First Initial Thoughts

Addie is a Junior at a college during the height of the depression. Her life is going well and she loves her job at the library. However, her parents due to the depression lost everything and unfortunately could not support Addie’s tuition. She is forced to leave the University and she has no plan on what she wants to do next. Her employer at the library presented her an opportunity to become a librarian delivering books in the Kentucky mountains to poor individuals. She is thrilled about the idea but boy she is in for a ride.

Emmett just graduated from the same University and met Addie during one of the annual goodbye bonfires. He has been looking all over town for a job with no luck and has no choice to return home in Boone’s Hollow and plan what to do from there. Coming home is not what he expected. His mom welcomes him home with open arms but his father and the other town’s folk don’t welcome him so easily. Emmett feels lost and doesn’t know what to do. He just needs a job and reluctantly joins his father in the mines as a worker.

Another side character that plays an important role later on in the story is Bettina. Bettina grew up with Emmett as a neighbor. She has had a huge crush on Emmett for years and hopes that with him returning home, he will notice her, and then court her. At first, she seemed kind of innocent, a foolish naive child but she kind of got a little too much. I will leave it at that.

Setting

Kim did an amazing job of describing Boone’s Hollow. It’s pretty much what you would expect a mining town to look like in the great depression. However, Kim had a way of describing the place that you learned even more about how the depression impacted everyone, especially the poorest of the poor. It was definitely eye-opening!

Final Thoughts

The town’s folk in Boone’s Hollow is very narrow-minded and opinionated. We see this happen when Addie tries to deliver the library books for the first week. Many don’t want to associate with her, and more so because she boarded with an older woman named Nanny Fay. Many view Nanny Fay as a witch and are racist over her Cherokee relations (her past husband was part Cherokee). However, as the reader, we find that she is actually a sweet old woman that is misunderstood. Her backstory was heartwarming but also equally sad.

I think I related to Emmett the most. I graduated from college in 2009 when the market crashed a couple of years prior and jobs were almost nonexistent. It was incredibly hard to get a job in the field I graduated from so I literally took any job I could get. However, I think through those experiences I found God’s plan for me. And we see this with Emmett coming home and finding what he truly is meant to do in life. Even through hardships, God is always there for us.

Bettina…Oh Bettina. I won’t give too much away but that poor girl just needed help. She needed real professional help. Even though she was kind of nutty and aggressive at times, I think if one understood her backstory we would understand her thought processes. Even though Bettina got on my nerves at times, I think Kim did this for a reason because she wanted the reader to not only understand her motives but also sympathize with her.

This book also kind of reminded me of the show, The Waltons. Both stories were set during the depression and both stories showed how families suffered during these times. But also how each family preserved through it all and wanted better for their children by offering them books and literature.

I highly recommend this book and I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Kim Vogel Sawyer's books are always infused with the love of Jesus and His grace for us. I do believe this one is my favorite though. The Librarian of Boone's Hollow is so much more than the story of a young girl looking for work who ends up in the Black Mountains delivering library books. Sawyer has a way of creating characters that become friends to her readers. And this one delivered. I would keep reading if there was more to read.
The book itself is about Addie, a young lady who's parents lose their home after her father loses his job during the Great Depression. As a result, she has to leave school. Determined to help her parents, she finds a job as a packhorse librarian in Boone's Hollow. But, she finds, the Hill people are not so taken with outsiders. Working with Addie are three young women, one of which is Bettina, a lady with a troubled home life desperate to find love and escape. Emmett is the library director and, even though he has a degree, his return home to Boone's Hollow didn't go as he expected. Add in a "witch lady" named Nanny Fay, some disgruntled townsfolks, and a history of distrust and feuding that goes back as far as anyone can remember, and you have a story well worth your time. As I said, I would keep reading about the folks of Black Mountain if I could. I have no doubt that you will fall in love with them also!
Thank you to Kim Vogel Sawyer for sharing her love of Jesus with us and all of her characters. I look forward to many more! Thank you also to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I freely offer my own opinions.

