The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes *****

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes tells the story of Alice who marries a Bennett Van Cleve. She imagines a glorious escape from England, but things don’t turn out the way she expected. The year is 1937, and her father-in-law owns the coal mine in rural Baileyville, Kentucky. As an escape from her father-in-law’s house, she joins the pack horse librarians. This is a story of five women who take on the powerful men who control Baileyville and Kentucky.

Excellent. A story of sisterhood, strong women, and, perhaps, a commentary on Kentucky and coal today.

A well-written story of small-town ignorance, patriarchal arrogance, southern racism, and the power of sisterhood.

The narrator, Mrs. Alice Van Cleve, is naïve and surprised by the raw power of her father-in-law, the racism, and violence – everyone owns a gun and is ready to use it. She wins over most of these people with her sweet innocence. Margery is the leader of the pack horse librarians who has a boyfriend that she refuses to marry. Her determination is shaken when she becomes pregnant and is arrested for murder. Izzy had polio and wears a leg brace, but she agrees to join the pack horse librarians despite her disability. Sophia is a trained librarian, but she is black. Libraries along with most else are segregated.

The women fight prejudice and the elements to deliver library books, including one controversial book on married love. The women read and the men complain.

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The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith *****

Are you a fan of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency? DO you have a child reading to move up to chapter books? The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith is the book for you! This short (less than 100 pages) book is perfect for young readers. Few readers of the adult version of Precious Ramotswe's detective adventures will be surprised by how well the stories work for primary school readers.

This story is about a thief stealing food at the local primary school. An unpopular boy is accused, but young Precious solves the mystery, identifies the real culprit, and clears the wrongly accused boy.

As with the adult version, the book includes lots of good advice.

But just because somebody has lots of sweets does not mean that he has stolen them. One thing, you see, does not always lead to another. That is something that all detectives learn very early in their career.

“Pay no attention to them,” Precious said. “They can think what they like.” She knew, though, that it was not that simple. All of us worry about what other people think, even if we do not have to. It was easy to tell somebody to ignore that sort of thing; it was much harder to put such advice into practice.

A perfect first chapter book.

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The Red Menace by Ilise S Carter ****

The Red Menace: How Lipstick Changed the Face of American Historyby Ilise S. Carter delivers exactly what it advertises. This extensively researched (25% of the pages are research notes), short (less than 200 pages) book delivers a history of feminism and civil rights from the point of view of lipstick with some nods to technology (patented lipstick dispensers) and war (metal lipstick tubes vs World War II rationing). A fun nostalgic (so much name-dropping) journey for anyone who wore lipstick or kissed someone who did.

During the 19^th century, “the press seemed to suggest that [lipstick] was fine for the socialite who had the time and resources to become adept at cosmetic use and social graces but still a problem for the everyday American gal, who should continue to rely on grit and piety.”

In the 1930s, “I’ve been told by employers and employment agencies that a girl’s appearance matters more than brains, brawn, fidelity. If a girl isn’t smart enough to get herself up cleverly and keep herself so—she’s just out of date on modern employment ethics as far as women are concerned, which couples efficiency with personal appearances.”

During World War II, “The Barbara Gould brand reminded women that ‘Metal for lipstick cases is restricted, and soon there will be no more containers. It is patriotic as well as economical to save your present lipstick cases and buy refills.’”

Post-war 1940s, “It wasn’t enough to be good at your job, you had to look flawless doing it.”

Covid and fashion: “Take the old, gendered favorite: fancy shoes. Dress shoe sales, high heels, in particular, have tanked—dropping 71 percent during the second quarter of 2020.”

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Maidens by Alex Michaelides *****

Maidens by Alex Michaelides begins when Mariana receives a call from her niece Zoe—Zoe’s friend Tara has been murdered. The action takes place at Cambridge University where Zoe is a student and Mariana was formerly enrolled. Mariana is a therapist and uses her training and experience to pursue the murderer, serial killer. The writing is excellent and there are plenty of suspects, none of whom prove to be guilty after the final twist.

Mariana is confronted with two groups: the Maidens and the men. The maidens are vulnerable, insecure, and mean. The men are untrustworthy and predatory. The women are naïve victims, and the men, from the college porter to the professor are all patriarchal. Between these two stereotypical antagonists is Mariana. She carries the novel with her effort to understand her own demons and her quest to navigate between the two conflicting camps and discover the serial killer.

In one dramatic scene, she brings the Maidens together in a group therapy session where much is learned about the Maidens, their professor, and Mariana. Mariana’s struggle to understand drives the book. A fast read and a fascinating character study.

A cautionary tale for daughters going off the college.

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