While this is an objectively clean read, one of the storylines has to do with marital intimacy within a society that isn’t allowed to talk about such matters. I also loved the amazing inclusive friendship of the packhorse librarians and how they watch out for each other. I loved the use of different quotes at the beginning of each chapter set the tone, and especially loved how the poem “The Giver of Stars” is used as a turning point for Alice to help her have the courage to make hard decisions and stand up for herself. Which is why having a murder mystery appear in the third act doesn’t feel as out of place as it should have. Her solution to part of the problem is the packhorse library, therefore every threat to its continued functioning, is a threat to Alice. Alice’s main problem is how she can find happiness in this new world and with her spouse. The structure of the story itself is a bit different than what’s expected, and the way it’s handled makes the reading experience that much better. My ReviewĪ story with great characterization, fascinating history, and some well-deserved personal angst? I’m sold. The Giver of Stars is a story of friendship, grit, and determination and based on true events in America’s past. She and her American husband just can’t see eye-to-eye. And of course, there’s the matter of Alice’s heart. The weather and the terrain itself is a constant challenge.
There are those in town, including Alice’s ridiculous father-in-law, who oppose the packhorse library and believe it’s spreading indecency and immoral content to the good people of Kentucky. The two make friends, along with the other librarians, giving Alice the sense of belonging to a community that she’s always wanted. She’s everything that Alice wants to be, self-sufficient, smart, and most importantly, happy. These packhorse librarians not only provide books, but for some, they are the only connection for these families to the rest of the world.Īlice works closely with Margery, a woman whose family has a muddy past in the community. Eleanor Roosevelt’s traveling library initiative has created a need for able young women to take books to the people living too far to come to a local library. When Alice sees an opportunity that will get her out of the house and allow her to be useful in the community, she grabs it and doesn’t look back. Her hubby’s not much better, seeing as his first reaction in any situation is to see which way his daddy leans, then agreeing. Her new home is inhospitable to say the least, mostly due to the ever disapproving presence of her new father-in-law who has plenty of opinions on what’s proper for a woman. Alice Wright is a proper British girl who doesn’t quite fit in at home and ends up marrying an exotic American man and moving west to definitely not fit in there as well.
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