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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 Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky.

What happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.

My first Jojo Moyes book, I picked this one up for book club.

Loved it.

I’m not always a fan of historicals because I want to get into the story and they sometimes start too slow for me–too much emphasis on setting and not enough on story. This book, however, jumped right into the story and wove historical details throughout it without stopping the action to explain things (only in short spurts, not pages/chapters).

I loved the cast of characters. You could feel/understand many of the women’s helplessness and despair, which helped you understand their passion for the horseback librarian project. The romance was sweet, though I was a bit disappointed at how Alice’s romantic ending played out (IYKYK). Overall, however, this history was rich, the characters were engaging, and the story captured my attention so thoroughly that I skipped working to keep reading.

If you like Kristin Hannah but want a little less drama/heartache, I recommend this book.

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For more historical fiction/historical romance, check out:

The Women by Kristin Hannah
The Hearts Charge by Karen Witemeyer