Everything she reads...: THE GIVER OF STARS
Well, at least, I do.
When I'm in a romantic mood, I feel like reading a good romantic book and Jojo Moyes is always a good choice.
You probably read Me before You, which was also adapted on screen not so long ago. A very good movie also as it made me cry.
Today we are going to talk about her new novel, The Giver of Stars.
It was published in October 2019, so it is easy to find it at your local bookstore.
The story is based on a historical fact. In the mid-1930s, Eleanor Roosevelt instigated a program to bring books to the rural areas. The novel is about such a group of women who travels on horseback to bring a library to secluded places. They are the Pack Horse Librarians.
The story begins in 1937 in Kentucky and we meet Margery, Beth, Izzy and Alice. Alice is from England and she moved to Kentucky to be with her husband, Bennett Van Cleve. Their marriage is not a happy one as we later found out that Bennett might be gay. Margery is definitely a strong female character and we quickly bond with her.
The main library is at Fred Guisler's cabin, and the women ride horses to deliver books, magazines and bibles around town and to the rural areas. They slowly win people around and they quickly need the help of Sophia, a black woman and former professional librarian. One night Margery is attacked by a man (Clem McCullough) who had problems with Margery's late father, but she hits him with a book and gets away.
Alice's father-in-law, Mr Van Cleve, does not really like the occupation of Alice and let it quickly be known. He runs the mining company, Hoffman Mining and he has a strong influence on his son, Bennett, but also on the inhabitants of the town. Alice witnesses the working conditions of the miners and, together with Margery, they set up a campaign to prevent the construction of other mines. Seeing the influence that the librarians have on the population, he tries to force Alice to stop working but by doing so he is physically aggressive and Alice decides to leave the house and to move in with Margery. Frustrated and unable to convince Alice to come back, Mr Van Cleve shoots Margery's dog and tries to get the library shut down.
Then, a flood happens and the librarians are ready to help and save the situation. In the aftermath, Margery tells her loving boyfriend, Sven, that she is pregnant. Margery also discovers that a lot of the damage wasn't from the flood but from mining residue from one of Hoffman Mining's dams which broke. Margery confronts Mr Van Cleve publicly.
Just as things are looking up, Clem McCullough's dead body is found with a bloody copy of Little Women on the ground nearby. Due to the previous fight they had together, Margery is arrested and jailed. The other librarians try to cover for Margery. Margery gives birth to her baby in jail.
With the trial underway, Bennett apologizes to Alice for his misconduct and poor help in the whole situation with his father and tells her to contact McCullough's daughters in order to save Margery. The librarians find out that McCullough was an abusive father whose daughters hated and feared him. At the last minute, Vera McCullough testifies against her father and Margery is cleared.
With the trial over, Alice decides to go back to England even is she has feelings for Fred, the male librarian. Before she leaves, she confides in Fred about her sexless marriage, and he informs her that if the marriage was never consummated, then she can get it annulled. Soon after that, Alice and Fred get married, as well as Margery and Sven. Izzy follows her dreams to become a singer, and Beth moves to India to travel. Sophia gets a job at a library in Louisville.
All in all, it was an interesting reading though historical romance is not really my cup of tea. Nonetheless, it was interesting, full of drama and twists. You should give it a try.
Enjoy reading,
Love,
Reading Freak
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