As with all well-researched and written historical fiction, the reader is transported to a unique place with memorable characters in this fast-paced volume. Early twentieth century Monrana's copper mining camps and prohibition era liquor surveyors fill this book about the power of books and reading. When an altruistic young librarian from a wealthy family establishes a rolling lending library in a boxcar to visit mining camps and towns throughout the state, she has no idea of the people she'll encounter. But the rough-hewn, yet well-read, woman she engages to staff the library opens her eyes. Meanwhile the New Deal Era Federal Writer's Project Montana guide book staff search for the past and discover dark secrets.

Thank you to @netgalley and @WilliamMorrow for this ARC. This story told from 3 different women. Alice, a daughter of the mayor who has everything she wants and needs. Collete, the daughter of a miner and union organizer who has everything she needs but not much of what she wants. Millie, an editor for the Works Program Administration who produce travel guides for the states. One thing connects them - Books. This was such a great book - full of love, loss, mystery and betrayal. I absolutely loved it! #TheBoxcarLibrarian #BriannaLabuskes #March2025

Any story that revolves around books is an immediate hit with me and so I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to read this tome. I was a bit confused at first because of the shifting time periods as I skipped over the dates at the beginning of each chapter, but eventually I started paying attention to them and the story came together. The book weaves together the American Guide Series, a project of Roosevelt’s Works Project Administration, the Lumberman’s Boxcar Library, and the corruption of the Montana mining companies into a story of three women who took matters into their own hands to become strong in the face of adversity. And their love of books and wish to share that love with others was the thread that tied it all together. Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I cannot begin to explain to you how much this book changed my brain chemistry. A story told in three converging POVs, Alice, Millie, and Collette's stories tell of fighting for what is right, revenge, and love all centered around the power of books and storytelling. We meet Millie first in 1936 where she works as an editor on The American Guide project. She gets sent to Montana to figure out who is sabotaging the manuscripts. Alice's story starts in 1924 where we learn who is librarian who brings books to one of the closer mining camps but dreams of being able to reach more people. Collette has learned a lot from her father in 1914, including her passion for workers' rights and storytelling.

I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat. I definitely didn't see a couple of the plot twists coming. I always think it's a testament to the author when they can make you cry at the beautiful moments too, not just the heartbreaking ones, and Labuskes has done that for me in this novel.

I think readers of all kinds will enjoy this book. Definitely a must read 2025 release! I've already been telling my friends and family they have to read this when it releases! I will definitely be scrambling to get my hands on more of Labuskes novels.

Review goes live February 10

The Boxcar Librarian
by Brianna Labuskes
Pub Date: March 4, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Inspired by true events, a thrilling Depression-era novel from the author of The Librarian of Burned Books about a woman’s quest to uncover a mystery surrounding a local librarian and the Boxcar Library—a converted mining train that brought books to isolated rural towns in Montana.

What a wonderful. book! The Boxcar Librarian follows three women from the 1920s to 1930s. It is based on the true events of the Boxcar Library, which went from a mining camp to mining camp in Montana. I loved reading about each of the different women, their love for literature, and their desire to help others love reading as much as they did poured off the page. I loved following Millie, Alice, and Colette's story. This book has romance, mystery, and so much more. The author's goal was to demonstrate the capacity of books to provide connection and light to those who need it most and boy did this book do that!

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins Publishing for an early copy of The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes

Alice Monroe
Colette Durand
Millie Lang,,,

Three women connected in ways they cannot imagine as their lives resemble a kaleidoscope changing shape in The Boxcar Librarian. This deeply researched novel is trademark Brianna Labuskes as the Works Progress Administration of the 1930s, mining in the State of Montana and union organization come together to offer readers a compelling and reflective vetting of this time frame and this place.

Alice Monroe is the daughter of a wealthy Montanan connected to the mining industry. It is Alice's vision to create a traveling bookmobile on one of the train cars used to move ore through the state. She is quite well-read as she is an only child and friendships with other children were discouraged while she was growing up. When Alice gets the go-ahead to create the literary boxcar, she hires Colette Durand, daughter of a miner and union supporter to travel the rails to the various Montana sites.

Millie Lang has been hired by the WPA and is given the assignment to travel to Montana to discover why submissions to the American Guide featuring Montana is blank. Millie will confront the small team in Missoula, Montana and form a plan to solve the mystery.

The Anaconda Mining Company is anything but benevolent toward its workers, leading to violent confrontations in words and actions. Colette suffers a particular tragedy and will go to any lengths to seek vengeance.

Author Labuskes makes use of many books and genres from The Odyssey to Shakespeare to L.M. Montgomery including quotes and reflections as Montana's forgotten citizens are given the opportunity to imagine better lives through literature.

The Author's Note at the conclusion of The Boxcar Librarian is a very helpful source in explaining the roots of this quality read along with suggestions for deeper study of this time period.

This book was sad but so well written. Really enjoyed and highly recommend. There have been several books written about the holocaust but this is one of the best.

I really enjoyed this book and the history behind the different people and events in it. The author clearly did their research well and it made for a well developed cast of characters and three different story lines within the overall book. That was a little confusing at first but the author did a great job of making the transitions flow smoothly. There is a complicated story here but one that stuck with me after finishing and I’ll definitely be recommending it to my friends.

Interesting story from 3 different perspectives and timelines. Enjoyed the suspense and how the 3 stories weaved together. Really liked the book references throughout. Wish more storyline had been given to the life of the miners/ workers to really understand the importance of a workers Union and the threat that came with it to the Company. Some parts are laborious in detail, while other parts are scant or lacking completely, like the consequences for Finn. Also, Alice needs to be told about Oscar. With a good edit this will be a 5 star book.
Overall, was a good read.

