Jack reminds the workers to stay peaceful, but not to let the strikebreakers in, who arrive in trucks behind them. The truck driver introduces himself as Jack Valen. After a while, Loreda is see how few people have taken the flyers they left on the table and how no one but herself signed up to help the cause. Elsa hurries to the train station, where the attendant Mr. McElvaine, reluctantly admits that her husband didnt have money for a ticket. Okies referred to people from Oklahoma or similar places (like Texas), but were thought of as economic refugees that were typically impoverished. Still, as the cotton picking continues, theres a tension among the workforce regarding the decreased wages. Loreda is 18 now. 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. As she nears, she hears the teacher talk about the girls learning to make cosmetics for the day, and Loreda changes her mind and goes to the library instead. Elsa Martinelli begins the novel as a twenty-five-year-old spinster, becomes a hardworking farm . The next few days are filled with rain as the ditch nearby fills up. Elsa, Loreda and Ant all get ready to pick cotton. As it is our book groups choice for this month, it was helpful to have this recap and commentary. Loreda interrupts their conversation and tells them that she thinks they should strike. You could argue that he was being misleading, but given that hed just asked her if she wanted to do more than kissing, it seems like a genuine miscommunication. On the way back, with her relief money, Elsa gives two dollars to Jean. Meanwhile, Loredas perspective is shaped by the time shes living in. Elsa realizes that she needs to be more careful. Still, he offers to drop her off at a bus stop in Bakersville. Spoiler warning: these summaries contains spoilers. Then one night as they are sleeping, a flash flood hits. Then, Loreda grabs a gun and points it squarely at Welty. The night she meets Rafe Martinelli changes everything in more ways than she could have ever imagined. Ant (Anthony): Loreda's younger brother. Rafe tells Elsa that he wants to leave to try to find a job in California. Even better when it gets you interested in learning more . Hes heard rumors of trouble incoming, and he takes them to the boarded-up hotel instead. Despite it being completely out of character for her, she is willing to cause trouble and threaten someone if it means helping someone she loves. One of them, Ike, supports the efforts. When the strike finally happens, Elsa propels it forwards when Jack is incapacitated, but Elsa is shot. He came toward her, sat down on the bed. She know the the card means that there was still a future. Then, a group of masked vigilantes with weapons approach Jack. She gets inspired to sew her red fabric into a daringly modern dress. However, Elsa knows she needs to set a good example for her kids (to not give up) and doesnt want the neighbors to stop by and potentially see her unwashed kids. We've been in dire straits before; we will be again. They are a third-generation, established family. Together, they block the road. Jack encourages her close her eyes and think her thoughts and talk to her mother that way. ), and less attractive than her beautiful younger sisters, Charlotte and Suzanna (both married). The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, tells the story of Elsa Martinelli and her family through many hardships and struggles.This is an emotional epic, all about the life in the Dust Bowl and American migration patterns. Even though Rafe and Elsa are both responsible for their action, Elsa feels it is her fault. Jack notices Elsas resemblance to the girl he picked up earlier today and offers Elsa a ride home, but Elsa thinks he looks ragged and untrustworthy. With failing crops, two children to feed, never ending work, never ending dust, and a barely there husband - Elsa once again is put in a position to make hard decisions that there seems to be no . By 1934, dust storms are a constant threat. 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. At the hospital, the doctor warns that Art will need a year to fully recover and may have asthma in the future. Nonetheless, Loreda does her part to spread the word about a meeting on Friday. She says they have food and shelter here, but half the country is unemployed so theres no guarantee there will have work if they leave. Then, a dust storm descends. Elsa knows this will be a big, potentially dangerous day. Here, it felt like things just happened. Despite all the progress in Loreda and Elsas relationship, Loreda reverts to her old habit of blaming her mother for everything and drawing on the anger that has been simmering inside her for so long. "The Four Winds" begins in northwestern Texas in 1921. 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. