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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