Kristin Hannah (4/5 Stars)
Read this if you:
· need a good cry
· have ever felt like you don’t belong
· need some inspiration to be brave and stand up for yourself
· have a mom (or mother figure) who is your hero
Synopsis:
The story of Elsa Martinelli and her family who had to flee the Texas drought for their only chance at survival. When they arrive in California, where they believed all of their dreams will come true, they are met with hatred from the locals and are forced to live in slums due to unfair wages and no government assistance. When Elsa meets Jack, a Communist who wants the workers to fight for fair pay, she finally finds her voice that she pushed down her whole life.
My thoughts on the book:
This book is incredibly sad. I generally stick to lighter reads, so this really hit me hard. Reading about the Martinelli’s incredible hardship and strength was inspiring but it left me feeling so down. Kristin Hannah did a wonderful job bringing the characters and their story to life. I truly felt their desperation when they needed to leave home, their sadness when their arrival in California was not what they expected, and their love for one another. Loreda and Elsa’s relationship reminded me so much of my mom and I that the ending had me weeping long after I finished the book. This was my first Kristin Hannah book and I was extremely impressed with her writing, I will definitely be adding more of her books to my TBR!