From the Bookshelf of 2025 Reading Challenge…

The Giver of Stars

Jojo Moyes

Start date: September 1, 2022

Finish date: September 30, 2022

Discussion: September 2025 Buddy Reads

Why we're reading this: Featured Buddy Read for September
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What Members Thought

Jan 05, 2020 Eileen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, 2020genrechallenge, 2020, 2020-ng-group-challenge, audiobook, historical-fiction

4.5 stars!

I will admit that both the cover and the author's name is what drew me to this book. I read her me before you trilogy last year and very much enjoyed it, especially the first and third books. So when I saw this book (the cover caught my eye initially), and read the blurb and saw it was historical fiction, I became intrigued. After reading that it had to do with the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, I knew I had to read it.

The book did not disappoint and Julia Whelan was an excellent n 4.5 stars!

I will admit that both the cover and the author's name is what drew me to this book. I read her me before you trilogy last year and very much enjoyed it, especially the first and third books. So when I saw this book (the cover caught my eye initially), and read the blurb and saw it was historical fiction, I became intrigued. After reading that it had to do with the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, I knew I had to read it.

The book did not disappoint and Julia Whelan was an excellent narrator as usual. There are two main characters and several other major supporting characters. The first main character is an English woman, Alice Wright, who marries a handsome and wealthy man from a mining family, hoping to escape her stifling family. The marriage turns out to not be what she thought it would be (no spoilers!) and she ends up joining the Packhorse Librarians, in part as an escape from her loveless marriage. The other main character is Marjery O'Hare, who is the daughter of an abusive scoundrel of a moonshiner and whose family has been in a long-time feud with another family and neither has a very good reputation. This gutsy and unconventional woman heads up the local chapter of the Packhorse Librarians and the women who take part (4 delivery women on horseback and 1 librarian organizer/repairer) become strong friends and allies. The others include Izzy, a handicapped polio survivor with a gorgeous singing voice, Beth, the daughter of a rough and outspoken farmer, and Sophia, a very intelligent and well-educated negro librarian who takes over the repair and organization of the books. This book covers the realities of living in a mining town in rural America during the depression, including the prejudices against race, women, and outsiders, as well as pollution, corruption, sex, and love between partners, as well as among women friends. There are even a murder trial and childbirth thrown in for good measure!

I started listening to the opening chapters and became a little confused initially over who was who, so it took me a bit of time to figure out the characters. I went back and listened to the opening prologue and things started making more sense. After that, I couldn't put the book down. It was so interesting and so well written. If you like historical fiction, stories with strong (and likable) women, and realistic fiction about friendship, you will probably love this book. ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2020 Angie rated it really liked it

Well written and very enjoyable to read.

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Dec 03, 2022 Tanya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: format-audiobook, 2022

I would recommend this one to others and I can see why it won a 2021 GoodReads award. I loved each of the female characters and loved how they supported one another as they each overcame a personal challenge. What a great piece of history to capture too!

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Dec 01, 2020 Christine rated it it was amazing

This was excellent! I loved learning about the pack horse library and the story line of the librarians who made it happen. This was a book club pick but I would have chosen it anyway! So good!

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