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The Giver of Stars : A Novel

$19.00
(4.06) 4.06 stars out of 18 reviews 18 reviews
$19.00
$19.00
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The Giver of Stars : A Novel

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4.06 out of 5stars
(18 reviews)
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Most helpful positive review

5.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
05/13/2021
Alice moves from England to Kentucky…
Alice moves from England to Kentucky with her new husband Bennett Van Cleve, the son of a mine owner. Her marriage is unhappy and she is complete outsider in her community, but she finds purpose in the WPA's new library program, distributing reading material to the remote rural areas of their county. Her unconventional boss Margery is accused of a murder because she encourages her patrons to stand up to Alice's father-in-law, the mine owner. The unconventional group of women who staff the packhorse library come to Margery's defense and get her freed from prison.
mojomomma

Most helpful negative review

1.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
01/21/2020
What a disappointment this book is. This was touted as a great book and is merely interesting but predictable. The author must think that men are largely villains or weak. Almost all the strong characters that are admirable are female. It is the women who overcome and are smart and talented. The men are despicable or merely supporting characters. The outcomes are painfully obvious especially regarding Alice's marriage problem. I would not recommend this book unless you like books that make women rule and men drool.
GlennBell
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    10/03/2021
    I know there was controversary…
    I know there was controversary surrounding this book, but it is still a great read by a favorite author. The prologue begins with a confrontation on a wooded mountain trail between a man and a woman from families who have been feuding for generations. The story goes on to describe the women (namely Alice Van Cleve) who are the traveling librarians for this part of Appalachia. Details are abundant. Characters are well drawn. A murder is discovered, politics and corruption rule the community. But the ending of the trial... really a twist! Recommended.
    RobertaLea
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    07/09/2021
    I loved this book, and I would have…
    I loved this book, and I would have allocated five stars. However, the ending felt rushed and anticlimactic after such an engaging story. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this novel.
    Unknown
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    07/08/2021
    Based on fact, this is the story of…
    Based on fact, this is the story of the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky during the Depression. The librarians were women who rode the trails in the mountains of Kentucky to bring books to families who couldn't get to town, didn't want to go to town, or who perhaps couldn't read or didn't understand that reading a library book is free. The story is well-written and with empathetic, well-developed characters who pull at your heartstrings and bring a tear to your eye (to mine anyway). Highly recommended.
    flourgirl49
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    07/08/2021
    I also read The Book Woman of…
    I also read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek which is a similar story. In the hands of Jojo Moyes, the masterful storyteller, the characters are much more developed and the storyline has more action.
    Unknown
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    07/08/2021
    When Alice Wright agrees to marry…
    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. JoJo Moyes never fails to entertain. This is the second book I've read about the pack horse librarians (the other book is Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson). While I thoroughly enjoyed both books, The Giver of Stars spends less time on the historical context and more on the story and characters. Highly recommended.
    lrobe190
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/13/2021
    Alice moves from England to Kentucky…
    Alice moves from England to Kentucky with her new husband Bennett Van Cleve, the son of a mine owner. Her marriage is unhappy and she is complete outsider in her community, but she finds purpose in the WPA's new library program, distributing reading material to the remote rural areas of their county. Her unconventional boss Margery is accused of a murder because she encourages her patrons to stand up to Alice's father-in-law, the mine owner. The unconventional group of women who staff the packhorse library come to Margery's defense and get her freed from prison.
    mojomomma
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/12/2021
    I absolutely adored this novel. For…
    I absolutely adored this novel. For once a book lived up to the hype. I kept hearing rumors that this book shamelessly stole from The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and I was disappointed. But after reading this - there is no stealing. Both stories are about women who sign up to be part of the WPA's packhorse librarian program in the Kentucky mountains but that's it. Entirely different storylines and characters. The Giver of Stars centers on Alice, a young English woman who has come to Kentucky wed to a charming coal man she met while he was touring England. Alice isn't remotely prepared for what is ahead - she was under the assumption that she would be living in an American city but she arrives to a little village in the foothill of the mountains and everyone treats her with suspicion as an outsider. She has no friends, no life, and even her husband has turned away from her. She signs up for the fledgling packhorse library on a whim because it will give her something to do. But she doesn't realize how drastically her life is about to change. She'll gain friends, but she'll also gain enemies. A wonderful story that I plan on re-visiting!
    ecataldi
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/05/2021
    Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged women…
    Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged women to become horse librarians in rural areas where people could not reach actual libraries. This WPA Pack Horse Librarian program ran from 1935 to 1943 as part of Roosevelt's New Deal. The Giver of Stars recounts the struggle of achieving trust for these women in rural, mountainous Kentucky. The five women who run this mobile library form a lasting friendship amid a cruel world. JoJo Moyes displays the poverty during the Depression, the perils of a marriage, the horrors of a mining town, and the power of a tight-knit community. The women in this story strive to have reading and learning available to everyone but face many obstacles. What a contrast to the 21st century.
    delphimo
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    04/01/2021
    InterestingZ
    I am only half way through the book but it is very interesting so far!!
    Donna
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    02/13/2021
    Good read
    Recommended to me to read. Delivery was very fast.
    Yardleyproducts
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