Book Review and Giveaway: The Giver of Stars

By Melissa Amster

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 Horseback Librarians of Kentucky.

What happens to them--and to the men they love--becomes a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. Though they face all kinds of dangers, they’re committed to their job--bringing books to people who have never had any, sharing the gift of learning that will change their lives.

Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope. At times funny, at others heartbreaking, this is 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. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I've mainly read the Me Before You trilogy and One Plus One, all taking place during the present time. So this novel felt different in comparison to what I was used to from Jojo Moyes. However, she has proven she can write beautifully about different time periods.

The Giver of Stars was engaging and difficult to put down. The story was very interesting. I never knew about the traveling libraries until now. I liked that Jojo included multiple perspectives instead of only focusing on Alice. The camaraderie between the women was enjoyable to read about, as well. Some aspects reminded me of what today's society is like.

This novel is perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Ellen Marie Wiseman, as well as anyone who loves a good story. I definitely recommend checking it out for a cozy night in front of a fire this autumn. (If it will ever cool off in some places!)

Movie casting suggestions:
Alice: Lily James
Bennett: Armie Hammer
Margery: Alana De La Garza
Fred: David Harbour
Sven: Joel Kinnaman
Izzy: Zoé De Grand Maison
Mr. Van Cleve: William H. Macy

Thanks to Viking for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have one copy to give away. 

Check out an excerpt from an interview Viking did with Jojo Moyes:

THE GIVER OF STARS is based on the true story of the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky. How did you discover this piece of history?
I was reading an edition of the Smithsonian Magazine online and came across an extraordinary series of pictures of women on horseback. They were on rough, mountainous terrain, clutching parcels of books, gazing out proudly. I read the accompanying text, about the real-life horseback librarians of Kentucky, and knew immediately that I wanted to write a book about them.

Libraries play a key role in THE GIVER OF STARS, and keen readers will notice you often include a library in your novels. Why are libraries so meaningful to you?
I was built in a library. My parents didn’t have much money when I was growing up so the weekly visit to the local library was a key part of my education, and my love of reading. Libraries are one of the few resources where people can be sheltered, educated and entertained without having to pay, and it pains me that they are under such threat. Without knowledge, people have fewer opportunities to move upwards.

Literacy and censorship are huge issues in THE GIVER OF STARS, something that affects the women of the novel very differently from the men. Why did you choose to focus on these issues, and do you feel they are still relevant today?
I think they’ve never been more relevant. We live in an age where the very notions of truth and facts are under attack—without knowledge we are prey to anyone who can work up a smart speech. Without knowledge women have little control over their own bodies. There are numerous ways in this book in which the acquisition of knowledge changes lives—protecting their homes, educating their families, liberating themselves from marriages.

THE GIVER OF STARS is your first novel following the Me Before You trilogy. How did it feel to step away from characters you’ve been writing for so long?
It was tough leaving Louisa behind, but I fell so hard in love writing this book that from the moment I arrived in Kentucky I pretty much forgot her. I have never enjoyed writing a book like I enjoyed writing this one: I wrote when I was meant to be on holiday, at weekends, whenever I could spare half an hour to sit down. I didn’t want to leave it, or these women. That rarely happens. So in that respect it was the loveliest way to leave Me Before You behind.

What are the main themes of the book? What do you want people to take away from reading THE GIVER OF STARS?
I wanted to write a book about women who had agency, and did worthwhile things, rather than simply existing in a romantic or domestic plotline. These women achieved epic things, and, more importantly, supported each other while doing it. I reject the constantly pushed narrative that says women must always be in competition with each other; in my experience other women have been my greatest friends and supports and I wanted to show that. Mostly I want to entertain and transport the reader a little, to make them laugh and cry. I really hope readers enjoy reading THE GIVER OF STARS as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 


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Giveaway ends October 15th at midnight EST.

Book Review: If I Had Two Lives

By Sara Steven

As a child, isolated from the world in a secretive military encampment with her distant mother, she turns for affection to a sympathetic soldier and to the only other girl in the camp, forming two friendships that will shape the rest of her life.

As a young adult in New York, cut off from her native country and haunted by the scars of her youth, she is still in search of a home. She falls in love with a married woman who is the image of her childhood friend, and follows strangers because they remind her of her soldier. When tragedy arises, she must return to Vietnam to confront the memories of her youth – and recover her identity.

