As a longtime fan of Moyes, I was bummed when I didn't really like her last book, The Peacock Emporium. I was hoping to love The Giver of Stars -- and I did! Based on a true story of female librarians who rode around on horseback in rural Kentucky delivering books during the Depression. (The very first bookmobiles!) I loved the story, the characters and learned a little about history at the same time. Very enjoyable read.

This book could make a good companion to THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK, in that they both focus on the Horseback Librarian program that existed in the United States in the 1930s. Here we follow some very brave women as they live their lives in a small Kentucky town during an era when women had very few rights. Alice, an English woman, has just married Bennett, a wealthy mine owner in the town. She is so bored with her new life that she volunteers to join the traveling library, during which she rides a horse through the mountains to distribute books and other reading materials to people living in the hills. Margery, who runs the library, is a smart, fiercely independent woman who doesn’t care what people think of her, an attitude that gets her, the library, and the other librarians, in a lot of trouble. The author skillfully depicts the very restricted lives of women in 1930s Kentucky, the power of friendship, and the magic that books can bring to anyone. I loved reading about this little-known piece of American history. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a preprint copy.

Another winner by Jojo Moyes! Fascinating look at a little known snippet of history, with strong female characterization and the flow of story that Moyes does so well. You'll find yourself getting a history lesson as well as a story, and cheer these women's moxie from start to finish!

Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced copy. Jojo Moyes has created another very satisfying story, this time in a historical setting: the packhorse librarians of Kentucky in the late 1930s. Loved the characters with whom we journey into the Kentucky hills. Once again, the characters she creates are very real and endearing — often people I would like to know. I knew a little bit about this subject, but this book made it come alive.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a librarian, I appreciated reading about the Packhorse Librarians standing up to naysayers who wanted to shut down their services. There is a lot going on in this book, including many "life events" and community conflict which I wish had been covered more deeply. I really loved this book and it has inspired me to read something else by the author. Thanks NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.
#TheGiverOfStars #NetGalley

I am a huge fan of JoJo Moyes. This book is a little different than her other works and it is excellent.. I had the opportunity to hear Ms. Moyes talk about her experience when writing this book. The novel takes place in Applachia, Kentucky and it is a fictionalized version of a real event - librarians riding horse to deliver books to the mountain people. Ms. Moyes did a large amount of research and it shows. But for fans of Ms. Moyes' romantic novels, they will also love the relationships in this novel.

This is a wonderful book about women with different backgrounds come together to support each and other and their community.

An inspiring story of a rarely mentioned historical event in Kentucky's and America's history that had a significant impact on many Appalachian families and children in the thirties and forties. Kudos to the five brave women who continued to press forward to deliver books and reading materials on horseback to the illiterate and deprived who were starving for reading materials and knowledge. Jojo Moyes wrote an entertaining story incorporating romance and family relationships into the historical data.

I love when a book gives life and voice to an interesting historical fact, and that is exactly what this book does. Moyes takes the historical fact of pack horse librarians and gives these librarians lives and depth that readers can delve into. I would have liked to have some historical anecdotes at the end of the book to round it off but, since I read an egalley maybe that is in the plans for the actual book.

Another great story from JoJo Moyes! Such likable characters that pull you in and bring all the feels. As a librarian, I was drawn to the story line immediately. The bravery, heart, and dedication of the women who inspired this tale are remarkable. This is a lovely book.

I loved this book! I kept staying up too late at night to read "just one more chapter". The characters were fleshed out and the setting was well described. My only two complaints would be that the character of Mr. Van Cleve was just a little too over the top to be believed, but still, he created a good foil for the women. And second, that the end of the book seemed to wrap up so fast. There was so much build up of Margery's trial and of Alice's romance with Fred that when they were both resolved, I felt like I had missed a page or two. But otherwise, fantastic book and I will be recommending it to everyone I know!

JoJo Moyes tells the story of five women in the post-depression years who run a library that delivers books to people who live up in the mountainous areas of Eastern Kentucky. Each woman has their own story, and as they work together, they develop a support system among themselves. They also are able to overcome the resistance of some of their patrons to both books and women doing such a job. One of the women is set up on a murder charge by a rich and powerful citizen who doesn't like to be "bested" by a woman. The librarians help her find a way to getting her freedom back and gaining the respect of the townspeople.

Interesting story based on fact during the depression. Eleanor Roosevelt influenced the inception of many programs for the poor and under privileged in our country before, during and after WWII. One such program was the formation of a group of women librarians delivering books to the back woods of Kentucky. The main character, Alice Wright leaves her home in England to find a better life in America. She discovers that married life is not what she expected, her husband is overbearing and cold. This leads her to join four other women delivering library books, not only sharing books but companionship and opportunities for learning.

This story has action and romance and depicts a little known part of American history. It will appeal to a broad audience.

Englishwoman Alice marries American Bennett and travels with him to his home in a small town in Kentucky. Bored out of her mind, and a bit disillusioned with the marriage, she jumps at the chance to work as a pack-horse librarian. Led by Maggie, an independent and unconventional woman, the team of librarians faces challenge and criticism from the town leaders.

