The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Alice Wright doesn't love her new American husband.

Nor her domineering father-in-law or the judgmental townsfolk of Baileyville, Kentucky.

Stifled and misunderstood, she yearns for escape and finds it in defiant Margery O'Hare and the sisterhood bringing books to the isolated and vulnerable.

But when her father-in-law and the town turn against them, Alice fears the freedom, friendship and the new love she's found will be lost . . .

Jojo Moyes writes such incredible and unforgettable novels, she is the author of my favourite novel Me Before You and each time there is a new release by this author I know I am going to be in for a treat. The Giver of Stars is the title of her latest release and is based on a true story which appealed to me even more.


In the mountains of Kentucky where the folk are struggling due to the Great Depression a group of ladies come together to form a Mobile Library on horseback. Margery O’Hare doesn’t follow the society rules and is a very strong willed woman who leads the team of women in their little business they become so passionate and proud of. Alice Van Cleve is a young English woman who has recently arrived after marrying the well known Bennett and after struggling to find her place in society, much to the disapproval of her husband and father in-law decides to join the women and work as one of the horse back Librarians. The woman soon began to see that not everyone agreed with the idea of the mobile library and they would meet a whole host of challenges in their way.


I found myself completely immersed in this storyline and the women’s bravery, courage and determination was commendable. Each and every one of the women who were involved in the Horseback Library were such determined and proud women who were not afraid of hard work and at times put their own safety at risk just to be able to support their community. The characters were developed incredibly well and the friendship and solidarity that was built between the women was wonderful to see.


The storyline felt deep and raw as it contained so many different hardships and struggles effect nit just these strong women but also people in their community whose lives the women touched. The author writes with such detail that I could easily picture everything in my mind and I am absolutely certain that this novel will be hitting our screens at some point as it was so vivid and intriguing it had me captivated from start to finish so it would be great to see this made into a film.


This is one of those novels that will stick in my mind for a long time to come and it certainly sparked my interest in The Pack Horse Library Project that the minute I finished this novel I was googling to find out more and was amazed at the information and pictures that I found.


What a remarkable read, if you are looking for a novel with depth, solidarity, friendship and determination at the core then this novel will not disappoint you.

Paperback              Kindle