The greatest love story is the one you least expect . . .Alice is stifled, bored, and misunderstood.So when she meets wealthy and handsome American, Bennett Van Cleve, she is quickly swept off her feet.Marrying him and moving to America seems like a great adventure - but life as a newlywed in stuffy Baileyville, Kentucky, is not at all what she hoped for.Until, that is, she responds to a call for volunteers to start a travelling library, surprising herself by saying yes, before her husband can say no . . .Led by feisty and rebellious Margery O'Hare, this unlikely group of women travel far and wide on their mission to bring books and reading to those that need it, and Alice finally finds the freedom, friendship and love that she's been looking for.But not everyone approves of what they are doing, especially her new father-in-law. And when the town turns against them, will their belief in each other and their work be enough?The Giver of Stars is a mesmerising tale of female friendship, romance, and the wonder of books and reading, inspired by a remarkable true story.
The Giver Of Stars by Jojo Moyes was published in hardback by Michael Joseph on 3 October 2019.
I discovered Jojo Moyes' writing fifteen years ago when I read The Peacock Emporium. I was enthralled by her writing and her fabulous plot development. I went back and read her two previous books; Foreign Fruit and Sheltering Rain and have since read every one of her books as they've been published.
I have my favourites; The Last Letter To Your Lover is one of them. Of course, she's probably most well-known now for the Me Before You trilogy; a collection of novels that tell the heartwarming and emotional story of Lou Clark. As much as I love those books, I was delighted to hear that her latest book would be another standalone.
I've not been disappointed. The Giver Of Stars has now taken a place on my favourite novels by Jojo Moyes list - in fact, it's on my favourite novels by anyone list! Seeped in history, backed up by what must have been intensive and impeccable research; this novel has taken me to a place that I knew nothing about before, introduced me to characters who became friends and taught me about the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky; a forward-thinking and brave group of women who everyone should know about.
Late 1930s. America is in the middle of the Great Depression and rural Kentucky is probably suffering more than most states. Poverty is rife and the rural isolation of many of the inhabitants only makes things feel so much worse.
Eleanor Roosevelt is determined that people should be educated and that they need books, it is her dream that establishes the Travelling Library; staffed in Kentucky by five extraordinary women; far ahead of their time. Fearless and determined. This is their story, and it's wonderfully written by this talented and gifted author.
I especially enjoyed reading about Alice. An Englishwoman who felt stifled by her family at home, she grabbed the chance to marry American Bennett Van Cleve, believing that he was her ticket to a new life on the other side of the world. Sadly for Alice, Bennett wasn't the man that she'd hoped for and she finds herself living alongside her overbearing father-in-law, with the ghost of Bennett's late mother watching over everything that she does. Seeing an opportunity to escape her unhappiness, she signs up to be one of the Horseback Librarians.
Along with feisty leader Margery and three other women, Alice and the book deliveries become a huge and important part of the community. But this is 1930s America and there are plenty of people who disapprove of women riding out alone; especially when they are offering advice along with the books.
The Giver of Stars is a huge book; not so much in page length, but in substance and in the joy that it brings to the reader. I was totally captivated by the characters, the plotting and the wonderfully created setting. This really is a book to savour slowly, it's a sweeping story that centres on female friendship and loyalty, and has a fabulous dash of romance too.
Highly recommended, it is utterly absorbing and I lost myself completely in it.
Jojo Moyes is a novelist and journalist. Her books include the bestsellers Me Before You, After You and Still Me, The Girl You Left Behind, The One Plus One and her short story collection Paris for One and Other Stories. Her novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries and have sold over thirty-eight million copies worldwide.Me Before You has now sold over fourteen million copies worldwide and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Jojo lives in Essex with her husband and their three children.
Website : www.jojomoyes.com
Twitter : @jojomoyes
Author Page on Facebook
Instagram : @jojomoyesofficial
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