Key Number Four Winds

She will discover her best self in the worst of times. Texas, 1921. World War I has ended and America is preparing to enter a new, optimistic era. But for Elsa Walcott, who is considered too old to marry, the future looks bleak until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the course of her life. In 1934, the world has changed; millions of people have lost their jobs. and drought has ravaged the Great Plains. Farmers work hard not to lose their land and their lives. On the Martinelli farm, everything is dying, including Elsa's fragile marriage; every day is a doomed battle with nature, a struggle to keep her children alive. In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa is forced to make a tough decision: fight for the land she loves or leave it and go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is a compelling novel that brings to life the era of the Great Depression—the harsh truths that divided Americans and the long-standing conflicts between the haves and the have-nots. It is a hymn to hope, resilience and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity, an indelible portrait of America, seen through the eyes of an indomitable woman whose bravery and sacrifice will define an entire generation. They wrote of the book, “Hannah combines stark realism with vivid characters, while her lyrical speech rings alive and true from the first sentence. As Elsa, a woman who passionately defends her principles and the people she loves, Hannah brilliantly brings the ghost of Tom Jode to life." –Publishers Weekly “The narrative is riveting, and the timelessness of the novel's themes—such as the unfair blaming of outsiders for economic disparities—adds an extra dimension to this rich, compelling read about family ties, perseverance , but also the friendships and mental fortitude of women." –Booklist “Master storyteller Kristin Hannah reminds us that both the human heart and the Earth itself are both strong and changeable—like the changing direction of the wind. A novel that comes at the right time and highlights the value and vulnerability of Nature." –Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawfish Sing Christine Hanna has written more than 20 novels, many of which made the New York Times bestseller list. A former lawyer who gave up her career to become a writer, she lives with her husband and son in the US. Her novel The Nightingale was translated into 43 languages and became an international bestseller, selling more than 3,000,000 copies worldwide, Achanis Monaxia won the Goodreads Readers' Choice Awards and Pygolampides was adapted into a television series for Netflix to great success.