The Giver of Stars: The spellbinding love story from the author of the global phenomenon Me Before You

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Margery’s on a mission to spread the wonder of books and reading to the poor and lost – and she needs Alice’s help. Source says: ‘Regarding the Jojo Moyes situation, her publishers are lying when they say they were not aware of Kim Michele Richardson's book. Audio excerpted courtesy Penguin Random House Audio from The Giver of Starsby Jojo Moyes, read by Julia Whelan. But at least, the conclusion of those amazing women’s stories are satisfying, relieving and earning too many applauses and happy dance, happy hour celebration with my homemade margaritas! I think it’s always story, whether it’s modern or historical. Some fact or snippet just lodges in my brain and I can’t shift it. If it stays for months then it’s usually insisting on being written about. It’s no coincidence that this contains horses, love stories and library books—three of my favorite things....

Stifled and misunderstood, she yearns for escape and finds it in defiant Margery O'Hare and the sisterhood bringing books to the isolated and vulnerable. Just as things are looking up, the Clem's body is found with his head bashed in and a bloody copy of Little Women nearby. Margery is subsequently arrested and jailed. The other librarians try to cover for Margery, but things look bleak, even if she hurt him in self defense. Margery gives birth in jail. Englishwoman Alice, newly married to the son of a local small-town coal baron, feels like an unwelcome outsider in her new home. A beguiling tale of unlikely love. The most appealing thing is Moyes' wonderful way with romance. Delightful' The Times

Movie / TV Show Adaptation

Hughes, Roxanne (9 November 2019). "Jojo Moyes: The Giver of Stars suffers blow as further 'plagiarism' claims unearthed". Express.co.uk . Retrieved 5 May 2021. For years I've been a huge Jojo Moyes fan. It's such a great narrative about personal strength and really captures how books bring communities together, especially for these women who are completely bonded by their love of literature Reese Witherspoon There is always a way out of a situation. Might be ugly. Might leave you feeling like the earth has gone and shifted under your feet. But there is always a way around.” My favorite part was introducing people to reading and nurturing their love for books by giving them suitable novels, magazines, cookbooks, etc. The relation between poverty, illiteracy, and the common belief of the uselessness of education was also pretty well-handled. The librarians always tried to encourage reading in their town without giving up nor embarrassing those who ask (after they refused them first). It was a very nice initiative and didn’t know about it before reading this book.

The father, Ernt Allbright, is a former POW that comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. He makes the impulsive decision to move his family to Alaska where they will live off the grid in America’s last frontier. The mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for Ernt, even if it means following him into the unknown. Their thirteen-year-old daughter Leni is caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate and stormy relationship. But she hopes that the new land will lead to a better future for her family. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a gripping story about survival and human resilience. The story is about a family that moves to Alaska in 1974.

Section-by-Section Summary

JM:Margery. She’s such a badass. I had the most fun writing her, largely because she genuinely doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her and that’s such a rare thing for a woman. This was a compelling book based on a true story. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this one. I also enjoyed how this book highlighted each woman's strengths and showed them supporting each other and gaining confidence and courage from being around each other. I enjoyed the positive relationships between the women, so often women are pitted against each other and in this book, they draw strength from each other and lift each other up. There is some romance in this book, but it is the women who truly shine. Inspired by a remarkable true story, The Giver of Stars features five incredible women who will prove to be every bit as beloved as Lou Clark, the unforgettable heroine of Me Before You. Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.

A third gushed: “Oh @jojomoyes what can I say? Thank you for The Giver of Stars. You’ve broken me, and mended me with your words. It is a truly beautifully written, incredibly special story that will stay with me for a very long time,” while Reese Witherspoon posted: “I can’t think of a better book to read during the month of giving than #TheGiverofStars by @JojoMoyes. Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. Those who have read Moyes, Me before you, know that she can pull emotion out of a turnip, and I'm not a turnip but a marshmallow. So I can say, this review is based on the emotion this story illicited, the strong friendships within and the feel good nature of the ending. It is a story of struggle and perseverance, but also of love. I'll be honest, the ending was a little over the top, but since I loved so many of the characters, it was also in a very emotional way, mostly satisfying. 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 really liked reading this. There are so many recent releases that have been tedious, needlessly long, or just very serious or dark, so I found this to be a lovely departure from all that. It’s capably written and tells a charming, engaging story about small-town drama. I think the worst thing you could say is that it’s somewhat of a “safe” and slightly romanticized story, but it never veers into being cheesy or melodramatic, so that didn’t bother me at all.

There are many obstacles for them to overcome including racism, prejudice against women working outside the home, physical limitations and suspicion about Alice because she speaks differently, her British accent, and is considered an outsider. Ultimately, the overlaps that were cited are pretty minor aspects of the story or things where overlap makes sense, given that they are about the same period of history. I can understand why the other author would feel possessive over the topic, especially in a book released in a similar time-frame by a more well-known author, so I don’t judge her at all for feeling territorial. I also feel like some of the details really are weirdly similar. One of the central themes of this book is that knowledge is power. How did you see that play out in this book? Discuss the connection between knowledge, accessibility, and upward mobility. Universal Pictures has acquired the rights to The Giver of Stars. Debra Hayward and Alison Owen will produce the adaptation with author Jojo Moyes executive producing. Owen previously produced Saving Mr. Banks (2013) and collaborated with Moyes on producing the adaptation of her previous novel, Me Before You. Before Alice leaves, she confides in Fred about her failed marriage. He’s surprised, but also delighted when he finds out she and Bennett never consummated their marriage. He shows her in the books that it means she’s not married in the eyes of God, and it means she can get the marriage annulled. They kiss (finally!).

Richardson found these apparent similarities alarming enough that in August 2019, she brought her concerns to her publisher, Sourcebooks — which as of May 2019, Penguin Random House, Moyes’ publisher, owns a 45% stake in.It’s not long before Alice makes friends with Margery, their fearless and independent leader, and they’re joined by three other women. The five makeshift librarians work hard to deliver books and offer news of the world to hard-to-reach citizens, changing lives and shaping their own fates along the way. Reading Guide The town is in a frenzy leading up to the trial and the local news is filled with lurid headlines. Outside the jailhouse, the other librarians sing a song to give her strength. Margery pleads not guilty. As the trial progresses, things look bleak for Margery as they confirm his death from blunt force trauma.