Just a good read about part of America's history that is amazing to read about. I love that the government paid people to deliver books to those who could not make the trek to a library. It was such an interesting read and Kim Vogel Sawyer is always able to bring her characters to life. I recommend this to not only Sawyer's fans, but any historical reader.

Boone's Hollow, Kentucky in Appalachia is the setting for this 1930s-1940s era story. It centers around the mining town, its residents with long-held beliefs and the Pack Horse Library Project set up by the WPA. Miss Addie Cowherd takes a much-needed job as a pack horse librarian. A college acquaintance of hers, Emmett Tharp, hails from Boone's Hollow and has returned home after graduation. His business degree is not popular in the area and he aims to find a steady job.

A local young woman, Bettina, sees the return of Emmett as the way out of her hardscrabble life. Long time herbal medicine woman, Nanny Fay, takes in Addie as a border and gets some friendship back in her own life.

I enjoyed the story, the setting and the characters.

Title: The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow
Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer

Ch: 37 Plus Epilogue

Pg: 346

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Waterbrook



The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer has two things I love in fiction libraries and my home state as the setting. Set in 1930s depression Kentucky Addie Cowherd takes a job as a pack horse librarian in Boone’s Hollow through she dreams of being an author. But she’ll do what she has to do to help her parents. Emmett Tharp grew up in Boones Hollow where your either mine coal or run moonshine. (which was true for Kentucky and the time period) he got out to get a degree but because of the depression jobs are few and far between so he’s back home.


I’ve been fascinated by the pack horse Librarians since I learned about them in my fourth grade unit on Kentucky history. These typical local women who would ride horses or mules or sometimes walk miles to get their neighbors reading material. They were heroes and accepted because they were from the area. That’s why Addie being rejected for being an outsider didn’t shock me.


This wasn’t the first historical fiction novel I read about the WPA Pack horse librarian program that goes to Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin that I read back in 2011 but The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow is my favorite. And it holds the title for a library housed in a location I’d never seen before. Addie though not a local takes the job for many of the same reasons the real women did for money to help their families out.


Kim Vogel Sawyers books are either hit or miss for me I’m glad this one was a hit. I think fans of historical fiction and libraries will love this one. As well as fans of Lynn Austin’s Wonderland Creek.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher a part of a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

A quick and light story about a very interesting woman. I don't normally lean toward inspirational but this was a fine book with a nice story.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this new book by Kim Vogel Sawyer. I was drawn into this story set during the Great Depression and the way the characters lived during this time. I loved learning about life as a Pack Horse Librarian. This was a real job of the WPA program instituted by President Roosevelt to try to boost the economy. Being an avid reader myself, I am so glad that books could be brought to this rural areas. Addie's bravery after being forced to leave college and travel to Boone's Hollow where she knew no one was inspiring. Addie, Emmett, and Nanny Fay were models of how a Christian should conduct themselves; though, at times they seem a little too good to represent real people. Their actions and reactions definitely show what Christians should strive to be. I felt terrible for Nanny Fay and how the people of Boone's Hollow treated her, yet she had such a kind soul and temperament. In contrast, Bettina was spiteful and mean, yet I found myself feeling sorry for her due to how she was treated by her father. She really was just seeking love. My only disappointment in the book was that the romance between Addie and Emmett didn't really play out the way I hoped it would. There just wasn't enough told about their relationship. I would love to see these characters again in a future book and see what life is like for them.

I have always found the folks of the hills, like those in another great book, "Christy", to be interesting. Superstitions and downright stubborn pride are so rampant that no one ever really knows what started a feud. Yet, this pride is what kept these folks alive in a way. Kim did an excellent job diving into both the good and bad aspects of the societal issues of the fictional Boone's Hollow.
One protagonist has a rugged pulled out from undernher and must accept a job in the middle of nowhere as a traveling librarian. The other has to return to his hometown when jobs are not available fresh off his college graduation. You have to read it for yourself to discover who the antagonist is and the journey that character takes.
I did enjoy this story. It was well-written. I only wish it would have continued a little longer. I hope the author expands on the antagonist and writes a sequel.

