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Audiobook Review: THE FOUR WINDS by KRISTIN HANNAH

February 19, 2021

About the Book:

 

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.

My Review:

“How can we call ourselves the land of the free when people are living on the streets and dying of hunger?”

The Four Winds could not be more timely. I listened to the audiobook narrated expertly by Julia Whelan and if you have the chance to purchase or borrow this book, don’t wait. This equals The Great Alone, which is one of my favorite books ever.

I admit I did not know a lot about the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and this anguished part of America’s history. But even with the heavy subject matter, I fell in love with Elsa and Loreda and the harsh landscape of the Texas plains. The courage and the sheer will to survive of Kristin Hannah’s characters is breathtaking.

The Four Winds grabbed me from the very beginning. I reveled in Julia Whelan’s brilliant narration! Elsa is an unforgettable character. She grows up in a strict family, never feeling love or kindness, and feels the sharp sting of rejection over and over. She very unexpectedly finds herself living with a farm-owning family and learns to love the land as they do. But times are harsh, and the level of desperation experienced by families in the grips of the Dust Bowl is completely overwhelming. There is no food and no money and no way for Texans of this era to make a living. Government programs are in their infancy. Elsa, who never thought of herself as anything special, must set out on the most dangerous journey of her life.

“Apparently you couldn’t stop loving some people, or needing their love, even when you knew better.”

I felt the fear, hunger and sheer desperation of these characters. Even a cup of beans or a pair of used shoes were luxuries. The prejudice experienced by Americans who migrated to California during this time was absolutely brutal and heartbreaking. What these families experienced, from the deadly dust storms, to hunger, cold, violence and illness, was stunning. I will never forget Elsa and her courageous life.

<“Courage is fear you ignore.”

A fantastic bonus with the audiobook is that the author and narrator discuss the book at the end. (Warning: It contains spoilers!) Put The Four Winds on your must-read list. It is an epic, breathtaking story.

“The four winds have blown us here, people from all across the country, to the very end of this great land. And now, at last, we make our stand, fight for what we know to be right. We fight for our American dream, that it will be possible again.”

Categories : 5 Stars, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Reviews Tagged : Kristin Hannah, The Four Winds

FIREFLY LANE by KRISTIN HANNAH

February 7, 2021

 

About the Book:

 

From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . .

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship—jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you—and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget . . . one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.

My Review:

My first thoughts: Enjoyable story! Audiobook recording is a bit outdated, however.

I adore books about women’s friendships. And I was excited to listen to this audiobook since the book has been tuned into a limited series on Netflix. Firefly Lane is a sweeping book, written about two best friends named Kate and Tully, who first meet in 1974.

The book is told in a linear timeline which works well to tell this broad story. I loved Tully, even as she steamrolled over her friend Kate at many points in their life. Kate was a little harder to like for me, I felt she didn’t stand up for herself during the bok. But I absolutely loved the scope of the book, it was perfect for someone my age who was born during the Baby Boom.

I truly was touched by Kate and Tully’s enduring friendship and liked the book much more than the Netflix series. Kate’s husband Johnny Ryan is a wonderful and loyal husband in the book and that was changed in the Netflix adaptation.

Despite some of the very emotional and turbulent events experienced by Kate and Tully, all in all I found this to be a fairly low angst story. I know that some will disagree with me considering the events of the last part of the book. I also felt that the audiobook recording was very outdated, with fake telephone and radio effects which really added nothing to the narration. This book might benefit from an updated recording with a narrator who sticks to using one, consistent voice.

I really loved the behind-the-scenes look at television news reporting and production and recommend this book if you are a fan of coming of age stories and saga fiction. While Firefly Lane is not a favorite Kristin Hannah book of mine (The Great Alone is stunning!), I still very much enjoyed this story of lasting and enduring friendship.

Categories : 4 Stars, Audiobook, Fiction, Reviews, Romance, Women's Fiction Tagged : Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah

THE GREAT ALONE by KRISTIN HANNAH

December 8, 2018

 

Synopsis:

 

Alaska, 1974.
Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska―a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.

 

My Review:

 

“Alaska isn’t about who you were when you headed this way. It’s about who you become.”

I can’t recover from this story! This is my first Kristin Hannah novel and it absolutely spoke to me, heart and soul. I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by the incomparable Julia Whelan. She brought to life the entire Allbright family and the supporting cast of very unique characters.

Ernt Allbright moves his family to Alaska after inheriting a remote cabin from a Vietnam war buddy. The family – Ernt, his long-suffering wife Cora and their teen daughter Lenora (Leni) – are ill-equipped to deal with the harsh realities of Alaska life. Ernt suffers from PTSD (before it was recognized) and his family fears what the long, dark, cold Alaskan winters will do to his already tortured psyche.

“All this time, Dad had taught Leni how dangerous the outside world was. The truth was that the biggest danger of all was in her own home.”

I was fascinated by the description of Alaskan life and of the adventurous folks who have made Alaska their home. The Allbright’s neighbors are all fiercely independent people who welcome the new family with open arms. Leni, the new girl at school once again, finally makes friends for the first time in her life.

“We’ve lived weird lives,” she said.
“Maybe everyone does,” he said, sitting down beside her, and then lying down, pulling her into his arms.

This is an epic tale which gripped me from the very beginning. The character development is stunning and the descriptions of the vast and treacherous Alaskan wilderness are absolutely fascinating. This is a mesmerizing and emotional story which I won’t ever forget.

“Some years June is spring, July is summer, August is autumn, and everything else is winter.”

The author herself recorded the Acknowledgments section, and I was fascinated to learn that her family settled in Alaska. She clearly did meticulous research on the vast state and its colorful history and it shows in every word. At times horrifying in its savagery, ‘The Great Alone’ is ultimately a gorgeously written book filled with unforgettable characters and unimaginable tragedies.

This book is a fantastic travelogue for the state of Alaska and I am longing to return there. Haunting, emotional and fiercely beautiful, I fell in love with this book and highly recommend it to all.

“You are my heart, baby girl. You are everything I did right. And I want you to know I would do it all again, every wonderful terrible second of it. I would do years and years of it again for one minute with you.”

Categories : 5 Stars, Audiobook, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Reviews Tagged : Julia Whelan, Kristin Hannah, The Great Alone

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