Cassie DeNisco

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The Four Winds Review by Kristin Hannah

My November book pick is dedicated to another great book by Krisitin Hannah, The Four Winds review! I instantly fell in love with her book The Great Alone and this one I love too! Kristin Hannah’s ability to write historical fiction is so mesmerizing and she really does great research on the time period.

This post contains an affiliate link to purchase the book but there’s no pressure to purchase! If you’re still needing something for your 2023 reading challenge, I highly suggest checking this one out!

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

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the four winds review

Before we hop into the review, I want to mention that even though Kristin Hannah’s books always seem daunting due to page length they are always compelling and quick reads!

The Four Winds initially takes place in Texas specifically the Great Plains during the Great Depression. We follow the life of Elsa who is originally from a wealthy family but finds herself pregnant by an Italian farmer. Her family obviously kicks her out and she’s then sent to the farm with his family.

Life on the farm only gets harder as the weather just gets harsher. The depression makes it even more complicated with little money for food when the land is no longer able to provide. Her husband ends up leaving her and she’s left to deal with his parents and their kids on a failing farm.

One unique aspect of Kristin Hannah’s books is that they usually go back and forth between 2 timelines. In this case, we fast forward to Elsa and the kids moving to California in search of more work. I can’t begin to tell you how resilient Elsa is through all she’s been through.

The book takes a twist at the end once Elsa finds steady work but is thrown into a labor union dispute. I won’t ruin the ending but Elsa is a character that you just hope to be. You can feel her love for her kids and her hope that everything will work out.

I hope you liked The Four Winds review! Be sure to check back next month when I do my full book recap for the year!!

The Great Alone Book Review!

I can hardly believe this is my first October post for the month! I have finally surpassed 50 books this year goal and I am so excited to share one of my favorite reads of the summer with you! The Great Alone book review by Kristin Hannah was such a great read and one that I often find myself thinking about, even today!

This is a historical fiction read, which we all know is one of my favorite reads. I devour books like this, even with a page count of 549 because of how interesting the read is. This post has an affiliate link to shop for the book but as always, there’s no pressure to purchase!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

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the great alone book review

This book follows the Allbright family as they navigate very big life changes. Leni, their daughter is forced to move with the family to an extremely remote part of Alaska. Mom Cora will do anything for her husband Ernt, even though he’s working through PTSD and is extremely abusive towards her.

Once they move to Alaska things only get harder as they realize life up there is rough. It’s essentially a full time job just prepping for Winter in order to stay alive. The community around them welcomes them with open arms but Ernt still struggles with his mental health.

I found myself captivated by what life would be like up in a remote part of Alaska. They had no running water in the house so they’d have to collect and boil water for cooking. It’s such a different way of living that I’m not sure I would survive.

We read as Leni starts to grow up and move into her teen years. Navigating being a girl is hard enough but with a toxic home life and just the harshness of Alaska, you find yourself routing for her to make it through.

With really tough topics, like domestic abuse, this book does need a trigger warning. If you are able to get passed that, the themes of community and resilience are popping off the pages. We read as Leni falls in love for the first time and has to battle her father who is very much against it.

I loved this book because you route for Leni and her mom on every page. Kristin Hannah really gives you insight into toxic relationships but finishes off the story with an ending that makes you feel warm and fuzzy and so incredibly proud and happy for Leni.

Final Thoughts

I’ve reviewed another book by Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale which I absolutely loved! It’s safe to say for me Kristin Hannah has really become one of my top author’s! She writes so beautifully that you really become transported back to the time period the book is in.

I also recently read Four Winds and if you’d like a book review on that let me know! I’d give The Great Alone Book Review a 4.25/5 and would consider it a must read! Be sure to check out my other book reviews here!

The Summer of ’69 Book Review!

It might not be summer anymore but I’ll always love a good beach read! I recently discovered Elin Hilderbrand over the summer and I’ve been reading through her books. I’m excited to jump into my Summer of ’69 book review because this was my first read by her!

As always this post contains an affiliate link so if you purchase the book through me I make a small commission but no pressure to purchase!

Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand

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summer of '69

The iconic title of this book really just takes you back to a nostalgic era. I was craving a book about summer with depth and this was just that. The writing is so good as we follow along the summer of 1969 with a mother and her 3 very different daughters.

I loved that each of these women were in very different phases of their lives. Each had such a unique story to read about due to what they were going through. I’ve personally never been to Nantucket but Elin’s writing is so descriptive you really get a feel for what it’s like.

The story is set against the back drop of the war in Vietnam and the eldest son is sent off to war. It leaves the mother with anxiety and grief. As the story unfolds we begin to see the lengths that she goes to to protect him even though he’s so far away.

What I enjoyed most about this book was how it was surprisingly geared towards historical fiction. Elin was able to really touch on the social issues that were going on at the time but it wasn’t in a heavy way. The book was fascinating and I really found myself not being able to put it down.

Because this was the first book that really opened the door to this author for me. I have since added a few more to my to be read list! I hope you liked this review of the Summer of ’69! You can read more book reviews here!

I’m almost at my Good Reads goal for the year! Feel free to leave book suggestions in the comments below!

The Woman in Red Book Review

You ever pick up a book not knowing anything about it but end up loving it? The Woman in Red was definitely that book for me. I found a book outlet on vacation and it was like a buy 3 deal. After much looking around, I needed a 3rd one and stumbled on this striking cover.

I am so glad I stumbled on it because it truly was fascinating. This is a historical fiction book that leaves you feeling so empowered and in awe of the main character. I actually did some research after because I was just so interested in the story.

The Woman in Red by Diana Giovinazzo

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the woman in red

This book follows us on Anita Garibaldi’s story as she navigates love, lift, and politics. Her story starts in South America where she’s growing up and has to marry after her father passes. We see that Anita is resilient and truly a force to be reckoned with. She meets rebel leader Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Brazilian revolution.

They fall in love and run off to fight in the battle to make Brazil a better place. The two of them really bond on their ideas for how the world should look and the type of world they want to live in. Anita is not accepted where she went as a woman but her husband believes in her and together they made a great team.

The story finishes off in Italy where they are fighting for a unified Italy and you can just feel how amazing she is. While her husband was fighting these battles she rallied the woman and kept them busy. She did this all while raising her children and battling illnesses without her husband’s help.

Eventually, Anita is murdered in Italy by the opposition. I actually shed a tear because the writing was just so phenomenal that you actually felt like you knew her. I’m telling you this was just one of those rare books that sticks with you because of how amazing it is.

The fact that this was a true story was even more mind blowing because Anita was so courageous for a woman of her time. She wasn’t afraid to fight for freedom and the world that she wanted to live in. The Woman in Red is a story of marriage, freedom, and courage is one that definitely will be with me for awhile!

If you liked this book review, read last month’s here!