I received an ARC via Netgalley but I freely give my honest review.

The Librarian of Boone's Hollow
by
Kim Vogel Sawyer

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

I was so happy to be get my hands on the latest Kim Vogel Sawyer. I have always loved her books. Almost every book I have read by Kim Vogel Sawyer has tugged at my heart and touched me but this one did not.

I did not enjoy reading this book at all. I found it very slow and it took me a long time to get thru it. You have to get 60% into the story until the main character, Addie, actually starts her job as the librarian of Boone’s Hollow.

I did not like any of the main characters and could not relate to any of them.

Sorry to say I would not recommend this book to anyone.

I would like to thank Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow, by Kim Vogel Sawyer, is a wonderful story that takes place in Kentucky during the great depression. Addie and Emmett first briefly met at college. When Addie is forced to drop out due to lack of funds, she is offered a job to deliver books to families outside of Boone Hollow. After graduation, Emmett is unable to find work and goes home to his family. After deciding to take a job at the mine, he is offered the head librarian’s position and has to make the decision to leave the mines.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. The writing is so clear it is easy to envision the struggles Addie had to learn to ride a horse and how hard it was to fit in Boone Hollow as an outsider. It is heart-warming to see the generosity of her parent’s friends and church members with helping supply the library needs. I enjoyed reading of the dangers the men face with mining and the precautions they need to take and the jobs the government created for those who needed them during the depression. This story does touch on the topic of abuse and prejudice, and the love and support given to those in need.

I received an ebook copy of this story from Waterbrook Multnomah publishing through NetGalley, this is my honest review.

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow is one of the best books Kim Vogel Sawyer has written and that’s saying a lot! The book focuses on the Kentucky Packhorse Library Project and the people trying to survive in the depression-era Kentucky mountains. While the story introduces some wonderful characters, the plot is really focused on Emmet and Addie. Both are trying to use their college degrees (well, almost a degree for Addie) to make the life of the small mountain community better through books. The story gives an accurate portrayal of what life was like during this time. From child abuse to mountain superstitions, Sawyer brings the story from fiction to real life. I can see The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow as a movie. The picturesque mountain setting and the believable characters along with the flowing dialogue make this book is a must read! I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

This is a sweetly told heartwarming story based in the mountains of Kentucky. With the Christian themes of love and forgiveness, it features the historical beginnings of libraries in that area including the importance of packhorse librarians. I don't think many are aware of this occupation nor the fact that most of them were women. It's a very easy but interesting and somewhat soothing read for anyone who likes Christian fiction or Kentucky history.

There is nothing better than picking up a book and discovering something new about a time in our country’s history. To have this knowledge delivered through interesting and quirky characters is even better.

In Librarian of Boones Hollow, Kim Vogel Sawyer has given us a glimpse into the coal mining country of Kentucky during the Great Depression. This book is so beautifully written that you can smell the wood fires, the decaying autumn leaves and hear the twang of the various characters all of which have their own voice. We learn of a program called Works Progress Administration, WPA for short. Through WPA the main female character, Addie due to unforeseen circumstances, ends up in Boones Hollow as a travelling librarian taking books and magazines to isolated families in the hills. The main male character, Emmett, is a young man who left the hills to attend college. Both face prejudice and struggles to be accepted. How will these two lives inner twine? Along with Addie and Emmett are several supporting characters that give this story life, Bettina who was hard to like at times, the two mothers and two fathers and the resident healer so often found in the Appalachian hills. Superstition, suspicion, and secrets are part of this story as they were in real life.

The spiritual thread woven through the lives of these people showed how to persevere with faith even during the dark and tough times.

I loved this book and am hoping there is a sequel.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Waterbrook and was not required to give a positive review.