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance. He explains that it was what drove him to do the work he does. The family makes preparations to leave, such as harvesting some viable plants along with their roots and preparing whatever foods they can. They listen in on the meeting, but then the sound of truck engines and a spray of headlights cause the men to disperse. Rosalba: Martinelli: Rafe's mother. Texas, 1921. Rafe wants to leave with their family, but he knows his parents would never leave. She says goodbye to her mothers headstone as she leaves to become the first Martinelli to go to college. At the party, she also runs into Rafe, who looks uncomfortable because he is with his wife, Gia Composto. Once Loreda meets Jack, her mindset begins to shift quickly. And when she gets home, Elsa tells herself to be brave before chopping off her hair into a chin-length bob. Through September, the heat refuses to let up, with temperatures reaching up to 115, and the plants continue to die. She tells Ant that theyll take him home in a few days and then off to California. Loreda keeps an eye out for men that could be Rafe. It is bitter and raw and that's how it should be. 1. They talk about how they all just live off welfare and have no reason to pick cotton. We see this period through the eyes of the Martinelli family who have a sizable piece of land in Texas. 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. Men with weapons emerge from the trucks, looking for people. Kristin Hannah. And so Gail and Dale and their grandson a four years old, left Big Bear California and made it to Oklahoma to load sheet rock on this flatbed truck. Elsa is led into Welty and in front of a boarded-up hotel. The Bibliofile's review of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. I keep thinking that Rafe is younger than he is. Elsa and Rafe now also have a son, Anthony ("Ant"), 7. She worries of how the car engine will fare in those conditions and what they will do if it fails. Mr. Welty announces that because of the union organizers hes had to implement more security precautions, which cost money. Loreda offers to get a job to help out, but Elsa says that theres no jobs. In the Welty camp, Elsa enjoys the convenience of having shopping and laundry nearby, but she notes that the stores prices are quite high. If my Twitter feed is any indication, THE FOUR WINDS is one of the most highly anticipated books of 2021, which is not surprising. Theres so many migrants coming to California that people are desperate for work. After Elsas unpleasant encounter with a man who assumes they are impoverished, she considers the discriminatory attitudes her own father had held against people of different backgrounds. I have to admit that almost put this book down early on because Elsa and Rafe's romance felt flat but I'm so glad I didn't, because that lack of romance was kind of the . In previous chapters, the last pig was slaughtered, then here we see as the pig pen gets used for firewood. The novel is a sweeping, emotional story of love, family, and survival, set in Texas and California during the dark days of The Great Depression. The woman also says they dont rent to Okies, and instead, the woman directs her to a campground. . The Pioneer Days celebration comes up, a holiday which used to be exuberant and patriotic. They talk about how everyone is leaving, and how they could die out here. When Loreda asks if theyll see them again, Elsa finally admits to Loreda that the house theyd seen in Dalhart was her former home, but her family rejected her. Loreda sees how much pain Milo is in and even though she loves him, she knows that hes better off dead. The family heads to town for the meeting, and they stop at the store as well. They work all through the night, getting everyone to safety. Afterwards, Elsa drives back to the original camp to find the Dewey family, all living out of the back of a truck. One day during the summer, Elsa and Jean get together, they talk about Jack, and Jean encourages Elsa to change the way she thinks of herself. Meanwhile, Rose intends to teach Elsa to cook. In 1921, Elsa Wolcott is a 25-year-old unmarried woman who is not particularly pretty and too tall for most men. Elsa tears up in relief. Set during the Dust Bowl and The Great Depression, this is the story of hardship, resilience, motherhood, and bravery. Then, her parents tell her to pack a bag, and they drive to the Martinelli farm. Finally, Elsa sits down with Loreda, and tells her that they are leaving Texas as soon as Ant is better. Now, she chronicles the Dust Bowl years, giving eager readers . He tells her that hes from Lonesome Tree, thirty miles away. Elsa brings the kids into a salon, Betty Anes Beauty Shop, explaining to the proprietor that she doesnt want Loreda to be teased in school. She waits for hours in the cold to pick up a small box of food, though shell have to wait another two weeks to get another. However, when she offers to pay part now and part when she gets a job, the woman suggests that she leave. in CA. 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 . Her decision to cut her hair is likely because it serves as a loud signal to everyone else that they should look at her differently than before. The Four Winds is an immersive listenaward-winning narrator Julia Whelan offers a commanding performance, elevating the cinematic historical detail, wrenching drama, and moving portrayals of friendship and love. It was published in 2021. Jack goes up to challenge him and say that the workers will strike. So appreciative that this is available. When her mother (Minerva Wolcott) sees it, she is horrified. . And now comes mega-seller Kristin Hannah with " The Four Winds ," an emotional novel about efforts to organize migrant workers in California during the Depression. Uncertain and scared, Elsa reluctantly leaves with just Art and Loreda. 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