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The Giver of Stars
The Giver of Stars: A Novel | Jojo Moyes
Set in Depression-era America, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their unforgettable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond, from the author of Me Before You and The Peacock Emporium When Alice Wright agrees to marry handsome American Bennett Van Cleve and leave behind her stifling life in England for a new adventure in Kentucky, she�s soon disenchanted by her newlywed status and overbearing father-in-law, owner of the local coal mine. 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, the smart-talking, self-sufficient daughter of a notorious local criminal, a woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. Alice finds Margery as bracing and courageous as anyone she's ever met--and comes to rely on her, especially as her marriage starts to fail. They will be joined by three diverse women and become known as the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to these women--and to the men they love--becomes a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. Though they face all kinds of dangers--from moonshiners to snakes, from mountains to floods--and social disapproval to boot. But they believe deeply in their work bringing books to people who had never had any, expanding horizons and arming them with facts that will change their lives. Based on a true story rooted in America's past, the storytelling itself here is enthralling--the pages fly, and the book is unparalleled in its scope and its epic breadth. Funny, heartbreaking, and rewarding, it is a rich novel of women's friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.
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MissRob950
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Pickpick

This took me a while to get in to. However, once I did, I was completely immersed.
There was such a stunning piece of prose with one sentiment that will stay with me forever: ‘some things are a gift, even if you don‘t get to keep them.‘

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Eggs
Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes
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"Maybe just to know that something this beautiful exists is all we can really ask for."

A 5 ? read!

#Stars

#LuckyInLove

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💫💛📚 9mo
58 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Bevita
Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes
Pickpick

Another book about the Kentucky Packhorse Library of the WPA! A young British woman marries into a KY coal family. It‘s awful of course but she finds her people with the librarians. Sad for it to end.

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laurabilly13
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Perfect set up 🐶 + 📕

7 likes1 stack add
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laurabilly13
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4️⃣I haven‘t read anything by Jojo Moyes in years, looking forward to this! - There was a lot going on in this book. I liked the characters and the story, and I was rooting for the librarians. My only complaint - I felt it was a bit long winded. It also got me back into historical fiction, so I‘m excited to read more in this genre.

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Mccall0113
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Not sure why I put this off. So far so good.

ErinAyin I have this book I haven‘t started it yet. 12mo
63 likes1 comment
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BoleyBooks
The Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes
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42 likes3 stack adds
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MonicaLoves2Read
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Bailedbailed

I struggled to get to page 50. It's the same concept basically of 'The Woman of Troublesome Creek', which I loved, but this one I couldn't get in to at all.

rwmg I really liked her others that I've read but I DNF'd this one as well 14mo
MonicaLoves2Read @rwmg glad I'm not the only 14mo
marleed I liked both but I could hear the ‘own voices‘ in troublesome creek. Well, that and blue people! 14mo
20 likes3 comments
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MicrobeMom
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My fable book club is current reading the above book and I am loving. This club is open to any one and you can read in any format. To join just download the Fable app and use the link below.

https://fable.co/club/prof-staceys-tbr-book-club-with-stacey-lettini-33812063356...

DivineDiana Just saw this! Since I have read this book, I signed up! New to Fable. 1y
MicrobeMom @DivineDiana yay!! Welcome to the club and to Fable! 1y
DivineDiana Thank you! Started exploring! 🙂 1y
41 likes3 comments
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JessieKB
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July book club!! 📖fable @MicrobeMom

MicrobeMom Thanks!! ♥️♥️ 1y
6 likes1 comment
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MicrobeMom
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Today is the day! Join us for our next read of my #fable #bookclub #profstaceystbr We will be reading #thegiverofstars by #jojomoyes . Use the link below to join. Open to anyone and can be read in any format. You don‘t have read through the #fableapp. #buddyread

https://fable.co/club/prof-staceys-tbr-book-club-with-stacey-lettini-33812063356...

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wanderinglynn
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Join @MicrobeMom in her new bookclub on Fable!

56 likes1 stack add
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MicrobeMom
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Please Share! 2 more days and #profstaceystbr will be starting our new bookclub book. This club is open to anyone. You can read in any format. All you need is the Fable app. Use the website below for more info.

https://fable.co/club/prof-staceys-tbr-book-club-with-stacey-lettini-33812063356...

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MicrobeMom
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The next read for #profstaceystbr fable bookclub is the tagged book. We will beginning reading July 1. This book club is for anyone and is offered through the fable app (see link below). You made read in any format you wish. It doesn‘t have to be through the fable app.

https://fable.co/club/prof-staceys-tbr-book-club-with-stacey-lettini-33812063356...

Read4life Looking forward to this one 1y
42 likes2 comments
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Bibliophile004
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Pickpick

I‘ve been on a historical fiction kick. This book did not disappoint! It follows a group of women in the 1930s who live in rural Kentucky, as they set up the first rural library delivering books by horseback. Heartbreaking but real@struggles. Such a good book, especially for a. Book lover

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rwmg
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Bailedbailed

DNF. I got about half way through and realised I just didn't care about any of these people and was spending evenings scrolling through YouTube to avoid picking up the book again.

