Giver of Stars

Books and strong women and sex will save your life.

That's the underlying message in Jojo Moyes' The Giver of Stars.

I mean, it's a little more than that, but that's a heck of a lesson to learn.

What a beautiful book.

I think if I read just the description, I wouldn't have read it. Set in Kentucky in the 1930's, Giver of Stars is based on the true story of the packhorse libraries, who would bring books and magazines to rural areas. I'm not a huge fan of novels set in that time period and I think I would have ignored this book altogether. But, a woman whose opinion I respect very much said I HAD to read it and the "hold" list at the library was long. So, when it finally came in, I was excited to get started.

It started slow for me, in fact. Again, I'm just not into that time period all that much and probably wasn't in the right frame of mind when I started. But, once I got a few chapters in, I fell in love with the strong women and their stories. It swept me away after that.

The packhorse librarians in this story are misfits. An English woman who married an American man and changed her whole life, Alice is the primary character. The other women who decide to take on the task of riding through rugged terrain to bring books to the rural areas are strong, independent and totally misunderstood by the people - especially the men - around them. They learn to find strength in that and each other.

Alice is in a loveless marriage with a man that won't touch her. When she tries to engage, she's treated like a whore. And her father-in-law who sleeps in the next room over turns out to be a man of incredible evil who won't tolerate her disobedience in his home. She's an outcast in her home and in her marriage - and, feels like an outcast in her new country. Only the librarians and the people to whom she delivers books make her realize she could be something more.

Margery is the leader of the librarians and a total badass woman who refuses to get married because of the violence she saw in her own home growing up. Not only does she bring books to the people, she also secretly educates them about their rights in an area being swallowed up by mines. Her efforts are unwanted and she's seen as a bad influence. When she and the others start quietly distributing a book that tells women about sex, the whole damn thing nearly blows up in their face.

It's a story about friendship, the power of human connection, what builds a community, and the women who helped shape so many parts of this country, but had to risk so much to do it. It's beautiful and sweet and hard at times. But, it's empowering and uplifting as well.