Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

After reading The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, I knew I wanted to read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, partly because I was so fascinated by the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians and also because of some of the controversy stating that Moyes had plagiarized this book. Well after reading both books, I can say that apart from the stories being based on the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians, that's where the similarities end. These are two very different stories. I loved the Giver of Stars and I loved this one too! I was happy to read two stories based on the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians and I hope there will be more written on the lives of these self-sacrificing women.

What I found the most fascinating in this novel that is completely missing in Moyes' book is the fact that the main character, Cussy Mary Carter, is the last of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky. I had never heard of this phenomenon (an inherited condition called methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder in which too little oxygen is delivered to one's cells) and I found myself researching this online. Cussy Mary or Bluet as some called her, is proud to be a librarian, bringing books to folks who appreciate her hard efforts to get them to her patrons up in those hardscrabble mountains. Cussy feels the prejudice of the other librarians and her only friend in town is Queenie, a black librarian.

This is very much the coming-of-age story of a woman who comes to realize that the color of her skin is not what defines her. Through the story we come to see her resilience, her compassion and generosity, her humbleness, her kindness and goodness, and her desire for betterment through education. She is a character I admired so much and that I will never forget! There were scenes in this book that brought me to tears.

The only thing I found a little disappointing is the abrupt ending. It felt rushed with so much action packed into a few pages. After becoming so emotionally invested, I felt it could have been better drawn out. Apart from this, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a compelling read and one of the best books I've read this year.

NYT and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kim Michele Richardson resides in her home state of Kentucky. She has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, building houses, and is an advocate for the prevention of child abuse and domestic violence, partnering with the U.S. Navy globally to bring awareness and education to the prevention of domestic violence. She is the author of the bestselling memoir The Unbreakable Child, and a book critic for the New York Journal of Books. Her novels include, Liar’s Bench, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field and The Sisters of Glass Ferry. Kim Michele latest novel is The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, a NYT bestseller about the fierce and brave Kentucky Packhorse librarians of Kentucky.

You can visit her websites and learn more at: www.kimmichelerichardson.com

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
Category: Adult Fiction, 400 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication date: Oct 8, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 (some language, family abuse, sex scenes not explicit)


BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve, hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.

The leader, and soon Alice's greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky.

What happens to them--and to the men they love--becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity, and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.

Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic--a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I've enjoyed every book I've read by Jojo Moyes and this latest book by her is one of the best books I've read this year. It's the story of strong resilient women, librarian pioneers known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky who built and ran a library in the remote area of a Kentucky mountain village.

Alice is an English woman who marries Bennett, an American man, and travels back to live with him under the shadow of his father, a ruthless powerful man who owns one of the mines in the village. But her marriage quickly goes downhill and Alice is stifled and lonely, until she decides to join the Packhorse librarians and finds her calling in delivering books to families in the village and in the most remote parts of the mountains. She soon forms a bond with these women as they face prejudice, ignorance, difficult weather conditions, and criminal accusations.

There are several things I loved about this book. The setting (small village life and its struggles) the time in history (Depression-era America), the themes that run throughout the story, such as the value of books to educate, heal and entertain; the meaning of marriage; the strength of friendships; and the injustice of the justice system. The plot was unpredictable and I found myself holding my breath as I contemplated what was going to happen next.

If you love stories about strong women who have fought to make a difference in people's lives, if you like stories about the value of libraries and books, if you love American historical fiction with plenty of drama, then you will enjoy The Giver of Stars. I look forward to revisiting this story when it comes out as a major motion picture!

Jojo Moyes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, Still Me, After You, Me Before You, The Horse Dancer, Paris for One and Other Stories, One Plus One, The Girl You Left Behind, The Last Letter from Your Lover, Silver Bay, and The Ship of Brides. She lives with her husband and three children in Essex, England.