I absolutely adored this novel. For once a book lived up to the hype. I kept hearing rumors that this book shamelessly stole from The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and I was disappointed. But after reading this - there is no stealing. Both stories are about women who sign up to be part of the WPA's packhorse librarian program in the Kentucky mountains but that's it. Entirely different storylines and characters. The Giver of Stars centers on Alice, a young English woman who has come to Kentucky wed to a charming coal man she met while he was touring England. Alice isn't remotely prepared for what is ahead - she was under the assumption that she would be living in an American city but she arrives to a little village in the foothill of the mountains and everyone treats her with suspicion as an outsider. She has no friends, no life, and even her husband has turned away from her. She signs up for the fledgling packhorse library on a whim because it will give her something to do. But she doesn't realize how drastically her life is about to change. She'll gain friends, but she'll also gain enemies. A wonderful story that I plan on re-visiting!