An inspiring meditation on love, loss, and the presence of a past that never dies, the novel explores the ancient question: do we value the people in our lives because of who they are, or because of what we need them to be? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

If I Had Two Lives presents with a stark, raw view of the world, yet within the rawness we see moments of beauty and hope. As the child is thrown into an abyss of madness, not knowing where she is or really, who she is, the reader feels every emotion and we see her struggles in fighting against the horrific situation she’s in. In many scenes, there is uncertainty with her mother. In many others, bonding and finding her way with the soldier or the only other girl in camp. It’s this delicate balance between what’s good and what isn’t that shapes and molds what we see and the changes that are reflective within the protagonist.

There are no names given to many of the characters within this book, and they are not needed. It isn’t important. What makes each character stand out are the well-devised blueprints for each one, how they ebb and flow around the child who turns into a girl, and then a woman. Those blueprints carry out and lend into who she looks for going forward, because in essence, she’s always looking for the two friends who are so important to her, in everyone she has an encounter with. In doing so, she can hopefully mend bridges and try to repair the damage from all those years ago. And through it all, an undercurrent of matriarchal strife. The biggest catalyst for the protagonist is her need to rectify what has gone wrong in her relationship with her mother, possibly one of the biggest forces in her life.

Every chapter, every sentence is filled with honesty. I appreciated that we got to witness the growth of this little girl, could feel and believe that she’s just a child in the beginning, who later transitions into a young woman, with the voice of someone who is grown but there are parts to her that are not. Through all of it, there is no holding back of what she sees and the experiences she might have. Even when it’s tough to read, even when in some moments, it might hit a little too close to home for this reader. Yet that gave me more reason to continue on. In the moments of despair, I clung to the moments of hope, much like she had. A way out of a dark tunnel she can’t seem to find her way out of. A beautifully tragic story of perseverance and acceptance.

Thanks to PR by the Book for the book in exchange for an honest review.

What's in the mail...plus a giveaway

Melissa A:
The Empty Nest by Sue Watson from Bookouture (e-book via NetGalley)
Extracurricular, Book 2 by/from Josie Brown (e-book)
An Unorthodox Match by Naomi Ragen from St. Martin's Press  (e-book via NetGalley)
The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward from Ballantine (e-book via NetGalley)
Monarch Manor by/from Maureen Leurck

Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer from Random House
Every Last Drop by/from Sarah Robinson (e-book via NetGalley)
The Puzzle of You by/from Leah Mercer (e-book via NetGalley)

Jami:
Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg from Tall Poppy Writers (e-book via NetGalley)

Sara:
Let It Be Me by Laura Chapman from Lola's Blog Tours (e-book)
Christmas in Chamonix by Sasha Wagstaff from Rachel's Random Resources (e-book)

Becky: 
The Second Life of Nathan Jones by/from David Atkinson


What could be in YOUR mail:

Faithful Lies by Chelly Bosworth.

Chelly has TWO signed copies for some lucky readers!

One solid friendship. Two separate journeys. Can they hold on to their dreams, without falling apart?

Mary Crossfield thinks she has the perfect marriage... until she realizes just how controlling her husband has become. When he demands they start a family to carry on his name, she finds herself torn between the man she loves and the life she truly wants. A desperate search for answers leads her on a challenging path of self-discovery where she uncovers intriguing family secrets, including what really happened to her mother, who vanished when she was an infant.

Smart, beautiful and driven, Lorelei Harper is poised for a fabulous career in New York City. After years of hard work and determination, she's ready to take the Big Apple by storm... just when her best friend Mary needs her the most. As she chooses between friendship and her dreams, Lorelei meets a handsome stranger, and suddenly moving across the country takes on a new allure-- escaping romance before it has a chance to break her heart.

Each at a crossroads, Mary and Lorelei navigate the intricacies of friendship, betrayal, heartache and loss. But can they do it together? Or will their longtime friendship crack under the strain of their trials?

Full of fun, eclectic characters, the intrigue of long-hidden lies, and the searing beauty of true love, Faithful Lies is an immersive beach read that will leave you laughing, crying, and feeling as though you've made a new circle of friends.


