Shut Up & Read discussion

This is the discussion area for the Buddy Read of



We will start reading this book on August 8th.

Please feel free to join in and read with us at any time :)

Description:From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them.

“My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.”

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.

By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.

In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.

The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

Starting.

Starting. I hate Elsa's parents!

Sheri wrote: "Starting. I hate Elsa's parents!"

Yes, they are horrible! I feel so sorry for Elsa. No wonder Elsa fell for anyone that showed her kindness. Elsa is resilient. I wish that she could see her strength. Raffe is getting on my nerves.

Leigh wrote: "Sheri wrote: "Starting. I hate Elsa's parents!"

Yes, they are horrible! I feel so sorry for Elsa. No wonder Elsa fell for anyone that showed her kindness. Elsa is resilient. I wish that she could ..."

Yes! Raffe is selfish. Loreda is, too. I get she's only a child, but she's horrible to Elsa!

I couldn't imagine living in poverty like that. I don't think I could have done it. It makes be thankful for all I have.

Sheri wrote: "Leigh wrote: "Sheri wrote: "Starting. I hate Elsa's parents!"

Yes, they are horrible! I feel so sorry for Elsa. No wonder Elsa fell for anyone that showed her kindness. Elsa is resilient. I wish t..."

Yes, he is selfish and he filled Loreda's mind with dreams instead of teaching her to be thankful and determination.

Sheri wrote: "I couldn't imagine living in poverty like that. I don't think I could have done it. It makes be thankful for all I have."

This is difficult to listen to without being moved by it. My father lived through the depression. It was very rough. He only told a few stories about it. He didn't let us waste food and he saved everything. I think that circumstances either makes us resilient or crushes us.

I love Kristin Hannah's writing so much. I forget until I start reading one of her books. I want to read all of her books now!

I feel so bad for Elsa trying to keep her kids together with literally nothing. And sticking up for them at school...that would have been so hard, I don't think I could have done it!

Loreda is going to get herself into some trouble. I keep having to remind myself that she's only 13...so while she's a brat to her mom, she's not really a bad person, lol. In her defense, she has been trying to make it work, too. She just doesn't seem to have as much patience or understanding as Elsa.

I love her writing, too. It is hard to read it sometimes. I feel so sorry for Elsa and her children. Loreda is just old enough to think she is grown but doesn't understand what it is really to be an adult. Loreda is definitely going to get in trouble.

Finished. I loved this book. I really didn't like Loreda that much, but that's just me, lol. She was a bratty teenager through the whole book and blamed her mom for everything.

I didn't expect the ending!

This book makes you think and feel a lot. I hate the landowners and the people of the town, but I'm sure their depiction was pretty reasonable. I'm sure they all weren't like that...But enough to make it hard to make a living.

Sheri wrote: "Finished. I loved this book. I really didn't like Loreda that much, but that's just me, lol. She was a bratty teenager through the whole book and blamed her mom for everything.

I didn't expect th..."

Holy Moly! That was a hard book to read emotionally. Just finished and I'm not okay.

Leigh wrote: "Sheri wrote: "Finished. I loved this book. I really didn't like Loreda that much, but that's just me, lol. She was a bratty teenager through the whole book and blamed her mom for everything. "

Right?! It's hard when you don't get the happily ever after you were expecting. I think that's one of the things that make me like it so much, though.

Sheri wrote: "This book makes you think and feel a lot. I hate the landowners and the people of the town, but I'm sure their depiction was pretty reasonable. I'm sure they all weren't like that...But enough to m..."

Yes, it made me sick to hear how they treated the people who were just looking for work. The cruelty and the suffering were heartbreaking. In the end Loreda realized that her mom was trying to do the best for them, too bad that was after she died. Loreda did get on my nerves but imagine how you would of reacted to everything they were going through @ that age. The children had to grow up fast. My Dad only received a 3rd grade education because he had to get to work to help the family. My mom picked cotton until she collapsed in the field after that she wasn't able to go back. It was a very hard, sad time.

Sheri wrote: "Leigh wrote: "Sheri wrote: "Finished. I loved this book. I really didn't like Loreda that much, but that's just me, lol. She was a bratty teenager through the whole book and blamed her mom for ever..."

Yes, I wanted a happy ending for Elsa but one of her wishes did come true...Loreda is going to college.

What do you want to read next?

Are there any more BOTM books you want to read? Or do you want to start a new series while we're waiting for the other books?

Would you want to read all of them can be used for the challenge? Maybe something else that was turned into a movie?

Leigh wrote: "Would you want to read all of them can be used for the challenge? Maybe something else that was turned in..."

Stealing Home doesn't sound like somethingI would like. I have a hard time reading MPG romance unless it's paranormal/fantasy/etc. I've read The Passage. I didn't know it was a TV show!
Oracle sounds good. From what I can find it is only on Audible and I don't have a membership anymore...Does your library have it?

Otherwise...I'm having more of a hard time finding books to movies than I thought I would!

I would possibly re-read The Passage. I also have or ?

My library doesn't have . I would be up for or I just downloaded

Leigh wrote: "My library doesn't have . I would be up for or I just downloaded

is the only one of those I haven't read! I would be up for that one. I would also re-read The Shining. I would never say no to the King :)

Do you want to do Seabiscuit first then we can do the Passage. We can read the Shining after.

Yep that works. When do you want to start?

I would actually probably re-read any of the others. I think I liked them all. I just don't usually like romance or contemporary romance.

Do you want to start tomorrow?

Sure

Sheri wrote: "Yep that works. When do you want to start?

I would actually probably re-read any of the others. I think I liked them all. I just don't usually like romance or contemporary romance."

I like to mix things up too much of any genre gets boring to me.