When Elsa gets pregnant, her father disowns her, and Rafe's parents (Tony and Rose) tell him to marry Elsa. When Elsa gets to the front of the line, she learns that because shes capable of picking cotton (as demonstrated by her address at Welty Farms), shes not eligible for relief during cotton picking season. 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 . They pack as much as they can into the car. Loreda offers to get a job to help out, but Elsa says that theres no jobs. She views her mothers love as being suffocating. Living in . Elsa stops the car and asks the kids where they should go. Others treat them like criminals, but they know that they are hard-working people in unfortunate circumstances. In September, they return to their original camp to find work in the cotton fields. After 10 hours of work, the woman is rude to her and then only gives her 40 cents. With that, Elsa asks Loreda where to find the unionizers. Moreover, Tony explains how he and his wife started out with only 17 dollars, and now they lead what he considers to be a good life. Loreda scares him off with the shotgun. Elsa ends up deciding to tell them the truth. Then, slowly, he closed the door behind him. It occurs to Elsa that her children would lose their innocence in the course of their trip and that there was a lot she hadnt anticipated. She doesnt realize her mother is only like that right now out of necessity. what happened to rafe in four winds. Set during the Dust Bowl and The Great Depression, this is the story of hardship, resilience, motherhood, and bravery. Afterwards, Elsa considers telling Rafe that she would think about it if he really felt he had to go. Loreda longs to leave as well, and she prefers her father's dreams to her mother's dreary, joyless work ethic. While people want their labor, no one wants to have to see the people who do the work. Even better when it gets you interested in learning more . But it is cold still, and the dying trees mean that the towns supply of firewood is running low. benzema champions league goals all-time. Elsa tears up in relief. With relief only coming in April, she needs start standing in the food line for help until then. 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. They purchase supplies from Eugene on credit. Still, as the cotton picking continues, theres a tension among the workforce regarding the decreased wages. "The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah is a 2021 historical fiction novel about the Dust Bowl era. With that, Elsa decides they are leaving immediately while theyre all still alive. If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($2, $3, or $5) or joining the Patreon! 5: Loreda: Martinelli: Elsa and Rafe's daughter. It was believed that the Romans pray to him for protection and guidance towards victory. As she talks, shes interrupted by Elsa, she takes her back to their cabin. I often read my book club selection as soon as it is chosen, then forget details by the time it rolls around. After Loreda leaves, Rose comforts Elsa. Elsa is unsure if anyone will join then, but when Ike begins to move, the workers start moving and they all sit as instructed. Instead, her actions speak for themselves. She dies giving a voice to the workers. Later, when Elsa goes to talk to Loreda, she realizes that Loreda has run away, leaving just a note. 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. When Loreda assumes the worst about Ants diagnosis, Hannah illustrates how kids will imagine awful things if they know something is being kept from them or if they sense that something is wrong, but they dont know what the situation is. The Four Winds is an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of Americas most defining eras the Great Depression. She starts telling the crowd of her story and why she is fighting for a fair wage (this is the passage from the prologue of the book). In her restlessness, Elsa imagines herself as The Lady of Shalott, referencing the eponymous character in the lyric poem of the same name by Lord Alfred Tennyson. She feels restless and destined for spinsterhood. He takes his opportunity for granted, unlike Elsa who as a woman would desperately like the opportunity to go, but is unable to do so. Elsa oversleeps the next morning, waking to find the entire Martinelli family has eaten breakfast and is busy with farm chores. Her 2015 novel The Nightingale was voted a best book of the year by The Wall Street Journal, Library Journal . She says goodbye to her mothers headstone as she leaves to become the first Martinelli to go to college. Kristin Hannah is a book club favorite, and THE NIGHTINGALE, her 2015 work set during World War II, was a massive hit. He smacks her across the jaw, leaving a bruise. As the people flee, Elsa turns back to get their truck. The past few years have been difficult, with the Great Depression, an on-going drought and frequent dust storms ravaging the lands. She tells him shes ready to help organize the workers. The Four Winds. Elsa knows theres a futility to doing the