My review for THE GIVER OF STARS has been a long time coming. At this point, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read this book. I think I’m up to five. (Audios really help with rereads.) While the Pack Horse Library was a real group of women who delivered library books on horseback or muleback, this was a fictional story encompassing that era. And while I enjoyed that aspect very much as it was the vehicle that brought the women together, the strength of these women and the found family they created was the backbone of this phenomenal story.
Diversity reigns, as we have women from all walks of life here. The two standouts for me were Alice, a woman who traveled from Europe to America when she thought she met a man who saw her for who she was only to find out she doesn’t quite meet his expectations, and Marjorie, who, in my opinion, was the real hero in this story. This is a woman who blazes her own trail, sees what everyone has to offer and gathers together strong women to be part of the Pack Horse Library. I love that while people were quick to judge her, she never let it stop her from finding the good in people. There were parts of this story that were heartbreaking, and it was devastating to read stories about women that truly were powerless in their circumstances. But these were strong women, and no matter what tradition dictated, they’d buck it when push came to shove. Especially when it was for each other. I laughed and cried while I read this book, cheering these women every step of the way. Was there a fair amount of men in this story? Absolutely - and there were a few amazing ones. But for me, this story was about the women, and while I enjoyed their relationships with the men in their lives, it was the love they had for each other that captivated me. If you’re a fan of Historical Fiction and haven’t read THE GIVER OF STARS, it should be at the top of your TBR.
Audio: Julia Whelan narrated this story, and while Jojo Moyes created these characters, Julia Whelan breathed the breath of life into them. She captured every emotion perfectly, and she made a book that I thought I couldn’t possibly love any more even more enjoyable!
Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett 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 to 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.
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