

Disowned by her parents for casting shame upon the family, Elsa marries Rafe and is taken in by Tony and Rose Martinelli, Rafe’s parents. When Elsa is swept off her feet by Rafe Martinelli, an 18-year-old son of a local farmer, their romantic affair leaves Elsa pregnant. Elsa is 25, and her parents, wealthy members of the local social scene, consider her too old and too plain for marriage, relegating her to the status of spinster.

The other book I read by Kristin Hannah….brilliant….The Four Winds tells the story of Elsa Wolcott, a young woman born and raised in Texas during the boom years of the 1920s. But….because it is so beautifully written the reader suffers right along with the characters. “The Four Winds” is a beautifully written novel about love, hate, fear, and most of all struggle. Oh, to find out what happens you will have to read the book. Years of intense struggle pass, Rafe leaves, and finally the pain and suffering (along with Ant’s sickness caused by the dust storms) force Elsa to take the kids to California, where……


People are leaving the midwest and heading to California where jobs are promised and there is no drought. Their farm is struggling in the great depression and dust bowl.īut Elsa works hard, perseveres, and is brave (or makes believe she is). Loreda almost 13 and Anthony (Ant) about 8.Įlsa’s parents dis-owned her but Rafe’s parents accepted her into the family, and love her and the grandkids. She is not loved by her parents and the only words of encouragement she ever heard were from her grandpa: Be brave (and if you can’t be brave, make believe you are).Įlsa is brave….even though she does not think she is.īuying some beautiful red silk, Elsa made a dress, did herself up really nice (she is not pretty….her parents tell her that all the time), and headed out the door, against her fathers wishes, to a speakeasy, where she met a farmer from another town….Rafe.Įlsa and Rafe Martinelli have two kids. Elsa Wolcott is 25 years old, far past the time to marry.