How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends October 9th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Twine

By Sara Steven

When Juniper Kowalski, a mediocre artist and graduate of one of the best art schools in the country, gets pregnant by her married lover, she ends up back in Gobles, Michigan, living in her dead grandma’s trailer. She fears that her new life as a hotel maid, and as the best friend of a subrural call girl, has fulfilled some bleak fate. But Juniper’s pregnancy also ignites a will to create. Every hurt that she’s ever suffered begins to emerge as confrontational, public art.

Family lore has taught Juniper disdain for men. But it’s not hatred for her absent father, abusive grandpa, or even her baby daddy, causing her issues. It’s facing actual love from a big, flawed, breathtaking man. “Twine” celebrates a quietly radical view of small-town life, ambition, and motherhood. It is the story of a young woman who needs no hero, and what she does when he shows up anyway. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

There was a subtle charm to Twine, an underlying quiet within a world of noise and chaos. I felt at peace, like I wanted to take more than just a moment to appreciate and respect what I have around me, who I have around me. Juniper brought that out in me.

You can’t typecast Juniper. It would be too easy to categorize her as just a young, unwed mother. There is a spark there that goes beyond her circumstances, and in many ways, representative of so many of us who choose to stop going for our dreams and aspirations, because we’ve placed ourselves inside a labelled box. Juniper blends it all together, making it feel attainable, and real. She finds herself in less than ideal situations, but can’t sink. She won’t allow it. There is plenty of struggle and many hard times, but there is good there, too.

Much of Twine is representative of the relationships had within our families, particularly mothers and daughters. The bond that can be present there. I could see the effects of Juniper’s childhood, how at times she is the one who parents her mother, a dynamic that has made Juniper a much more mature individual, given her young age. The way she strives to find a way out of the patterns she’s seen growing up where men are concerned. It’s a major reason she is hesitant when the “big, flawed, breathtaking man” comes into her life. From her experiences, nothing good can come from a relationship. But she can’t help but find herself in one, anyway.

I appreciate how the synopsis focuses on the fact that Juniper doesn’t need someone to save her. She really doesn’t. What she needs is someone to show her that there is real love in the world, and while this may come from romantic relationships, it’s the bonds of family that are the building blocks, all along. Twine was a different type of novel, quirky and at some moments, unrefined, that aforementioned subtle charm that really hooked me. I loved the honesty and tenacious attitude of Juniper, a worthy five-star read.

Thanks to SparkPoint Studio for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kelly Simmons is going places...plus a book giveaway

Today we're pleased to welcome Kelly Simmons to CLC. Her latest novel, Where She Went, published on Tuesday. It sounds intriguing and we're excited to check it out and share more about it with you. Kelly has THREE copies to give away!

Kelly Simmons is a former journalist and creative advertising director who started writing fiction over fifteen years ago, while studying creative writing and screenwriting at Temple University and University of Pennsylvania. In addition to her critically acclaimed novels {STANDING STILL, THE BIRD HOUSE, ONE MORE DAY, THE FIFTH OF JULY and WHERE SHE WENT}, she has stuff on a few back burners: developing a TV series, writing a memoir, perfecting her dessert game.

She's a visiting teacher for Drexel University's Storylab and is a member of The Liars Club writing mentorship collective, The Tall Poppy Writers, Womens Fiction Writers Association, and Binders Full of Women Writers. (Bio courtesy of Kelly's website.)

Visit Kelly online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest

Synopsis:
What happens when your worst fear comes true?

Her only daughter has just gone away to college, and Maggie O'Farrell knows she's turning into one of those helicopter parents she used to mock. Worrying constantly, texting more than she should, even occasionally dropping by the campus "just to say hi." But Maggie can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen to Emma. And then, just as Maggie starts to relax, her daughter disappears.

The clues are disturbing. An empty dorm room where Emma was supposedly living. A mysterious boy described as Future Husband in her phone. Dorm-mates who seem more sinister than friendly. As Maggie combs over the campus looking for signs of her daughter, she learns more about Emma's life than she ever thought possible.

Kelly Simmons delivers another gripping novel in Where She Went, an unforgettable story of letting go and the secrets that surface when the person keeping them is gone. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What was the biggest reward and the biggest challenge with writing Where She Went?
The biggest reward was having my college age daughters as beta readers and getting their approval and feedback that i handled the world of college correctly! And the biggest challenge was trying to keep the voices of mother and daughter discrete and separate, but not in an obvious way. I didn’t want to impersonate a young person, but get inside her head and understand her.