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rwmg
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Rachel.Rencher
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Moved out to the couch with my 32 lb weighted blanket. 😂

I think I'm just gonna pop a decongestant & turn today into a readathon. 📚🤧

shortsarahrose A very adorable weighted blanket! 2y
Ruthiella Winston! ❤️🐶 2y
AmyG Too cute! 2y
See All 7 Comments
everlocalwest This is the most adorable photo I have ever seen! 💙💙 2y
Tamra Happy Face! 2y
dragondrool Feel better soon! 2y
Kangaj1 Love! Sorry you are sick. I woke up with the crud today on my day off, so I just started my diffuser and popped a decongestant too. 2y
90 likes7 comments
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Rachel.Rencher
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Our Dorgi is keeping me company as I battle a nasty sinus infection. 🤧 Thankfully it's a long weekend & I didn't have any plans as we're pretty well snowed in.

Aims42 Awww, hope you feel better! Looks like you‘ve got a good nurse on duty 😍 2y
Rachel.Rencher @Aims42 She's the best in the business 😍 2y
Ruthiella Hope you get well soon! ❤️ 2y
Megabooks Get well soon! She‘s so cute! 2y
83 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Rachel.Rencher
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If I'd had the opportunity, I would've signed up to deliver books on horseback SO quickly. 📚

AmyG That is a dream job! 2y
Aims42 This was such a fascinating read, I never knew about the Packhorse Librarians until reading this 😊 2y
BookNotes Have you read The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek? She was a packhorse librarian, but she also was one of the “blue people” (based on what is now known as genetic condition) of Kentucky. I think there is a sequel to the book, but I haven‘t read it. 2y
Rachel.Rencher @BookNotes You know, I had that book in my shop & sent it out to someone without reading it first. I might have to buy another copy for myself. 🥰 2y
Soubhiville I want this job too! 2y
80 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Rachel.Rencher
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I've been dying to read this one! I finally had some time in between assignments to pick up something from my TBR. 🥰📚

72 likes3 stack adds
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living_for_literature
The Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes

“There is always a way out of a situation. Might be ugly, might leave you feeling like the earth had gone and shifted under your feet. But there is always a way around.“ 😌

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TheKidUpstairs
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Pickpick

A solid read. In glad I read it a couple years after reading Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek so each could stand on its own in my mind, rather than constant comparison. I think I would have enjoyed this one less if I had read them back to back.

Thanks @melissajayne for the extra time with it! I'll pop it in the mail tomorrow 🤗

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Megbert
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Pickpick

Kind of like a feminist western but the chicks don‘t sling guns (well mostly not) ~ so they sling library books instead and they‘ve got no choice but to take on the baddies - the white, racist, capitalist patriarchal men and their enslaved society. The most fun read, 💯 percent delightful!!

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TheSpineView
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Eggs Love this book 🧡💛🧡 2y
CoverToCoverGirl Wonderful book! 2y
66 likes4 comments
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DLQBOOKNERD
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Excellent story about true friendships, finding real life partners and women building each other up!!! Also a little historical fiction which I love!

DivineDiana I loved the support of the women for each other in this book! ❤️ 2y
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DivineDiana
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Pickpick

Still catching up on book reviews. This is a photograph of a woman who worked as a Traveling Librarian for Eleanor Roosevelt‘s program that provided the borrowing of books to people in remote locations. The book follows a group of five women who did this In Kentucky. Not everyone in the community supports this service,and the women face many hardships. It is a story of the strength of women when they band together to overcome adversity.

MicheleinPhilly Heaven forbid people read books! 🙄 2y
Dragon My great grandmother was against reading so my grandma had to hide in the bathroom to read - she passed her love of reading to my mom who passed it on to my siblings 💚🐉 2y
DivineDiana @MicheleinPhilly It is hard to fathom the animosity! 📖 (edited) 2y
DivineDiana Thankfully, your mother followed her heart. 📖📚❤️ 2y
54 likes4 comments
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mamareading
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I‘m hoping something starts happening in this story soon? Librarians are riding horses and carrying books, there are miners working in a mine… I‘ll give ya 100 more pages of my time!

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MelKelsey
Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes
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Pickpick

Book 122

I listened to The Giver of Stars about the pack horse library in Kentucky--a great book for book lovers. A love and friendship story, with strong, a feminist characters. Highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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DivineDiana
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At a family gathering on Sunday, my daughter recommended this book. I have already read “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek”, so I am hoping it isn‘t too similar. Picked up at the Library today.

BarbaraTheBibliophage Haven‘t read “Troublesome” but I quite liked this one! 2y
DivineDiana @BarbaraTheBibliophage Good to hear! ❤️ 2y
59 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

I resisted this for years…seemed too [something] for my taste, but I knew our book club members would love it, so I picked it for this month‘s read. I did enjoyed the humor and sweet moments these merry band of packhorse librarians provided during their journeys around the mountains of eastern Kentucky. I appreciate this for what it is: a feel-good read with an obvious conclusion. But the characters were either too good or too bad, no nuance.

