Name: Beth Bartholomew's review of The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
Item: The Giver of Stars
Rating: 4
Author: Beth Bartholomew

Jojo Moyes

THE SPELLBINDING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK - FROM THE AUTHOR OF ME BEFORE YOU 'Inspiring and wildly romantic' DAILY MAIL BOOKS OF THE YEAR 'Her best novel yet. The most appealing thing is Moyes' wonderful way with romance' THE TIMES ___________ The greatest love story is the one you least expect . . . Alice is stifled, bored, and misunderstood. So when she meets wealthy and handsome American, Bennett Van Cleve, she is quickly swept off her feet. Marrying him and moving to America seems like a great adventure - but life as a newlywed in stuffy Baileyville, Kentucky, is not at all what she hoped for. Until, that is, she responds to a call for volunteers to start a travelling library, surprising herself by saying yes, before her husband can say no . . . Led by feisty and rebellious Margery O'Hare, this unlikely group of women travel far and wide on their mission to bring books and reading to those that need it, and Alice finally finds the freedom, friendship and love that she's been looking for. But not everyone approves of what they are doing, especially her new father-in-law. And when the town turns against them, will their belief in each other and their work be enough? The Giver of Stars is a mesmerising tale of female friendship, romance, and the wonder of books and reading, inspired by a remarkable true story. __________ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BOOKS OF THE YEAR 'So amazing and transportive. I'm the biggest Jojo Moyes fan. It is so beautifully written' REESE WITHERSPOON 'Extraordinary. The best thing she has written since Me Before You' METRO 'An entertaining, immersive and moving read' THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Intensely moving and crammed with romance and emotion' SUN 'Packed full of romance, tension and brilliantly drawn characters' SUNDAY POST 'A beautiful, special novel. I loved it and didn't want it to end!' LIANE MORIARTY, author of Big Little Lies 'Moyes' best yet' SUNDAY POST 'My favourite of 2019' 5***** READER REVIEW 'Epic' DAVID NICHOLLS, bestselling author of One Day 'I laughed and I cried. Could not put it down' 5***** READER REVIEW 'The most sweeping, dramatic, richly evocative book, full of brilliantly feisty women' SOPHIE KINSELLA, bestselling author of The Confessions of a Shopaholic

The Giver of Stars

In Depression-era America, five extraordinary women embark on a remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond. Based on a true story rooted in America's past, The Giver of Stars is a richly rewarding novel of women's friendship, of true love, and of what happens when people reach beyond their grasp.

Rachel Braithwaite

"Look outwards, Alice, not much point worrying what the town thinks about you—nothing you can do about that anyway. But when you look outwards, why, there's a whole world of beautiful things.”

“There is always a way out of a situation. Might be ugly. Might leave you feeling like the earth has gone and shifted under your feet. But you are never trapped, Alice. You hear me? There is always a way around."

“…some things are a gift, even if you don't get to keep them."

"You know what's really wonderful about those fireflies? Sure, they live for just a few weeks. Not much at all in the grand scheme of things. But while they're there, the beauty of them, well, it takes your breath away. You get to see the world in a whole new way. And then you have that beautiful picture burned onto the inside of your head. To carry it wherever you go. And never forget it."

Tiffany

My GOD men. If you know, you know. One very specific man in this book to be precise. Whilst I was enjoying this book, the rage it made me feel for the women kinda grounded me more in reality and left me escaping less. Which is the sign of a well written book, but I think I wanted to escape a little more. I did really enjoy reading about the librarians and their journey and how they defied the crappy men. 

Beth Bartholomew

Melissa Palmer

A good historical fiction read.....about horseback riding female librarians. I recommend.

Claire Cantlon

loved this book from beginning to end. i even got it for my mom for christmas after i read it. highly recommend.

Lane Hokanson

Loved it! Always up for a story of fierce lady librarians.

Meghan Navoy

A nice light and easy read, and overall just okay book. At first I wasn't sure if I was even going to finish it because the beginning was pretty cheesy, but then I became more interested in where the story was going. There's a somewhat unexpected plot twist near the end that keeps things interesting. I did enjoy the anti capitalist, pro labor and pro union undertones throughout the book. I was hoping the romance aspect of the book would be between Margery and Alice but sadly it was very traditional. Overall an enjoyable book to read while in the bath that is very surface level.

Rachel Kanyid

Not really my typical style of book,as I don't really care for "westerns" or historical fiction in the late 1800's-early 1900s, but the writing was beautiful. The story was very engaging, though a little slow for me to get into.

i never thought i would find a historical fiction book about librarians so entertaining. although i found it slow in the beginning, it didn’t take long to get into—the drama peaked my interest. as well as a good story the book touched on some important topics such as domestic abuse, misogyny, and racism. in the end, the theme of friendship between women ultimately warmed my soul :)

Liz B

Really enjoyed the world building and character development. In some ways pieces of it felt very predictable, but I still really enjoyed that.