laundry. It is a portrait of one indomitable woman who will do anything to keep her family . Loreda argues with her mother that they need to join the fight, but Elsa doesnt want to risk their jobs and their cabin. Afterwards, Elsa picks up a book she treasures, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. Elsa thinks back to leaving her parents house and how she was only able to pack a few belongings before starting off anew. Loreda gets a package from Jack, who is now fighting a different war, against fascism this time. Later, Loreda notes that Elsa wanted them to go home to Texas, but there is an issue of money in order to make their way home. Elsa ends up doing seasonal field work for larger farms. Good recap and commentary. Decorate with purple and pink flowers like Rafe brought to the barn. Then, her parents tell her to pack a bag, and they drive to the Martinelli farm. She writes that the four winds have brought people from all over to this place to make a stand in the name of what is right. That night as they camp out after their drive through the desert, Loreda thinks about the things she never said to her mother. 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. In the prologue, the narrator makes a pointed statement about how saying are always about men or a man. Elsa goes to the police station to report Loreda missing. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 11:13 PM CST. Texas, 1934. Tony tells Elsa about the importance of . When she awakes, she struggles to open the front door, only to discover that outside everything is covered in black dirt. A line of workers are outside hoping for work, and Mr. Welty shows up to explain that hes cutting wages by 10% that year. cuba festivals and holidays. Elsa is genuinely surprised to be pregnant since she doesnt know how any of it works, and the books of fiction she reads dont really cover the technical details of what happens after sex or the conditions under which someone gets pregnant. They know Elsa needs to leave, but they plan to stay and take the governments offer to plant grass on the land as part of the collective effort required to save the Great Plains. Not only was the summary helpful , it brought back scenes and situations that I didnt At night, she finds him to tell him that she would consider leaving, but Rafe agrees that its impracticable for them all to go. In 1921, Elsa Wolcott is a 25-year-old unmarried woman who is not particularly pretty and too tall for most men. Here, it felt like things just happened. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah will give the famous novel The Grapes of Wrath a run for its money. Meanwhile, the Martinellis are immigrants. Mr. Gerald then informs him that the land will be auctioned off on April 16. When she goes home, she first tells Rose and Tony what happened, and they are aghast. For most of her recent life shes only known a life of drought and poverty. . "I'm sorry," she said. When Elsa stops for gas, the attendant warns her of a bad element out there so she shouldnt keep her cash in her handbag. Your email address will not be published. She fears that her future will consist of living with her parents and their household maid, Maria, eventually caring for her parents when Maria retires. When her mother (Minerva Wolcott) sees it, she is horrified. The first week of March, winter is finally over and Loreda turns thirteen. He continues to try to convince Elsa to join the cause, but she remains against it. However, Jack shows up that night and tells her she needs to get out even before then. But Loreda refuses it, saying she no longer believes in it because it failed to keep their family together. Loreda is about to head off to college in California. As Elsa gets settled, shes surprised to find the Martinellis have no indoor plumbing. The doctor quickly diagnoses him with a fever and severe silicosis, a lung disease where inhalation of the silica (present in the prairie dust) causes the air sacs in lungs to be torn (referred to as dust pneumonia). Loreda imagines herself leaving here for something bigger, like going off to Hollywood with her father. Instead, Loreda heads off to school. The events in the book reflect a sense of pioneering spirit and resilience that is bespoke with determination, love for self, love for family, survival, and the American Dream. Tony consoles her by saying that at least the government will give them some money for it. The school administration and other kids all notice how unkept the Martinelli kids are, but they are taken into class nonetheless. In September, its time to pick cotton. Instead, Rosa is a very human character, with both great insight at times and flawed thinking at others. Loreda tells Elsa that her family missed out by not seeing how special Elsa is. Back at home, Loreda is upset because she doesnt know whats going on. The campground is filled with tents and looks like a shantytown, but Elsa doesnt want to drive around and waste gas when they only have $27 left. 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