The Giver of Stars: Reese's Book Club (A Novel)

Jojo Moyes

Oct 2019 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER |  A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
 
“A great narrative about personal strength and really captures how books bring communities together.” —Reese Witherspoon
 
From the author of the forthcoming Someone Else’s Shoes, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond in Depression-era America

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.

Ratings and reviews

A story of love; love of place, work and each other. Horse back riding women during the depression delivering library books to the mountain families of Kentucky's poor Applachia has many surprises. Don't miss out. I picked it up over Thanksgiving and read the entire thing in 2 and a half days.

A well crafted story of rural Kentucky built around a little known government program in the 1930s that used small traveling libraries to promote literacy. But that hardly does this novel justice. Because it’s about so much more. Alice Van Cleve is a young, English woman who marries the son of a wealthy American coal mine tycoon, to escape her too-proper life and critical parents. Alice and Bennett settle into her father-in-law’s home in rural Kentucky. Although her home life turns our disappointing, Alice soon volunteers for the fledgling library program where she meets a small group of disparate women who slowly become a tight circle of friends. One is Margery O’Hare - a gutsy mid-thirties single woman who speaks her mind, flaunts the conventions of society, and is even more interesting a character than Alice. There’s also a young woman whose polio disability and overprotective mother have closed down her life. A tomboy eager for time away from an all-male household. And a quiet, dignified black woman who knows much more about libraries than all the others put together. But the story is less about the library program itself than about the lives of women in rural America in the 1930s. The deeply ingrained expectations that shape their lives, the limitations imposed by a conservative society, and the consequences — both good and bad — when women begin to behave more independently. The story is also set against the growing labor movement in America. The Van Cleve mines — with their sub-standard housing, over-priced company store, and unsafe mining conditions — are relentless in their efforts to resist unionization. And like many men with money and power, Mr. Van Cleve expects (demands!) to get his way in all areas of his life. Especially dangerous in someone who so fiercely holds grudges. It’s a suspenseful read, with unexpected twists and turns. And yet, there is also a central love story that is tender and lovely. A well-executed historical novel that will show you a slice of historical America you've probably never seen.

English gal married a good old Kentucky boy... and learned more about herself in the backwoods then in her studied English upbringing. Story of women's strength and the joys of reading!

About the author

Jojo Moyes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, Still Me, Paris for One and Other Stories, After You, One Plus One, The Girl You Left Behind, Me Before You, The Last Letter from Your Lover, The Horse Dancer, Silver Bay, The Ship of Brides, and The Peacock Emporium. The Last letter From Your Lover will be released as a major motion picture by Netflix in July. She lives with her husband and three children in Essex, England.