The themes of women supporting women, society back in the day, the pace of this book, the shock ends to chapters, explanation of human connection to environment.. all incredible. only complaint is it takes a while to pick up the pace

Chit

This book had so many great themes - female friendship, small town dynamics, the importance of literacy, a woman’s place in society, the power of the natural world. I really loved this book - it almost read like a Western with its funny little tangents, but at its core was a really lovely story. 

Jacqui Spears

Fleur van Ravesteijn 

Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I was quite disappointed by this one. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the book that I was actually invested. Though I enjoyed the whole feminism theme, I found the characters rather bleak and the story itself relatively tedious and uneventful.

Cheri McElroy

Beautifully written, this story set in rural Kentucky in the 1930s, captured my heart, It was filled with strong female characters, intrigue, and a beautiful rural setting. I especially loved the basis in the fact of The Packhorse Librarians, and reading a book set in my home state. Highly recommended.

Shan

When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it. 

I don't usually read historical fiction, but I devoured this book. I love Jojo Moyes and this nook! With plot twists, characters development, and obstacle, this feministic story about women starting a traveling library in 30s is eye-opening to the way libraries began in the states.

Alex Flagg

A great story of unlikely friends and their journey to create better lives for their neighbors and themselves. Loved the character development in this book- I really started to love some of them and hate some of them! This was an easy book to get through and I wish someone would make this into a movie. The ending was tied together well to satisfy all my questions

Celeste Richardson

Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up.

I was so hesitant to pick up this book. I’ve only read one other book by Moyes, Me Before You, and was absolutely infuriated by it. Not because it was a bad book, mind you; on the contrary, it was incredibly compelling and introduced some characters for whom I came to care deeply. But I felt so emotionally manipulated by the ending that I seriously considered burning my copy. I didn’t, because I consider book burning akin to sacrilege, but in my opinion the ending that Moyes chose to go with felt like it was chosen not because it served the plot, but because it was shocking and memorable. I hated it with my entire being. I don’t believe myself to be a reader who demands happy endings, but the final scenes of Me Before You felt like a right hook when I was expecting a warm handshake or something of the sort. 
“… some things are a gift, even if you don't get to keep them.” 
Because I had such a visceral reaction to the one book I’ve read by Moyes, I assumed I would just stay as far away from her work in the future as possible. However, I didn’t anticipate how intrigued I would be by the synopsis of her newest book, The Giver of Stars. I’m a sucker for any story involving characters trying their hardest to get books into the hands of others. I also adore stories set in the backwater locales of my nation, and seeing those who are used to more cosmopolitan surroundings adapt to such a vastly different lifestyle. Rugged, harsh beauty is always compelling, as are female characters who buck societal norms and walk their own path, while forming friendships with other likeminded women and encouraging them to find that same freedom. Based on the synopsis of this book, I would find all of the aforementioned and more within its covers. Despite my traumatic experience with Me Before You, I decided to give Moyes another shot. And I’m so very glad I did. The Giver of Stars was beautiful and funny and moving and more. I loved every page.
“Just a little homesick,” Alice answered. It was the truth, she thought. She just wasn’t sure she had yet been to the place she was homesick for.”
Alice is a British woman who jumped too quickly at the opportunity to start a life away from her judgmental family and married the first pretty face she met. Her husband, the son of a wealthy mine owner in Kentucky, is not everything she hoped he would be, and the feeling seems to be mutual. When a pack horse library is started in the area and requests women who are willing to ride long distances to deliver books to those far from civilization, Alice volunteers immediately. And in this instance, it’s the best decision she has ever made. She finds herself when she dons the mantel of librarian, and accrues a motley group of true friends among her fellow female librarians and others in the far reaches of this community. She and the other librarians face many trials and hardships, but the support they give each other along the way keeps them going. 
“A certain kind of man looked at God’s own land, she thought, as she drew closer, and instead of beauty and wonder, all he saw was dollar signs.” 
I won’t get into the plot, or even how I felt about the ending. What I will say is that I never felt emotionally manipulated. Every circumstance rang true, and felt like a reasonable plot development instead of a twist included to merely shock readers. Perhaps I judged Moyes too harshly for Me Before You. I found her work in The Giver of Stars to be deep and resonant, while also maintaining fun and friendship in the light of real hardship. While not every decision made sense, and a multitude of problems could have been solved far more quickly if people would just communicate with one another, I didn’t feel like I had been played at any point in the novel. 
“There is always a way out of a situation. Might be ugly. Might leave you feeling like the earth had gone and shifted under your feet. But there is always a way around.” 
The Giver of Stars felt hopeful even in the darkest of times, which is what Me Before You was missing in my opinion. I really loved it, and I’ll be happy to read more of Moyes’ work if it follows a similar path. It was a wonderful book that I happily recommend to anyone looking for a little romance in a plot that’s not devoid of depth.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Clara Moore

An emotion-fueled journey about strong female packhorse librarians. It was a rollercoaster written with beautiful prose. I was transported into rural Kentucky and felt like I was delivering books on horseback.

