Review of A Striving After Wind

[Rajnee Varma]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Striving After Wind" by Sharon Traner.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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A Striving After Wind Part II is a novel by Sharon Traner that concludes the story of the Winston family that began in the first part. A wealthy and successful businessman, Matthew Winston, uprooted his family of ten children from New York to settle on a deserted farm in Iowa to live in the dilapidated house and start a new life as a farmer. But the farm has an unpleasant history of its original native American owner being hanged by some racist white people and his family being driven out. The Winston family struggles through all types of challenges, including physical, emotional, financial, and legal. Anne is the mother figure and peacemaker for all her siblings. She detests their hired farmhand, Sonny, for his indifference and arrogance, even though he is their saviour in every difficult situation. The story revolves around her as she deals with her responsibilities and how her brothers' lives and emotions affect the family. It is a fascinating story that features the love stories of the Winston siblings, drug addiction, sibling rivalry, a physically challenged child, the Vietnam War, and the beautiful but challenging country life.

It is a wonderful story of courage and perseverance. The strong, powerful characters trying to find purpose and meaning in their lives force the reader to pause and contemplate. The author has developed the characters quite beautifully. The innocence and longing for love in Anne, her frustration and helplessness, her resolve to keep the family united, and her conflicting feelings towards Sonny are clearly illustrated. Matthews' character shows how, unknowingly, a loving parent can cause jealousy and resentment in children. Luke, an emotional artist, values the honour of his family and his nation and emerges as a strong survivor of the Vietnam War. How negative emotions and bad company drive the teenagers to drug addiction is also depicted. But Sonny is the strongest and most pivotal character—both physically and emotionally strong, loving and caring, thoughtful, hardworking, and always helpful.

The story illustrates the joy and satisfaction of a farmer after a successful crop. The beauty of nature—the purity of land, the magnificence of rivers, the freshness of air—and farm life are captivating. There is nothing in the story that requires improvement, and there is no scope for criticism, either of the story, the language, or the writing style.

The author has included a short summary of the first part of the book, and the reader does not miss the first part. However, I wonder why such an excellent book has been so poorly edited as to contain too many errors to ignore. The book deserves a perfect rating except for the errors, but I have no choice but to rate it only 4 out of 5 stars.

The book leaves a strong impression and compels us to think about the various aspects of human psychology and social behaviour. It is a serious yet very entertaining book. I would recommend it to people who like meaningful, positive stories, especially about country life. Although the book is independently enjoyable, I suggest reading the first part as well, which is equally good and will definitely enhance the reading experience.

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A Striving After Wind
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[Okewunmi Pelumi]

This is an awesome review. I love it.