How are you similar to or different from Maggie?
I’m similar in that i did not go to college and i was fascinated and taken in by the college experience. I used all those feelings to create Maggie’s perspective of how great college seemed to be. But she is a more of a loose cannon, tougher, and more forceful person than i am. But who knows what i would become if i were in her position, with my child missing, and no partner to help me, and no sleep and no money and ???? Who knows if i could become Maggie.

If Where She Went were made into a movie, who would play the leading roles?
I continue to see Sandra Bullock as Maggie, and Alexis Bledel (from Gilmore Girls) as Emma. But she’s too old! I need to rethink. . . .

What do you like most about October?
Fall is my favorite season (although i’m fond of spring as well) — when i lived in California that was what i missed about the Midwest —autumn. I love the changing leaves and pumpkins on porches. And soup. I love soup!

What is the last movie you saw that you would recommend?
Booksmart! It was so funny. And no one has seen it! Go watch it. Trust me. I’ve seen it three times already with my daughters, it’s a mom and daughter movie. Although a tad racy and profane, so don’t bring a sixth grader!

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
I find everything funny. Recently my husband and I forgot when his friends were coming to visit. First he screwed up the date and tried to pick them up when they weren’t there. We called and were like “where are you?” And they were like, we’re home watching TV! Then he screwed up the time they were arriving the next day. And they were standing on the dock calling us saying, “where are you?????” Then when they left, we brought them to the wrong dock. They were hysterical, they were like, you don’t want us here! This is a sign that you don’t love us! I guess what I’m saying is I find everyday failure kind of funny!

Thanks to Kelly for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends October 7th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Mother Knows Best

By Jami Deise

As a teenage soap fan, my favorite story lines always involved unknown children suddenly appearing, questionable paternity, baby switches, and other complications of the standard “husband plus wife equals baby” equation. In domestic thrillers, parenthood is a key factor as mysteries about a child in danger have become a standard trope in this genre. And as baby-making has moved out of the bedroom and into the laboratory over the past few decades, all kinds of storyline complications are possible. Fiction writer and bioethicist Kira Peikoff combines these elements in her latest medical thriller, Mother Knows Best. When a baby is illegally created using the DNA of three parents, what happens when the child begins to question her identity?

Ten-year-old Abby feels smothered and trapped by her mother’s panic attacks and secrecy. She has no idea that eleven years ago, Claire—desperate to avoid creating another child with her dead son’s fatal genetic illness—broke legal and ethical medical rules to create her, with the help of fertility doctor Robert Nash and Nash’s assistant and lover, Jillian. Even Claire’s husband didn’t know the truth about Abby’s conception. Now Abby has no idea that her innocent queries may have tipped off the one person who’ll do anything to get to her.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints and during different timelines, but Peikoff’s straightforward prose makes it easy to follow the twists of the plot. The story is based on very real scientific and ethical questions in fertility and genetic disease, and readers with some knowledge about mitochondrial DNA will recognize its plausibility very early on. For those who are not familiar, Peikoff’s voice is so accessible that even those who got Cs in high school biology won’t have any issue understanding the science.

Although the structure of the book makes the plotting somewhat predictable, Peikoff throws a curve ball at the end that I did not see coming (along with one that I did). The novel is a very quick read, and although the villain is a bit one-dimensional, that does not take away from the enjoyment of the story.

Mother Knows Best is Peikoff’s fourth medical/ethical thriller, and I was surprised I hadn’t heard of her before its publication. Her plotting, scientific and medical knowledge, and careful detail remind me of Robin Cook (while her characterization surpasses his). I look forward to making my way through her back list in anticipation of more books to come. With health care costs surmounting, scientific breakthroughs commonplace, and conservative lawmakers in charge of many states, Peikoff has plenty of material to work with.

Thanks to Meryl Moss Media for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Kira Peikoff:

Reviews at Amazon--September 2019

We're posting some reviews at our Amazon accounts, as either they've been sitting in queue for a while and deserve their time in the sun, fall under our featuring policy, or they're new reads that we couldn't wait to post at the blog. You can check them out at the links below. Hope we can help you find your next favorite book!

Melissa A:

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