96 likes1 stack add
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melissajayne
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Just finished this book for #lmpbc and loved it once again. The second time reading the book, I noticed more things than when I first read it a couple of years ago. #alphabetgame #letterg

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing! 2y
23 likes1 stack add1 comment
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melissajayne
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Pickpick

4.5⭐️ I really enjoyed reading this for #lmpbc and taking the time to take stock of the book. With the current political climate in the United States, I couldn‘t help but think of the similarities between now and the late 1930s. Am looking 4ward 2 seeing what my other group members think of it. Will be sending it in the mail to the next person sometime this week. #2022 #bookreview #bookstagram #historicalfiction #greatdepression #fiction

23 likes1 stack add1 comment
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melissajayne
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This is my pick for #lmpbc I said I would pick historical fiction

TheKidUpstairs Ooh, good pick! I've been wanting to read this one. 2y
24 likes1 comment
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Melismatic
Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes
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Mehso-so

I enjoyed this enough and it was well written historical fiction, set in 1930‘s Kentucky. But the plot was *slow* and there was so much focus on what was basically a secondary storyline (Alice/Bennett) that the crux of the story lost impact.

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BooksNBowls
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Another one from my TBR! #celebbookclub #bookmoods #wordchallenge

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks On my list 💫⭐️ 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Did you enjoy this one? 1y
BooksNBowls @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks yes but i think i liked The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek better! Same concept, better execution IMO 1y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @BooksNBowls I‘m just not feeling it! I don‘t know why 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y
30 likes4 comments
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Lizthewiz
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Pickpick

Enjoyed listening to this one. If you can get past bad “country” accents, it‘s a good story of women empowerment and resilience in the 1930‘s. Also based on a true events, so that‘s cool.

12 likes1 stack add
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Mdonald
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Pickpick
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VanessaCW
Pickpick

I loved this story. Some great characters and a good plot line. My favourite was Margery, I could picture her in my mind vividly! I found it an interesting read, too. Well written and very engaging, I can highly recommend it.

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janeycanuck
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Pickpick

A slow start but then I couldn't put it down. The story just kept moving and Moyes created such tension in places that I literally found myself leaning forward as I read. The characters were such fun, I love strong women in times they weren't supposed to be strong. This was my first Moyes, I'll have to pick up more again soon.

CoverToCoverGirl I adored this one! 🤩 3y
43 likes1 comment
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CoffeeNBooks
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Thank you so much Cydney! This was a wonderful surprise to get today!
@CBee

CBee You‘re very welcome, Harper! Just wanted to send a little something to let you know I‘m keeping you in my thoughts ♥️ 3y
RenePenn Loved this look. 3y
69 likes2 comments
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Itchyfeetreader
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this I just didn‘t love it. Female friendship and glorious descriptions of the Kentucky hills were great but over all perhaps a tad melodramatic for my tastes.

47 likes1 stack add
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swishandflick
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Pickpick

While there were some parts in the early/middle sections that seemed to drag a little more than necessary, I found this to be an overall delightful read with a historical angle that I'd never heard of. I found these women, their traveling library, and the friendships they formed, to be quite endearing.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

mcctrish I impulse grabbed this on audio and I loved it 3y
98 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Bookwormjillk
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A few days late for #TravelTuesday It‘s been that kind of week 🤷‍♀️

It seems like I should have read a million books from a beautiful state like Kentucky, but the two pictured are the only ones I had on my list. I enjoyed them both.

I‘ve enjoyed several trips to Kentucky. Did you know you can sera moonbow at Cumberland Falls? https://sciencemadefun.net/blog/the-science-of-moonbows/

Sunset background here was taken on a trip in 2018.

megnews Beautiful sunset! I‘ve heard about the moonbow. Would love to see that! 3y
50 likes1 stack add1 comment
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megnews
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The Giver of Stars is my favorite book set in Kentucky. I haven‘t read The Last Blue but it‘s on my tbr and I really want to get to it.
I‘ve only driven through Kentucky and not visited. I‘d love to hear recommendations for places to visit.
#TravelTuesday

plemmdog Lexington and Louisville are charming mid-size cities. And I especially love Berea, an arts and crafts center. KY also has several old Shaker settlements. And of course there‘s bourbon…😊 3y
47 likes1 comment
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jessjess
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Thank you @melissajayne for this wonderful #littlechristmasswap gift!! I LOVE red licorice and opening this was heaven sent 🥰

jessjess And a big thank you goes to @bookish_wookish for organizing the #lcs swap for us all! It was really nice to participate in ☺ 3y
melissajayne I am glad you like the package; hope you enjoy it all. 3y
jessjess @melissajayne definitely am muching on licorice right now 😊 3y
29 likes3 comments
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Blueberry
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Pickpick

I thought the second half dragged a little after the more condensed first half. But an excellent read.

66 likes1 stack add