The Giver of Stars

★★★☆ (3.75/5)

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes was a book I was both hesitant and excited to start. There had been so much hype about it that I expected it to be decent, but having read a Jojo Moyes book years ago, wasn't sure if I should expect a lot of fluff. Also, I believe this is her first attempt at historical fiction so I wasn't sure how that would affect her storytelling style. I have to say - I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book! The concept of a female-driven team of traveling librarians was a little unusual to me at first, I'll admit, but it was definitely something I was interested in learning more about. Moyes instantly creates characters that you can invest in, which set the framework for a good read off the bat. 

The book is focused on the journeys of five women living in a Kentucky coal-mining town during depression-era 1930's. The women are brought together from vastly different backgrounds to run the first traveling library in the region. One of the main characters, Margery, is a bit of a societal outcast due to her family's dark history in the town. She uses her social position to her advantage, however, because it allows her to be fearlessly independent and progressive (and unafraid to take charge of the library initiative). Alice (the second female protagonist), on the other hand, has entered a world she is completely unfamiliar with and is immediately expected to fit the role of demure housewife among the town's upper class. Alice, originally from England, married the handsome American, Bennett, during a European trip he had taken with his father. Both families were enthused about the match, and Alice moved with Bennett and his father to Kentucky, thrilled to start a new chapter. Upon her arrival Alice realizes that her new life is nothing like what she expected: her marriage is quickly strained, the town considers her "too foreign" to really accept her, and her life is lonely and dull. Alice turns to her role in the library as her solace to her stifling home-life, and uses it to help her find her voice. Throughout the story, it quickly becomes obvious what an impact the libraries have on the rural community. I absolutely loved seeing how their resolution to keep the library going changed so many lives. 

I think that two of Moyes' obvious strengths are her ability to create strong characters, and her "scene"-style of story telling. The author does a great job of keeping the story going throughout, but really captures the reader with very action-packed events. There were times when Cook Nerd tried to start conversations with me while I was reading and I would make him go into the other room because I couldn't have any distractions 😂 She really puts the reader right in the center of those moments, and I absolutely loved it.

I will say, that as I've found with some of Moyes' other books, the relationships, romances and revealed secrets are fairly predictable. Moyes tends to check a lot of formulaic boxes, but as long as you know that going into it, it doesn't really detract from the story. That being said, I really enjoyed this story and was glad I read it. It's a nice, feel-good novel that leaves you even more proud to have a passion for reading.