The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
________________________________________________________________________
Story Notes

This was an interesting look at some of the work done by the employees of Roosevelt's WPA movement. I really enjoyed reading about how the books and magazines were passed out and about the people who live in the hills of Kentucky. Addie Cowherd was a week away from graduating from the University of Kentucky but a lack of ability to pay for her classes leaves her without a home or job. The offer to be a pack librarian for the town of Boone's Hollow and the surrounding hills is a blessing she didn't expect or is sure she's ready to take on. But a paycheck is a valuable asset in the wake of the stock market collapse, so Addie determines to do her best. Along the way she will find challenges to her faith and her person and she just might find a way to make her dream of being a writer come true. I loved reading Addie's story and how there were other character insights given too. I was able to see the story from four different points of view and that gave the story some good depth. Bettina was an excellent character who just wanted someone to love her and give her a way out of her hard situation. Her lashing out at others was a form of protection any who have been through what she had would do. Nanny Fay was a perfect example of Jesus to all around her even in the face of unkindness and distrust. Her quiet way of sharing love with others and "turning the other cheek" inspired others to do the same. And Emmett was a good character too, but I wish he been a little more apt to stand up to Bettina. Her meanness to others could have been curbed if Emmett had spoken with her straight out. I do believe others will like this look back at another time and place that might given them some things to think over about themselves, I certainly did.

I received this temporary complimentary E-book from Waterbrook/Multnomah via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

“But a town with a library was a good town. She’d be happy there. In time, she’d feel right at home.”
Just before final exams at college, Addie Cowherd finds out her parents haven’t been able to pay her school bill and she won’t be allowed to finish the semester. They’ve had to sell their house and move into a boarding house and have no room to take her back in. She needs to find a job and a place to live in a hurry. She had been working part-time at the local library during school and while they don’t have the funds to keep her on, the director hears about a job in Boone’s Hollow as a packhorse librarian and Addie applies. She leaves city life to live in a small town in Kentucky where family grudges are held for generations.

I was part of the launch team for The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow. I’ve read two other books about the packhorse librarians – The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson – and wanted to see what the storyline would be for this third book. The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow is written by a Christian author. I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

When Addie gets to Boone’s Hollow, she is immediately cast as an outsider by most. Then, she chooses to room with an older woman whom a lot of people hold a grudge against because she married an Indian. For two weeks, she tries to deliver books, but no one will take them from her. However, Emmett comes back to town after graduating from the same college Addie attended and takes over the library. Can he help her change the town’s attitude toward newcomers?

I enjoyed reading The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow. It is written from a Christian perspective and some parts feel a little forced as the characters tend to realize that they did something wrong really quick and then set it right really quickly. Readers who enjoy Christian fiction will enjoy this book, though – especially if they also enjoy historical fiction.

When Adelaide Cowherd's adoptive parents can no longer afford her college tuition (hello, Great Depression!), Addie, as everyone calls her, has to get a job to help pay off her debt. With experience working in her college library, she's offered a position as a "packhorse librarian" in Boone's Hollow, Kentucky. Organized by the WPA, packhorse librarians deliver library books to poor people.

But little does Addie know that the folks in Boone's Hollow don't take kindly to outsiders. They don't even take kindly to their own kind, especially when their kind go off and graduate from college, as Emmett Tharp has done. He's the first in his family to go to college, much to his mother's delight. However, the Depression has made it hard for educated men to find jobs. Is working in the coal mine alongside his father Emmett's only option?

If Bettina Weber had her way, Emmett would stay by her side in Boone's Hollow or elsewhere for the rest of her life. She may be young, but she's had her sights set on Emmett since they were kids, and she just knows that Emmett will court and marry her one day. Except, it seems like Emmett has eyes for new librarian Addie.

The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer is more than just a love triangle and romance. In fact, there's nary a romantic scene until the very end. This is actually a story about finding out other people's stories. Boone's Hollow people are unkind to old Nanny Fay, but that's because they don't really know her. Bettina is unkind to Addie, but that's because she never gives Addie a chance. And nobody in town knows the real story of Bettina and her late mom, except for one person.

