Summary: Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennet Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.
The leader, and soon Alice’s greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who’s never asked a man’s permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to them — and to the men they love — becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity, and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed ot their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.
Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic — a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.
(Summary from book flap – Image from www.kobo.com)
My Review: When newlywed Alice Van Cleave leaves her British homeland for America, she imagines living a life of excitement and luxury in the big city. Instead, she lands in a small Kentucky mining town, where she ends up living in the shadow of her late mother-in-law, bullied by her dictatorial father-in-law, and largely ignored by her husband. Then she meets Margery O’Hare, a defiant, no-nonsense, woman who delivers books to the impoverished families of Kentucky hill-country. When the community asks for volunteers to work alongside Margery, Alice answers the call, and eventually finds contentment, freedom, friendship, and a love that she has never known.
The Giver of Stars has all. the. things that make a story sing: a rich setting, characters with heart and depth, writing that resonates, and a plot that pulls you along with moving moments of heroism, tenderness, and redemption. It is filled with a fascinating assortment of inspiring women and a few good men who will melt your heart. The relationships that develop between these characters are everything and it was oh-so-easy to become fully invested in their lives. Margery is this brash, determined, unstoppable force of nature. And Alice? Well, her arc is a thing to behold. I loved the historical detail and evocative feminist and racial themes that wove throughout the story, delving into past (and sadly current) social issues.
The literacy aspect of this book was incredibly compelling. Even though the book is historical fiction, it was based on a real-life group of women who delivered books on horseback in hills of Kentucky to families with limited access to literature. It was exhilarating to read about those people (however fictional), whose lives were changed by these dedicated backwoods librarians. My favorite quote of the entire book, speaks to the transformative power of books: “…Nothing [is] more dangerous than a woman armed with a little knowledge.” I mean, come on. How could I not love this book?
I’m not sure how to segue into this next bit, so I’ll just say it. I’m not a huge fan of explicit sex in books, because I feel like I can’t recommend them to certain people within my reading circle. Thankfully, Moyes did a good job of writing limited scenes of intimacy in a way that was emotionally impactful but not overly graphic (see sensitive reader section below for details).
As is evidenced by Me Before You, Jojo Moyes is not afraid to rip out your heart and stomp on it repeatedly (with cleats), so I read this book with more than a little trepidation. I won’t spoil things for you by telling you how things end, but I will say that although I cried several times while reading and there were moments when my heart was pounding, The Giver of Stars was a truly enjoyable read that I didn’t want to throw across the room when I finished. All in all, I highly recommend it.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
For the Sensitive Reader: Some profanity, innuendo, and sexual language (around 15 instances). There is some M/F making out and light groping as well as some M/F sexual situations that are fairly subtle (sex overheard, vague allusions to sex rather than outright descriptions). Trigger warning: Domestic Violence, Assault, Racism, Sexism, Childbirth, Cruelty to Animals.