Fatiema 

This was such a beautiful book about friendship, courage, womanhood, and love. From start to finish, I was taken in by the story and the description of the small Kentucky county it was set in. 
You couldn't help but to root for Alice and Margery every step of the way. I was so so pleased that everyone had their happy endings.

The only thing I would have liked is if we maybe could have had more spent more time on Bennett's character and better understood him and why he acted in the way he did (although a reason was suggested by one of the characters, but it would have been nice if it were confirmed)

Set in Depression-era America, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their unforgettable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond, from the author of Me Before You and The Peacock Emporium When Alice Wright agrees to marry handsome American Bennett Van Cleve and leave behind her stifling life in England for a new adventure in Kentucky, she's soon disenchanted by her newlywed status and overbearing father-in-law, owner of the local coal mine. 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, the smart-talking, self-sufficient daughter of a notorious local criminal, a woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. Alice finds Margery as bracing and courageous as anyone she's ever met--and comes to rely on her, especially as her marriage starts to fail. They will be joined by three diverse women and become known as the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to these women--and to the men they love--becomes a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. Though they face all kinds of dangers--from moonshiners to snakes, from mountains to floods--and social disapproval to boot. But they believe deeply in their work bringing books to people who had never had any, expanding horizons and arming them with facts that will change their lives. Based on a true story rooted in America's past, the storytelling itself here is enthralling--the pages fly, and the book is unparalleled in its scope and its epic breadth. Funny, heartbreaking, and rewarding, it is a rich novel of women's friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.

Rebeca Keren Nuñez

Inspiradora, esperanzadora, atravesé todo el abanico de emociones. Una historia para amantes de los libros. Toca tópicos muy relevantes, como la importancia de la educación. Ademas también hay romance, drama, diversión. Un libro que disfrute mucho leer.

margie wescott

I fully and completely thought this would be a book about the bond a woman forms with her horse while reading American classics. Oh my god, it was so much more. I couldn't put it down, it was heartbreaking, funny, and pure magic—love love love.

Shelby Goodwin

Barbara Williford

“We women face many unexpected challenges when we choose to step outside what are considered our habitual boundaries.”

The WPA’s Packhorse Librarian Program, in the hills of Kentucky, had 6 amazing women working tirelessly to bring books to the towns and mountain people of Baileyville. They withstood many biases as women in the 1930s. Their female sex, their marital status, handicaps, color of their skin, moral character, etc.

As they try to educate the people, their nemesis is doing everything in his power to stop them and put them “back in their place” and in good standing moral character. From threats, domestic abuse, bribery, slander and even arrest for murder.

An emotionally moving book about the trials, hardships and inequality of women in the hills of Kentucky during the 1930s.

Sarah Ryan

A fantastic historical drama set in the US Depression era in Kentucky that draws on real life events. Throughout the plot the author shows just how important books can be in challenging and changing people as she tells the story of the unique women behind the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky.

LOSE YOURSELF IN THE SPELLBINDING STORY OF LOVE, COMMUNITY AND THE POWER OF READING: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK FROM THE AUTHOR OF ME BEFORE YOU THE GREATEST LOVE STORY IS THE ONE YOU LEAST EXPECT . . . Alice Wright doesn't love her new American husband. Nor her domineering father-in-law or the judgmental townsfolk of Baileyville, Kentucky. Stifled and misunderstood, she yearns for escape and finds it in defiant Margery O'Hare and the sisterhood bringing books to the isolated and vulnerable. But when her father-in-law and the town turn against them, Alice fears the freedom, friendship and the new love she's found will be lost . . . 'A beguiling tale of unlikely love. The most appealing thing is Moyes' wonderful way with romance. Delightful' The Times 'Beautiful, special . . . with characters so real they feel like dear friends. I loved it and didn't want it to end!' Liane Moriarty 'Inspiring and wildly romantic' Daily Mail, Books of the Year 'Her best book yet. It's a romance - but about female friends, the outdoors and the magic of reading' Grazia 'Epic' David Nicholls, bestselling author of One Day

Fall in love with the enchanting Sunday Times bestseller from the author of Me Before You

Charmaine

A book of strength, love, hardships, and the everlasting bond of friendship. 💛💛💛

Anna Campbell

** spoiler alert **
           I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for months, and it didn’t disappoint! It was predictable, yes, but I always like Jojo Moyes’ work. Alice, Margery and all the librarians were wonderfully well rounded. I was very interested in this sex book being circulated in such a chaste community. I would have loved to see more character development from Bennett, and why he was so chaste, and their housekeeper, and why she was so mean. I would have loved a resolution or punishment for the atrocious Mr Van Cleve and his horrifying mine. But I enjoyed the easy story for what it was, and would love to see these beautiful Kentucky mountains some day!

Tiffany &
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

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