I enjoyed how the author weaved scripture throughout the novel without hitting you over the head with it. It seemed very natural for these church-going characters to quote the Bible. And I also liked how the main characters were working to change the bigoted attitudes of the townspeople through library books and stories. Reaching out to those who are different is exactly what Jesus would have done.

The Librarian of Boone's Hollow is published by WaterBrook and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free e-ARC in exchange for my review.

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow is such a beautiful story of faith, hope, and love! I loved the way that both Addie and Emmett clung tightly to their faith and the things their parents had taught them. Each showed strength of character when faced with superstition, prejudice, and suspicion.

Told through the eyes of several of the characters, I was able to see the hardships faced in the mountain communities steeped in ancient rivalries and superstition. I was quite touched by Bettina’s plight, despite how much she made me not want to like her! I was impressed, also, by the way the author made each narrator’s voice sound so different from the others.

I loved reading about the packhorse librarians, commissioned by the WPA to provide jobs and promote literacy. And to think they made such high salaries like $25 a week!

Sadly, one of the characters endured violence at the hand of her father. While this is mentioned, there are no descriptions of these abusive acts, just the after-effects of bruising, self-depreciation, and fear.

Kim Vogel Sawyer did such a beautiful job of keeping the story pointing to Jesus. Nanny Fay, one of my very favorite characters, was such an example of grace and forgiveness towards the community that shunned her and refused to allow her to feel she was a part of it. She continually exhibited the love of God and shared the pearls of her wisdom to Addie.

If you enjoy historical fiction with a strong faith element, I encourage you to read The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow.

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow is a fascinating look at the Great Depression and the packhorse librarians employed by the government during that time to remote regions of the Appalachian Mountains. Addie Cowherd had hopes of being a college graduate, but the economic difficulties mean she must quit and find a way to support herself. Through a connection with the local library, she acquires a job as a packhorse librarian, traveling to Boone’s Hollow, where she is most decidedly treated as an outsider by the majority of the townspeople. However, she is not without friends – Emmett Tharp moves back home to Boone’s Hollow after graduating from college, with hopes of finding a job closer to home, while Nanny Fay provides Addie with not only a place to stay, but a home away from home.

I appreciated the strong faith message in this novel, primarily to trust God no matter what circumstances life is bringing your way. Addie endears herself to the reader by being able to accept changes with grace, while also being a bit bewildered by her new surroundings and receiving treatment from others that she’s not used to receiving, while Nanny Fay reacts to even the smallest blessing with gratitude and warmth. Emmett attempts reconciliation, as he clashes with his father over what he feels he is called to do with his life. Throughout the story, Sawyer does well to highlight prejudices and ways of life that were realistic to the time, though heartbreaking and off-putting to the modern day reader. There is a slight thread of romance that is very light, but does have a happily ever after in the end.

I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to post a positive review, and these are my honest thoughts and opinions.

The storyline and characters in this book are very compelling. Reading this book made me feel as if I’d actually traveled back to the years of the Great Depression and lived in Boone’s Hollow. I felt for Addie as her whole world turns upside down and she has to leave college because of economic reasons. When she takes the job there, she immediately has to deal with the prejudices, superstitions, and mountain traditions to which the maintain people cling to tightly.

I liked that as we follow this story through the viewpoints of Addie and Emmet, the author shows respect for the mountain people. She acknowledges their flaws, but never ridicules them. The themes of faith in God during distressing times and helping those who are sometimes unloveable directs the story in an inspiring way. As I finished the book, I was sorry to leave these characters behind; however, I think this book is a stand-alone story and there’s not a sequel. If you’ve ever read and enjoyed the book “Christy” by Catherine Marshall, I believe you’d love this one, too.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Kim Vogel Sawyer has once again written a beautiful inspirational story with her newest release The Librarian of Boone's Hollow. I adored Addie’s Depression era tale. I was entertained from start to finish. I loved every single page.

I am giving The Librarian of Boone's Hollow a very much well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who need a story of faith and inspiration. It is most definitely worth a read.

I received The Librarian of Boone's Hollow from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is one hundred percent my on honest opinion.