Book Review of
The Giver of the Stars
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.
Lynn's Review
I have so many mixed thoughts on The Giver of the Stars by Jojo Moyes. I have heard so many good things about this book. I don’t think I have ever read anything by Jojo Moyes before. I thought this would be a good book of hers to try. It wasn’t a good one for me.
I am definitely in the minority on this book. It has four and half stars and over 4,000 reviews on Amazon. I can see why so many people enjoyed this book.
The overall subject and time period were great. She used her story to make some great points about things that happened in Kentucky during this time especially to women, but I struggled to like the characters and the choices they made.
Like I really struggled to like the characters. I can’t think of one character in the book that I really liked. I also thought the author lacked knowledge of Kentucky and possibly didn’t do her research well enough on the climate, terrain, plants, trees, etc.
I finished the book, and I am glad I did, but not sure this is one I will recommend. I think the author could have done so much better with the topic.
If you have read it I would love to hear your thoughts. I am sure some of you will disagree with me in this one.
I just recently heard about the Pack Horse Library project and thought it would be a fun part of history to read about for my Kentucky non-fiction book. Do you know of any non-fiction books about it? The only one I’ve found appears to be geared toward children: Down Cut Shin Creek, by Kathi Appelt. Thank you for any advice you can offer.
I have also wanted to learn more about the pack horse libraries but have not found much for nonfiction books about them. There are several fiction books, but very little nonfiction seems to have been written about them. I wish there was a great nonfiction book about them.
Thanks for your quick reply. I’ll have to read some of the fiction and be satisfied. 🙂