THE FOUR WINDS

Narrator Julia Whelan brings vivid characterizations to Kristin Hannah’s bestselling saga about the 1930s Dust Bowl, as told from a woman’s perspective. Elsa Wolcott is tall, gangly, unloved by her family, and trapped in a spinster’s life in a Texas Panhandle town when an encounter with handsome Rafe Martinelli leads to a shotgun wedding. Life on the Martinelli farm offers unexpected contentment until the Depression, drought, and wind decimate the land and the people. Should the indomitable Elsa and her family flee their parched home? Elsa’s Texas grit is audible in her flattened tone and subtle twang. Her teenage daughter’s impatience and other characters’ vocal rhythms are equally convincing. With forceful narrative drive, Whelan delivers a compelling performance of Hannah’s memorable new novel. A.C.S. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2021]