa thinks Betty Ane is trying to kick them out, but it turns out that Ned is giving them some old clothes for the winter since they are former migrants as well. Considering Rafe is mentioned to be 19 in season 1 when all the pogues are 16, he would've been a senior while she was a freshman. Before Elsa dies, she asks Jack to take her kids home to Texas. [3] Three are male (the NE, NW, and SW winds) and one (The South wind or South-East wind) is female. The woman tells her to take some shoes and clothes, and she instructs Loreda to help pour coffee if she wants to help. Elsa says that they have no money for gas or even shoes if they wanted to walk, and then there was his parents. Rafe's father. Instead, the farm with Tony and Rose was always her real home, and therefore yes, they would be back some day. See the archives. The past few years have been difficult, with the Great Depression, an on-going drought and frequent dust storms ravaging the lands. Thankfully, it starts back up. After a week-long dust storm, Ant is severely ill due to inhalation of dust. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Rose advises Loreda to someday find a man who is reliable, but Loreda doesnt want to hear any of it. Then, her parents tell her to pack a bag, and they drive to the Martinelli farm. Nonetheless, Loreda does her part to spread the word about a meeting on Friday. Founded by Dr. Alberto Villoldo, The Four Winds Society offers the world's most thorough training in Shamanic Energy Medicine combined with cutting-edge practices in nutrition, biology and neuroscience. Even more hopefully, she beings to feel like she belongs, and she starts to imagine a future where her children are happy there. Her unloving parents keep Elsa . Rafe is unhappy, drinks heavily and dreams of going West to pursue new opportunities. There is a makeshift hospital set up, and Ant is given a bed that opened up that morning (meaning that someone else had died). The characters do what they are expected to do, even if outcome of doing so is obviously worse (such as staying in a marriage with a cheating husband, since divorce is improper). Elsa falls in love with a union organizer and helps to organize a strike against their bosses, but gets shot by the farm boss. They continue to drive west, but soon they reach a point where the Mojave Desert lays ahead. They see that the camp has now grown considerably. Elsa comes up with a plan to pay down her debt, but the store refuses her money, since they only allow you to buy on credit. She also shows Loreda that she went back to town and picked up her library card. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah will give the famous novel The Grapes of Wrath a run for its money. Elsa feels trapped by the way people see her and think about her. As she talks, shes interrupted by Elsa, she takes her back to their cabin. Loreda wants to go, but Elsa tells her she can only help with the cotton picking later in the year. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail, water dries up . Before she departs, Rose and Tony announce they won't be going. THE FOUR WINDS Characters By Chapter: EDITOR: Christina Hale . Later, when Elsa goes to talk to Loreda, she realizes that Loreda has run away, leaving just a note. At the meeting on Friday, hundreds of workers gather. She runs away and hitches a ride with Jack Dewey, who works for a Communist organization, Workers United. The man at the guardhouse advises that most of the people live on relief until cotton season. Then, a dust storm descends. When she leaves, shes upset and runs into Jack who tries unsuccessfully to comfort her. Not only was the summary helpful , it brought back scenes and situations that I didnt So handsome. (1) What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? It reminds us, says Hannah, that "so many of the things we're going through now are things that we have gone through before. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Gre Instead, she opts to stay the night there. The librarian offers her a book on workers rights called Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed, but she cautions Loreda about being careful about what she says to other people about this topic. By Stephanie Larratt. When Loreda sees Elsa in bed, Rose tries to explain that Elsas heart is broken, and that Rafe was foolish and has filled Loredas head with fluff. newmar ventana accessories. She doesnt realize her mother is only like that right now out of necessity. . Loreda thinks about how much she loved Milo, gets the gun and shoots him. His eyes are red from the dust and his cough is still bad. When money runs low in the winter, Elsa starts standing in the food lines for assistance. Loreda tells Elsa that her family missed out by not seeing how special Elsa is. Rafe is Ward Cameron's eldest child and Sarah and Wheezie Cameron's older brother. Elsa and Rafe now also have a son, Anthony ("Ant"), 7. Still, even though no one else knows that Elsa had sex, even just the rumors of it from last night are sufficient to tarnish her reputation. Jack reminds the workers to stay peaceful, but not to let the strikebreakers in, who arrive in trucks behind them. 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