The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Title: The Giver of Stars

Author: Jojo Moyes

Published: 2019

Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

“There is always a way out of a situation. Might be ugly. Might leave you feeling like the earth had gone and shifted under your feet. But there is always a way around.”

TLDR: This book was incredible. I was entranced with the writing and the story and I want to be best friends with Moyes's characters. I have read very few if any historical fiction pieces that I enjoyed as much as this one.

I was sold immediately at the promise of a story about the WPA Packhorse Librarians — women who rode great distances during the thirties to deliver books to remote locations among the Appalachian Mountains. But I did not anticipate how much I would love the writing that Moyes offers. Each character was a gift, and I think Moyes created the relationships, both those that were loving and those that were dueling, with such a talent that I never wanted to put the book down. Not only does this book capture a pivotal time for literacy in our country, but also details some really terrific action and love scenes.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was how well it captured the frustrations of being a woman in this time period. I loved the portrait of Alice slowly being painted as an independent woman, smashing all expectations of her and becoming her own person fulfilling her own desires. This, of course, was only made possible by the powerful women she was surrounded by, each giving the finger to societal expectations in their own way. This was an amazing snapshot for those that love historical fiction, but was also an empowering piece about women making their way in one of the most difficult time periods our country has seen.

As an aside, I super definitely recommend listening to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan. She was incredible- each character was gifted a distinct voice that made it feel like listening to a piece of theater.