Although the premise of the book seemed interesting, I found the story line extremely slow and the characters extremely stereotypical. The book was extremely predictable, and I found myself losing interest quickly. Overall, a bust.

Alice recently moved from England to Kentucky in the late 1930's. In a difficult marriage and lonely she joins a group of women who deliver books to rural communities on horseback. This is based on a true story of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's idea of a Pack Horse Library Project. The book also covers a wide variety of difficult topics from that time period including how poor people were taken advantage of when working in the coal mines and how people of color were shunned. What I liked most about the book were the friendships and relationships built between the women librarians and the people they delivered books to. The women all joined for different reasons but come together to help one of their own out. I finished this book days ago and still think about how wonderful it was!

This is an incredible story! The beautiful, rich prose transported me directly to the 18th century Kentucky mountainside. The characters are deep, complex, and relate-able. Moyes crafted a compelling and complex plot with a focus on women's rights, racism, and the value of knowledge and education. I don't typically read books more than once but I know I will return to this one many times because I love it so much!

I loved this book about the WPA Horseback Librarians! Set in rural Appalachian Kentucky around 1935 this historical fiction highlights the challenges of getting the program up & running. From difficult trails up into the mountains, to suspicious mountain families, classist & racist townspeople, & severe weather conditions, still the librarians persevered. The benefits to the new patrons, some of whom were really isolated & didn’t see many people but their own family members & the librarians, were immense. The intimacy of visiting people’s homes to offer them reading material is an interesting facet of this program as well. Many of the mountain people lived in extreme poverty but most were kind & generous & tried to give back to the librarians. I loved the vignettes of children learning to read, wives sharing new recipes, families celebrating & grieving ( & even a “shocking” book scandal!).

There is an added layer of a town based in the mining trade during a time with no unions (some were trying to form & met with extreme violence by the mine bosses). Without unions workers who got hurt on the job were not compensated & then found themselves unemployable after with their families plunged into a deeper level of poverty. Before the unions, conditions were deplorable & it seemed to be common to have regular losses of lives or limbs. The plot on the local mine & the affects to the land & people was interesting. I do have to admit that it was particularly easy to hate the mine owner. We get to know him personally through his daughter-in-law’s eyes & then see his profit driven business methods & he does not seem to have one redeeming characteristic. This may be a bit one dimensional but it certainly made for a good villain. The other characters are much more complex and layered & you just come to love them & hope for everything to come out okay in the end.

Once again, JoJo Moyes did not let me down; love stories, literacy, friendship, & even a murder trial. I flew through this book in a day because I didn’t want to put it down.

* I received a digital galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice was considered outspoken and socially inept by her family in England. So when she met and fell in love with Bennet Van Cleve, her family was thrilled to see her married and off to America. When she got off the ship she was surprised to find that she would not be living in a city like New York but rather in Baileyville in the Appalachians in Kentucky. Bennett’s father, Geoffrey, owned a nearby mine and since Bennet worked with his father, it was natural that the couple would move into the large Van Cleve family home.
Alice was soon bored and had not been able to make friends in the town. Then a local woman held a meeting for the townspeople and told of a WPA library program that would employ women to deliver books on horses to people in rural areas. Alice volunteered over the objections of her husband and father in law.
There were 4 women who worked as the traveling librarians: Alice, Margery, Beth and Izzy. Margery was the rough hewn daughter of a known bootlegger. Izzy was the daughter of the director of the program and had survived polio but wore a leg brace. Beth was a local girl who needed a job. Eventually they hired Sonia, a black woman who had previously worked in a library in Louisville, to keep records. However Sonia’s employment had to be kept a secret from locals who did not like the idea of a black person working with the other women.
It took awhile for the women to gain the confidence of the locals but eventually many of the mountain people were anxious to see them each week.
Married life was proving difficult for Alicia and Bennet. They had never consummated the marriage & Bennet did not seem interested in doing so. Everything came to a head when Alice gave 2 of Bennett’s late mothers’ dolls to some girls who had lost their father. Mr. Van Cleve reacted to this news by violently striking Alice and afterward she left the Van Cleve home to live with Margery.
Mr. Van Cleve was now an enemy of Alice and all the others associated with the traveling library. He did his best to have it shut down, even beseeching the governor to stop the program.
The rest of the story deals with consequences of the enmity between Mr. Van Cleve and Slice. Van Cleve also developed a hatred of Margery who he felt was inciting townspeople to deny him the ability to expand his coal mine.
This is a well written story of the historical significance of the revolutionary program of sending librarians out to the mountains to circulate books. It also spotlighted the unlikely friendship and bond between the librarians. Each of the women also developed a strength when she was faced with adversity.
The story has been bought by a major movie company and will be filmed soon.
This ARC was provided by the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I loved this book. The story was a totally new historical subject to me and so full of girl power and forward thinking I can't imagine why feminists aren't talking about it. I liked how Moyes added a twist with a quirky, strong, independent character who wasn't afraid to ruffle emotions to do what is right. The prejudices of the time period (1930s) was hard to read but I loved how Moyes managed to get a little bit of humanity into each character, even the horrid mine owner.

If you like books, horses, American history, a love story, strong fantastic characters and a structured, well planned storyline then this book is for you.