The Historical-Fiction novel, The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, is based on a true story about the packhorse librarians in Kentucky during the Depression. Jojo Moyes takes the reader on a journey following the perspective of the main character, Alice Van Cleave who joined the packhorse library to escape her toxic marriage. The packhorse librarians were women who delivered books throughout the treacherous mountains, persevering through rain, snow, and heat to give people the best education they can get. Throughout the story, the author develops the characters in a way that the reader feels very connected to them and experiences the rollercoasters of their emotions. Moyes highlights the prejudices of the time and the confining nature of so many relationships and provides examples of how people solved them. She contrasts the abusive relationships directly with another character who is part of a non-abusive, healthy partnership, which also faces troubles along the journey. Jojo Moyes illustrates the importance of friendship when going through personal troubles and how standing up for what you believe in is always the right thing to do, even if there are consequences. Overall, I thought The Giver of Stars was very well written, even though it was slow to start. It teaches so many valuable life lessons while addressing the issues of the past and present. The connections the author presents between the characters and the reader are so powerful and relatable that you are always left wanting to read more just to be in the presence of the characters. The Giver of Stars takes a little while to get into but the ending is well worth the wait. I would give this book a 4.5/5 and I would recommend it because of the moving story it represents and how well the characters are portrayed.
Lilly S.
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