This is my first book by Brianna Lubuskes, and I will be looking at her other books regarding literature because I enjoyed the Boxcar Librarian so much.
This book is based on true events in Montana during the Depression years of 1920-1930's in a bit of a dual timeline style separated by about a decade. It was a bit difficult to follow at the beginning, once I understood the premise, it all became clear and I was quickly immersed in the book.

The 3 main characters, Millie, Collete and Alice's lives all intersect due to their love of books and their belief that books can change lives, particularly when times are so tough and hope hard to come by. There is mystery, romance, history of mining and the unions, tragedy and heartache and yet, there is courage, tenacity, forgiveness, love and friendship that shine throughout the book. I really enjoyed the various books mentioned and quoted throughout the book, tailored to the persons situation.

Brianna's writing draws you to see the beauty of Montana, the railroad camps and feel the despair of hunger and scarcity, reflecting her well researched history of the era. There is 1 episode of non-graphic sex, some violence and intimations of hardships of being on the rails.
The journal at the end with more facts, how the author learned about the Boxcar Libraries was so interesting and added to the history.

If you are a book lover and enjoy reading about the impact of books during the depression, want to learn some history about Montana, in a plot twisting book with authentic and engaging characters, this is the book for you.
A huge thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for the privilege of this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Based on a true story. The Boxcar Library was created to bring books to mining towns in Montana. Such a great and interesting story of western history.

Part mystery, part romance, part found family, many parts revenge. Such an interesting read. Meet the characters in different time periods and watch them collide in the middle when all the pieces start to fall into place! Many twists and turns that all begin and end...with books. I love the ideas put forth in this book about how reading not only educates, but also has the ability to start revolutions. Something sorely needed in today's world. The uneducated are easy to keep down, the easiest way to keep people uneducated is to keep them from reading. Well done!

Truthfully, I requested this book from NetGalley because it was in the LGBTQIA category, and it was written by an author I’ve read before and enjoyed. The former is misleading; while there are some references to the fact that one of the main characters is bisexual, they are mostly in the nature of asides and are in no way a prominent part of the plot. As to the latter, in my opinion, The Boxcar Librarian is Brianna Labuskes at her best.

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction; I find most of it incredibly boring. But I can truthfully say that I was not bored for a single page of The Boxcar Librarian. Labuskes has a way of imbuing a scene with powerful emotions – grief, love, the heavy weight war leaves on a soul – not by describing how the characters feel but as an integral part of the action; it’s in the way the characters act and speak and relate with one another. The result is not only well-developed characters but a story the reader cannot help becoming invested in. As much as this book takes place during historical events, where it truly shines are in the relationships between the characters; the intimate moments are the ones that make it exceptional.

The book does take some liberties with historical events – namely the Lumberman’s Library, the American Guide Series, and union organizing – in that it intertwines these events in ways that they probably weren’t. Each aspect was clearly thoroughly researched, however, and while the book is a fictionalized account, the events described in its pages are certainly not outside the realm of possibility.

Because The Boxcar Librarian is historical fiction, and knowing my own reading preferences well, I didn’t have high expectations. I knew it wouldn’t suck, to be blunt – did I mention that I’ve read Labuskes before? – but I really didn’t expect more than that. I am pleased to report that I was very wrong. This is probably the best historical fiction I’ve ever read, and while I will reiterate that I don’t read many and my sample population is therefore small, I will also say that it is now the yardstick by which I will measure any that I do read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am posting a voluntary review.

Historical fiction that was very well done and researched. This story follows the lives of three women in Montana with a love for people and their stories as well as for books. As you follow the creation and launch of the boxcar library, you learn about life during a very difficult time in America's history. The way this book was written really makes you love the people and want to hear their stories. The historical information was intriguing and will make you want to go to Montana to see the areas talked about.

If you love historical fiction, this is a must read.

Great story about survival during depression times. History about government programs and individuals making their way and trying to help out others. Liked the way the author told the stories of individuals trying to survive and gives a view of how difficult life was for many in America. Well done.

I received a copy of the book "The Boxcar Librarian" by Brianna Labuskes. This book is seen through the eyes of three female characters. Colette, whose story starts in 1914, Alice in 1924, and Millie around 1936. eventually the three characters come together in the story. Each woman loves to read so they end up working for the Boxcar library that is on a train and travels the rails to mining towns to loan out books. Actually when i had an interest in reading this book, I thought it was about travelling the rails from town to town. But really there is much more to the plot. There is at least one murder that leads Colette to track down the person who killed her father. this ties in with Alice and eventually Millie. There is a lot going on in the story. a bit hard going back and forth to the different years. but works out in the end. a pretty good story. Even though I had hoped there had been more about the boxcar library.

Ugh (good “ugh”). Where to start with this one!? Synopsis. Right - this is very much the coming of age story of three young women who are infinitely shaped by books and the rough landscape of Montana. Alice, Collette and Millie’s stories become intertwined by a Boxcar Library and the American Guide series. The story has it all, mystery, action, murder, love and best of all BOOKS!

I think my favorite part of the book is that every single character was written to love books. I loved the way literature brings everyone together. It becomes the invisible string that drives the story forward.

Great read. I would/have absolutely recommended this book to anyone who listens.

Thank you William Morrow & NetGalley for this ARC.

I always learn something with her books and this one was no exception. Loved learning about the boxcar library which I did not know was a thing until I read her book. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper collins for the ARC

Took a long time for all the characters’ lives to cross, and the pacing was slow at the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and didn’t figure it out!

The Boxcar Librarian tells the true story of life in Montana in the 1920s. A place I know nothing about in 2024, let alone 100 years ago. What an interesting story that detailed life through the Great Depression. We had suspense, murder, tales of impossible love and a taste of union angst. Truly incredibly interesting characters that will stick with me.