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beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wanted to read this book because I wanted to read more work from authors that I've enjoyed previously. I enjoyed the Me Before You series and cried my eyes out and wanted to read more of her work. This book kept popping up on my TBR and on my amazon recommended. This is one of the first historical fiction I've read, and it was an interesting read.
This book is based on Alice Wright in England 1930s, and she is restless and stifled and decides to make an impulsive decision to marry wealthy American Bennett Van Cleve and leave her home and family behind. But in Baileyville, Kentucky, her husband favours work over his wife and is dominated by his overbearing father and Alice is not getting the adventure or the escape she was looking for. That is until she meets Margery O’Hare, a troublesome woman and a daughter of a notorious felon that the town wishes to forget. Margery’s on a mission to spread the wonder of books and reading to the poor and lost and she needs Alice’s help. Trekking alone under the big open skies, through wild mountain forests, Alice, Magery and their fellow sisters of the trail discover freedom, friendship and a life to call their own. But when Baileyville turns against them, will their belief in one another and the power of books be enough to save them?
This book is so different from the other books of Jojo’s I've read, and it was so refreshing. I loved Alice and I just wanted to hug her so much, she was going through it during this book and all she wanted to do was live her life. I loved the found family aspect in this book especially the womanhood that grew between the ladies of the Book Club. Each of these women had their own stories and only strengths and weaknesses and I adored them all and I'm so happy they all stood up for themselves and each other and kick the small-town bullshit. I love Margery, she was like the badass sister that everyone wants and loves. The storyline was brilliant, and it kept you intrigued and hooked. The storyline did have some sadness in especially when the men were involved (rolling my eyes at the Van Cleve men). After the issues with Alice, I was more interested in the murder mystery aspect.
This was the first historical standalone fiction I read and the only other historical fiction I've read is the Bridgerton series and those two books were completely different. Once you got through maybe 25% of the book, you end up focusing on the characters and their stories rather than the things of like horse and carriage and letters and women cannot be in men’s club.
I cannot wait to read more of Jojo’s work especially her historical fictions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Animal death
Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Violence
Minor: Incest
marissa_roo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
A surprising combination of where the crawdads sing and the bookwoman of troublesome Creek. I felt myself eerily familiar with the setting after reading the bookwoman, but this cast was unique and the plot was beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
iszys's review against another edition
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy, Animal death, and Confinement
Minor: Incest
ferdie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was quite happy going along with this little tale. I did feel the trial at the end wrapped up for too quickly for all the pain it caused, and there was something that prevented me from feeling truly close to the characters. It felt like I appreciated all of them from afar. Overall, a nice little book that I'm happy to have read but isn't at the top of my recommendation list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Incest
mawest's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I love reading a historical fiction book and especially one that wraps up its characters. Reading a book about rural eastern Kentucky while living in the Appalachia area just makes sense. This novel gives me Kristin Hannah vibes minus the tears.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
atamano's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Classism, Pregnancy, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Racism
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Rape, and Medical content
cayliem's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism
ashlyncherie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This book was entirely not what I was expecting, in the best way possible. It’s a story about love and friendship that brought me to tears a couple of times. Also as a person recently relocated to Kentucky, I enjoyed the history that I learned from it and have enjoyed researching the Packhorse Librarians. Although hearing how mistreated women and people of color were in that area and time was incredibly frustrating at times, this book was truly a celebration of our differences as humans and encouragement to serve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment, Child abuse, and Vomit
luca_di_mauro's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, and Alcoholism
Minor: Cursing, Sexism, Gun violence, and Racism
hanngigi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Racism, Medical content, Animal death, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Minor: Incest and Stalking