Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry vs The Four Winds: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Depressions, History, Fiction

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Mildred D. Taylor · 1976 ★★★★☆ 3.9 210 pages · ≈ 3 h 53 m · Challenging

Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, it is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence. It is a story of physical survival, but more important, it is a story of…

Southern states Blacks Prejudices Race Relations

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The Four Winds Kristin Hannah · 2021 ★★★★☆ 4.3 536 pages · ≈ 9 h 56 m · Moderate

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when…

Texas Country life Romance & Relationships

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The Four Winds highest: The Four Winds 4.3 · Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 3.9.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 9 for The Four Winds.
The Four Winds has the widest readership — 1084925 ratings behind its score.
The Four Winds runs the darker storyline; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry ≈ 3h vs 9h for The Four Winds Want the crowd-tested pick? The Four Winds 1084925 ratings vs 132673 for Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Just want the better-reviewed one? The Four Winds 4.3 vs 3.9 from readers New to the genre? The Four Winds Moderate vs Challenging for Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry In the mood for something dark? The Four Winds a darker storyline than Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Scores by source

	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry	The Four Winds
Goodreads	3.9 (132673)	4.3 (1084925)
Hardcover	3.9 (111)	4.2 (411)
Google Books	—	5.0 (3)
Apple Books	4.0 (857)	4.5 (11943)

Reception

	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry	The Four Winds
Ratings	132673	1084925
Editions	70	13
Film adaptations	1	—
Want to read	33846	715108
Reading it now	3306	56140
Written reviews	6849	97708
Wikipedia attention	4733	520
Pages	210	536

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry or The Four Winds?

The Four Winds has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Four Winds 4.3/5, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry or The Four Winds?

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (210 pages, ≈ 3 h 53 m); The Four Winds (536 pages, ≈ 9 h 56 m).

Which is harder to read: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry or The Four Winds?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Challenging; The Four Winds: Moderate.