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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, shes 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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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! 1mo
Ruthiella Winston! ❤️🐶 1mo
AmyG Too cute! 1mo
See All 7 Comments
everlocalwest This is the most adorable photo I have ever seen! 💙💙 1mo
Tamra Happy Face! 1mo
dragondrool Feel better soon! 1mo
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. 1mo
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 😍 1mo
Rachel.Rencher @Aims42 She's the best in the business 😍 1mo
Ruthiella Hope you get well soon! ❤️ 1mo
Megabooks Get well soon! She‘s so cute! 1mo
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! 1mo
Aims42 This was such a fascinating read, I never knew about the Packhorse Librarians until reading this 😊 1mo
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. 1mo
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. 🥰 1mo
Soubhiville I want this job too! 1mo
79 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 🧡💛🧡 4mo
CoverToCoverGirl Wonderful book! 4mo
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! ❤️ 5mo
11 likes1 comment
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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! 🙄 5mo
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 💚🐉 5mo
DivineDiana @MicheleinPhilly It is hard to fathom the animosity! 📖 (edited) 5mo
DivineDiana Thankfully, your mother followed her heart. 📖📚❤️ 5mo
52 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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

28 likes1 stack add
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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! 7mo
DivineDiana @BarbaraTheBibliophage Good to hear! ❤️ 7mo
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.

95 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! 7mo
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

21 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. 9mo
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 💫⭐️ 9mo
30 likes1 comment
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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.

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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! 🤩 12mo
41 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 ♥️ 12mo
RenePenn Loved this look. 12mo
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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.

45 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 13mo
96 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! 14mo
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…😊 1y
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 ☺ 1y
melissajayne I am glad you like the package; hope you enjoy it all. 1y
jessjess @melissajayne definitely am muching on licorice right now 😊 1y
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.

64 likes1 stack add
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Blueberry
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Blueberry
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Currently reading for f2f bookclub.

CoverToCoverGirl It‘s SO good. 🙂 1y
48 likes1 comment
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Librarybelle
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In a departure from Moyes‘ usual style, The Giver of Stars showcases the packhorse librarians of Kentucky in the early 20th century. You really get to know about these strong women in the narrative, and I was so entranced with the storyline, the struggles the women faced, as well as the nuances of daily life in rural Kentucky. #June #12BooksOf2021

Andrew65 Sounds wonderful. 1y
kplovesbooks This has been on my TBR since it came out!! I hope I can get to it finally in 2022! 1y
Librarybelle @kplovesbooks Hope you can get to it in 2022! 1y
68 likes3 comments
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bodeae@lps.wels.net
Pickpick

Ahhh I LOVED this book! It really tugged at the heart strings, as it told the story of 5 strong, young, independent women helping those around them and paving their own paths in the process. I think any girl who feels a little lost in this world should read this, and guys too. This story Jojo Moyes tells could apply to absolutely anyone. I'm sad I'm done reading it:)

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Ms.Story
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If you had a book mobile full of children‘s books, what would you call it?

wanderinglynn Moving Stories or maybe Mobile Dreams (edited) 1y
56 likes1 stack add1 comment
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PageShifter
Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes
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I accidentally posted this as a blurb, so I only add now : PICK ;)

Reading this was pure pleasure, I loved everything: characters, story, setting. I loved to follow characters' lives - and they really had to struggle through things.

I loved the atmosphere, I don't know why but isolated towns are dear to me. And this was a historical also so life was a bit different than nowadays.

Book 2 during #novelnovember

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 1y
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 I really need to read a Jojo Moyes book. 1y
PageShifter @Andrew65 This was third I read and everyone has been worth reading 1y
17 likes3 comments
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jen_the_scribe
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Decided to pick this one for my next listen…

21 likes1 stack add
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Booknerd2
Giver of Stars | Jojo Moyes
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Pickpick

How did I wait so long to read this book!!!
💜💜💜

kremi One of my favorite books!❤🧡💛 1y
53 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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cwarnier
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#bookspinbingo @thearomaofbooks
October Book Spin/ Bingo
I am always pumped up, but never seem to do as good as I would like. Oh well!

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! Looks great!!! 1y
Sargar114 I hear ya! But making the board is so fun! 1y
19 likes2 comments
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sleepy.ash87
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Pickpick

This was a great read! Very entertaining with a wonderful description of female bonds, love, survival, and finding hope through empowerment and perseverance.

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amber_ldsmom
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Pickpick

Great book, but I was left with one answered question, which is driving me a little crazy. 🙂

ShelleyBooksie Whats the question? 2y
amber_ldsmom @ShelleyBooksie What was Bennett‘s issue? 2y
37 likes2 comments
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LaurenMags
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Pickpick

A novel that takes place during the great depression about a group of women in Kentucky that work for the Pack Horse Librarians. Wonderful storyline but a little disappointed with how everything was wrapped up perfectly with a bow.

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Curiouser_and_curiouser
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Listening to The Giver of Stars whilst I get back into watercolor painting after 4 years break. I was only a beginner back then so still in my learning phase.
Hoping to paint some more interesting subjects in the future. Although not yet finished I gained some confidence whilst listening to this beautiful book and getting familiar with my paints again. What a satisfying evening.

This story is so beautifully told. I'm loving it so far.

Kimberlone Pretty!! 2y
Lindy Lovely painting! 2y
Deblovestoread 💜💜💜 2y
See All 11 Comments
katy4peas Wow! I‘m learning watercolor, but mine is nowhere near as controlled as yours is! Beautiful! 😍 2y
marleed So pretty! 2y
Hooked_on_books That‘s incredible—you‘re really good! 2y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm This is lovely! I‘ve always wanted to be able to do watercolors. Every attempt of mine looks like a muddy mess. 😅 2y
Suet624 Lovely! 2y
Nute Quite lovely! 2y
WJCintron Great job! This is beautiful! 👏 👏 👏 😃 2y
julieclair A beautiful painting and a beautiful book! 14mo
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Peaceful_Reader
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Pickpick

Margery, Alice, Izzy, Beth, and Kathleen are all women I will remember for a long time. Thank heavens for book club choices bc this is one I might not have picked up in my own.

marleed Since you liked this you might want to check out the tagged. It tells a similar-ish story but told from the perspective of a writer who grew up in Kentucky. It‘s an interesting aspect to the own-voice perspective, and it has Blue people! Also, I think it‘s perfectly acceptable to like both books! 2y
Peaceful_Reader @marleed : thank you for the suggestion! 2y
15 likes1 stack add2 comments